Ichiyama, Maeda and Yamanouchi Return

Ichiyama, Maeda and Yamanouchi Return - Weekend Track Roundup

Track season in Japan goes almost year-round, with the fall time trial meets acting mostly as tune-ups for ekiden season. Both of the big meets this weekend played that role. At the Chugoku Corporate Time Trials meet Saturday in Hiroshima, the top five men, all Kenyan, broke the old 5000 m meet record of 13:36.36 thanks in part to the presence of a large number of teams from the Kyushu region. Emmanuel Kiplagat (Mitsubishi Juko) got the win in 13:19.05. Africans took the top seven spots, Shunya Kikuchi (Chugoku Denryoku) the first Japanese man at 8th in 13:53.33. Kenyans went 1-3 in the women's 3000 m, Teresiah Muthoni (Daiso) taking 1st in 9:03.11 over teammate Rebecca Mwangi, 2nd in 9:03.47, and Rose Wangui (Sera H.S.), 3rd in 9:04.40. Honoka Tanaike (Otsuka Seiyaku) was the top Japanese woman at 4th in 9:30.52.

The 298th Nittai University Time Trials meet in Yokohama was smaller than usual, with only twelve heats of men's 5000 m on Sunday. Saturday saw newcomer Nelson Mandela Mubiti (Obirin Univ.) make his Japanese debut, running a PB of 28:41.53 to win the men's 10000 m A-heat over a group of other 1st-year Kenyans at minor Kanto Region universities. 2017 World University Games half marathon gold medalist Kei Katanishi (JR Higashi Nihon) was the first Japanese man across the line, 5th in 29:22.76.

Women's 5000 m NR holder Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post) doubled in the 1500 m and 3000 m, winning both in 4:21.42 and 8:56.20. Minami Yamanouchi was a surprise in 2nd, making her debut with the Shimamura team, if not in its uniform, with a solid 8:57.15, just 0.13 off her PB. That PB came in 2018, the same season she set her 5000 m and 10000 m bests of 15:21.31 and 31:16.48, and almost equalling it here was the first good result she's had since losing Atsushi Sato as a coach when he left his position at the Kyocera team. Two high schoolers went under 9:06, Haruka Ogawa (Junten H.S.) 5th in 9:05.46 and Mariya Noda (Kitakyushu Shiritsu H.S.) 6th in 9:05.85.

Pauline Kamulu (Route Inn Hotels) soloed a 15:10.97 for the win in the women's 5000 m A-heat. Erika Tanoura (Sekisui Kagaku) outkicked Hokkaido Marathon winner Haruka Yamaguchi (AC Kita) for 2nd, 15:43.75 to 15:48.67, with another lost veteran, marathon collegiate record holder Sairi Maeda (Daihatsu), dropping a surprise comeback with a 15:58.43 for 5th. Women-only marathon NR holder Mao Ichiyama (Shiseido) was 6th in 16:06.61 in her first race since a last-second positive COVID test kept her out of this summer's Oregon World Championships marathon.

When Sunday rolled around the men's 5000 m wasn't quite as fast as what had happened in Hiroshima the night before, but it wasn't far off. James Muoki (Konica Minolta) ran 13:23.36 for 1st in the A-heat, with Hakone Ekiden star Vincent Yegon (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) 2nd in 13:25.68 and Muoki's KM teammate Dominic Langat 3rd in 13:31.33. The top Japanese man was Nagiya Mori (Honda), 6th in 13:56.51.

Can Meijo Make it 8-Straight? Morinomiyako Ekiden Preview

Sunday's Morinomiyako Ekiden in Sendai is one of the two big national-level ekidens on the collegiate women's ekiden circuit. This is the era of Meijo University , who have won the last seven Morinomiyako titles and the last six at December's Mt. Fuji. Women's Ekiden , and just about the only real story here is whether anyone can stop them. Five out the six members of last year's winning team, Nanaka Yonezawa , Kaede Rikimaru , Asuka Ishimatsu , Saki Harada , and Nanase Tanimoto , are back, and the only one missing, 2nd-year Naru Yabutani , finished the lowest on the team on her stage at 4th last time. Tanimoto, the only 4th-year on the team, has had more downs than ups this season, but that was true last year too and Meijo came through. Perpetual 2nd-placer Daito Bunka University was only 52 seconds behind over the 38.0 km Morinomiyako course, and that was with one of its runners finishing only 12th on her stage. Its entire 2023 lineup is back, led by 2nd-year S

Police Arrest 20-Year-Old Man Charged With Assaulting Female Runner at Popular Tokyo Running Spot

A 20-year-old man has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a female runner along the banks of the Tama River in Ota Ward, Tokyo. "I've been stuck at home because of the coronavirus, so I wanted to go for a walk and move my body a bit," the man told police. Local resident Hirai Muroyama , 20, of no known occupation, was arrested on charges of sexual assault. He is accused of acts including grabbing the breasts of a woman in her 20s at around 10 p.m. on May 31 along the banks of the Tama River. According to police, the woman was taking a break in her run when Muroyama approached her silently from behind and grabbed her breasts before running away. Under police interrogation Muroyama told investigators, "I've been stuck at home because of the coronavirus, so I wanted to go out for a walk and move my body. I'd had a few drinks and was feeling pretty hype. She was totally my type." source article: https://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newsey

Shiori Nagumo Makes It to Queens Ekiden Two Years After Giving Birth

Kagoshima's Higo Ginko women's corporate team ran Sunday's Princess Ekiden in a successful shot at making November's Queens Ekiden national championship. On its roster was a runner who looks forward to taking her daughter to the big show. Handling First Stage duties for the Higo Ginko team, Shiori Nagumo 's driving force was her 2-year-old daughter Itoha Nagumo . Shiori, 29, brings Itoha with her on team training camps and to races. When Shiori trains, Itoha is there to give her water. "It's a good thing, you know," said Higo Ginko head coach Shigeharu Watanabe , 55. "Even after becoming a mother, she's still able to focus on being an athlete." Shiori was once a key member of the top-tier Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo team, but she retired to give birth. Afterward she still felt motivated to return to running, and when her former Mitsui Sumitomo coach Watanabe got in touch she agreed to join Higo Ginko in July last year. "It's not easy

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