Kimunyan Runs Fastest-Ever 10000 m in Japan, Iizawa Up to 1500 m All-Time #2

Kimunyan Runs Fastest-Ever 10000 m in Japan, Iizawa Up to 1500 m All-Time #2 - Weekend Track Update

Three big pre-ekiden season meets happened this weekend and produced some big results. Saturday at the Nittai University Time Trials in Yokohama, Richard Kimunyan (Hitachi Butsuryu) and Benard Koech (Kyudenko) pushed each other under Josphat Ndambiri's longstanding 10000 m Japan all-comers record of 26:57.36, Kimunyan setting the new record at 26:54.76 and Koech next in 26:55.04. Those times made them the only Kenyans under 27 minutes this year worldwide, with the Hachioji Long Distance meet still to come next month. Three others were under 27:30 led by Jonathan Ndiku (Hitachi Butsuryu) in 27:12.84, with Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) the top Japanese man at 6th in 27:53.00.

Justus Soget (Honda) took the 5000 m A-heat in 13:24.01, the top five all under 13:30 and another Fujitsu runner, Olympian Hiroki Matsueda, filling the top Japanese spot at 8th in 13:34.62. Harumi Okamoto (Yamada Holdings) won the women's 5000 m A-heat in 15:49.72, and Kenyan Hellen Ekarare (Toyota Jidoshokki) led the 3000 m in 8:49.31.

The biggest news at Niigata's Athletics Challenge Cup was in the men's 1500 m, where Kazuto Iizawa (Tokai Univ.) ran a hard solo last lap to moved up to all-time Japanese #2 in 3:36.55. Iizawa's time was also the fastest-ever by a Japanese-born collegiate runner, 0.04 under the time Ryuji Miura (Juntendo Univ.) ran in April. 8 of the 10 fastest Japanese men's 1500 m times ever have now been run since July 17, 2021, with only one having happened before July 9, 2019. Abraham Guem (Ami AC) was the only other runner under 3:40, running 3:39.35. Yume Goto (Toyota Jidoshokki) won the women's 1500 m in 4:10.79.

Olympian Yuta Bando (Fujitsu) ran the fastest Japanese men's 5000 m time of the weekend, taking the A-heat win in Niigata in 13:21.94. Shunsuke Yoshii (Chuo Univ.), younger brother of former U20 5000 m NR holder Yamato Yoshii, ran 13:40.26 for 5th, while the holder Yoshii, also at Chuo, was 13th in only 14:19.19. Agnes Mwikali (Kyocera) had a solid win in the women's A-heat in 14:56.81, with National Corporate Championships 10000 m winner Tabitha Njeri Kamau (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) negative splitting the B-heat in 15:01.62 for the win. Ayano Shiomi (Iwatani Sangyo) took the women's 800 m in 2:04.41.

At the Chugoku Corporate Time Trials meet in Hiroshima, Anthony Maina (Toyota Kyushu) turned in a solid 27:41.70 for the 10000 m A-heat win by less than a second over Evans Kipkemei (JFE Steel). Cleophas Kandie (Mitsubishi Juko) took the 5000 m A-heat in 13:26.62. Marathoner Rei Ohara (Tenmaya) had her best race in a long time, winning the women's 5000 m in 15:55.70.

Arao Becomes 1st Man in 40 Years to Score Back-to-Back Ome Road Race Wins

30 km is an under-appreciated distance, and both of Japan's big races at that distance happened Sunday. At the Ome Road Race in western Tokyo's mountains, Sydney Marathon 6th-placer Masato Arao (ND Software) became the first man since the great Kunimitsu Ito in 1985-1986 to win back-to-back years. Arao, who finished 39th of 40 on his leg at the New Year Ekiden last month, stayed in the pack through 20 km before going on the attack, putting over a minute on New Year Ekiden Sixth Stage CR breaker Yudai Shimazu (GMO). Sub-1:31 winning times are rare on the tough and hilly Ome course, but Arao's 1:30:54 almost equaled his 1:30:50 from last year, making him the first Japanese man ever to do it twice and second only to CR holder Ezekiel Cheboitibin . Next up Arao races the Tokyo Marathon, where he is targeting sub-2:06. Shimazu was 2nd in 1:31:58 and Yuta Nakayama (JR Higashi Nihon) 3rd in 1:32:07. Cheboitibin was only 9th, running almost 8 minutes off his CR in 1:36:42. Shi...

Nagoya Women's Marathon Elite Field

Last year's top 3 Sheila Chepkirui , Sayaka Sato and Eunice Chebichii Chumba are back for this year's Nagoya Women's Marathon on Mar. 8, but things are being set up more for it to be a race between Chepkirui, 2:17:49 in Berlin 2023, Aynalem Desta , 2:17:37 in Amsterdam last fall, and Japanese NR holder Honami Maeda , 2:18:59 at the Osaka International Women's Marathon in 2024. Aynalem has the freshest sub-2:20 of the 3, with neither Chepkirui nor Maeda having done it in 2 years. Maeda's only recent result is a 1:10:07 from Houston last month, but when she ran her NR she didn't have any kind of tuneup race to indicate her fitness so it's probably best not to read too much into that. If it goes out as a 2:18 race those are the only 3 who can probably hang with it. If it turns out to be more of a 2:20 race like when Chepkirui won in 2:20:40 last year then there's a group of 7 at the 2:20-2:22 level who will be in the picture, including Chumba, Selly Chep...

Osaka Marathon Preview

The Osaka Marathon is Sunday, one of Japan's biggest mass-participation races and the next stop on the calendar for its elite marathoners hoping to qualify for the L.A. Olympics marathon trials in the fall of 2027. Last year it snowed mid-race, but this year is looking warmer than ideal given the season, with sunny skies, almost no wind, and temps forecast to be 11˚ at the start and rising to 19˚ by the time the winners are finishing. NHK is broadcasting Osaka with a heavy emphasis on the men's race, and if you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it from overseas. There's also official streaming on Youtube starting at 8:30 a.m. local time, although it doesn't look like it's the same as what NHK will be showing. Given Osaka's history at the elite level as the continuation of the men-only Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, the women's field is small relative to the men's, just enough to tick World Athletics' label requirements and with almost no do...

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