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Favorites Mutiso and Omare Win Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon, Diver Comes Up With W45 WR

The two heavy favorites in the return of the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon, all-time #4 man Alexander Mutiso (ND Software) and 2022 National Corporate Half Marathon women's champ Dolphine Omare (U.S.E.) took the top spots, but their races couldn't have been more different.

In what had to have been the best weather in Gifu's 11-year history, mid-teens, a tailwind on the return trip of the hilly out-and-back course, and a light misty rain that began minutes before the start and gradually picked up over the morning, the men's race went out close to CR pace, Mutiso leading the way at 5 km in 14:15 and at least 16 others in tow. The pace stayed there over the next 10 km until only 5 were left up front, and with a 13:59 split from there to 20 km cut it down to just Mutiso, Benard Koech (Kyudenko) and Emmanuel Maru (Toyota Boshoku).

All three went under the old CR of 1:00:02 set by the great Bedan Karoki back in 2014, but Mutiso had the kick to score the win in 59:56. Koech was next in 59:57 in his half marathon debut, with Maru another second behind in a PB of 59:58. Japan-based Kenyans took the next 6 places, but taking the top Japanese spot at 10th in 1:02:21 was the last Japanese man to hang on to them, 38-year-old unsponsored amateur Takahiro Nakamura. 40-year-old Mongolian Ser-Od Bat-Ochir also had a good day, running the 3rd-best time of his career in 1:03:22 for 28th in his debut with new sponsor Shin Nihon Jusetsu.



With a buzzed head the petite Omare blended into the crowd of amateur men enough that TV broadcasters seemed to have missed the fact that she was leading, instead focusing in on the chase pack led by Aussie trio Sinead Diver, Eloise Wellings and Natalie Rule within the first km. To be fair, I was on the course and missed her too when she first went by at 1.5 km. But not that Omare seemed to care, as she whipped her unofficial pacers to push her to a 1:08:13 win.

Diver broke from the chase pack just before 10 km, followed first by Wellings, then Rule and top Japanese duo Haruka Yamaguchi (AC Kita) and Reia Iwade (Adidas). Diver, who already holds the W40 world record of 1:08:55, kept pulling away to add the W45 record to her portfolio with a 1:09:00 for 2nd, while behind her Yamaguchi, like Nakamura an unsponsored amateur in her mid-30s, overtook Wellings for 3rd.

In her first road race since giving up on supershoes and going back to what worked for her originally, superthin ASICS Sortiemagic flats, Yamaguchi broke 70 minutes for the first time in 1:09:50, the first Japanese woman to go under 71 minutes at Gifu. It was almost 4 minutes faster than her previous best, and it came just 16 hours after taking over 20 seconds off her track 3000 m best at Saturday's Nittai University Time Trials. Both Nakamura and Yamaguchi will be running next month's 10000 m National Championships, and based on today they're bound to take down their share of corporate leaguers.

11th Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon

Gifu, 24 April 2022

Women
1. Dolphine Nyaboke Omare (Kenya/U.S.E.) - 1:08:13
2. Sinead Diver (Australia) - 1:09:00 - W45 WR
3. Haruka Yamaguchi (AC Kita) - 1:09:50 - PB
4. Eloise Wellings (Australia) - 1:10:42
5. Reia Iwade (Adidas) - 1:10:43
6. Natalie Rule (Australia) - 1:11:24 - debut
7. Miharu Shimokado (S.I.D. Group) - 1:12:19
8. Nanami Aoki (Iwatani Sangyo) - 1:12:33
9. Anna Matsuda (Denso) - 1:12:59
10. Yuma Adachi (Kyocera) - 1:13:57
11. Aiko Fujita (Aichi Denki) - 1:15:17
12. Aika Nakashima (Kyocera) - 1:17:44
13. Rina Hirayama (Aichi Denki) - 1:18:39
14. Kotomi Shoji (Aichi Denki) - 1:18:45
15. Hodaka Shimizu (Nara-X Athletes) - 1:19:47

Men
1. Alexander Mutiso (Kenya/ND Software) - 59:56 - CR
2. Benard Kibet Koech (Kenya/Kyocera) - 59:57 - debut
3. Emmanuel Maru (Kenya/Toyota Boshoku) - 59:58 - PB
4. Joseph Karanja (Kenya/Aichi Seiko) - 1:00:12
5. Charles Karanja Kamau (Kenya/NTN) - 1:00:22 - PB
6. Josphat Ledama Kisaisa (Kenya/Kanebo) - 1:00:58
7. Vincent Raimoi (Kenya/Suzuki) - 1:01:22
8. Donald Mitei (Kenya/Chudenko) - 1:01:48 - PB
9. Simon Saidimu (Kenya/Chuo Hatsujo) - 1:01:51 - debut
10. Takahiro Nakamura (Kyocera Kagoshima) - 1:02:21
11. Yuki Sato (SG Holdings) - 1:02:22
12. Naoya Sakuda (JR Higashi Nihon) - 1:02:22
13. Kazuya Azegami (Toyota) - 1:02:31
14. Shun Sadakata (Mazda) - 1:02:36
15. Takumi Oishi (Suzuki) - 1:02:40
16. Tomohiro Fujimura (Suzuki) - 1:02:46
17. Tomoki Kawamura (Toyota Boshoku) - 1:02:47
18. Ryu Takaku (Yakult) - 1:02:50
19. Koshiro Hirata (SG Holdings) - 1:02:56
20. Torazo Kai (Suzuki) - 1:02:58
21. Manabu Yamada (Suzuki) - 1:03:00
22. Yuichi Yasui (Toyota) - 1:03:06
23. Hidekazu Hijikata (Honda) - 1:03:08
24. Hiromasa Kumahashi (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 1:03:09
25. Daisuke Higuchi (Chuo Hatsujo) - 1:03:11
26. Takanori Ogata (Soka Univ.) - 1:03:13
27. Mizuki Higashi (Aisan Kogyo) - 1:03:14
28. Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (Mongolia/Shin Nihon Jusetsu) - 1:03:22
29. Yuta Shitara (Honda) - 1:03:30
30. Ryotaro Tomita (Suzuki) - 1:03:36

text and photos © 2022 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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Comments

Stefan said…
I was in awe of Sinead Diver's run. Simply superb! Great win by Omare! Yes, the TV coverage totally missed her as did I when watching it.

Having read your article and being better informed about Yamaguchi I can only give huge props to her for both her 3000m PB and then this half marathon PB. She is clearly in the form of her career. She deserves a corporate sponsor! Her and Homani Maeda clearly have the same preference in running shoes! Good for them.

Next month's 10000m National Championships is going to be compelling viewing. As an aside, I was surprised to see Nozomi Tanaka put in a good performance at the 10000m distance yesterday too after her 1500m run.

The only premier athlete I haven't seen compete in a while is Ririka Hironaka. I recall seeing her in an Exiden a while back and putting in a very good performance but unless I've missed her in a track appearance I've not seen her since. I hope she is not injured. It would be a shame if she could not participate in the 10000m National Championships.
April 25, 2022 at 5:49 AM
Geoff Burns said…
Ser-Od Bat-Ochir is a marvelous, seemingly timeless tertiary character within the epic that is the 15+ years of JRN. He just keeps weaving his way through the stories and arcs of modern Japanese distance running. Awesome.

On that same thread - great to see Yuki Sato having a good day, too! When those two hang it up, it might be time to close up shop (which means that you might be in business for eternity).
April 26, 2022 at 2:14 AM
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