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Marathon Weekend Roundup

Japan's mass participation world took another step back toward pre-pandemic normality with at least 30,000 finishers in four big marathons over the long weekend. On Thursday's national holiday, course record holder Tomomi Sawahata added another Gunma Marathon win to her resume in 2:47:13, 10 minutes slower than her CR but enough to better 2nd-placer Mai Arizuka by 1:12. Yuji Shibukawa led the 9,747 finishers with a 2:22:12 win in the men's race.

In her first marathon since winning August's Hokkaido Marathon and qualifying for Japan's MGC Race Olympic marathon trials next year, Haruka Yamaguchi broke her own course record at the Chiba Aqualine Marathon with a 2:39:26 for the win, her 3rd-straight win in Chiba Aqualine's four runnings to date. Takashi Mino won the men's race in 2:25:07, with a total of 14,994 people starting the race. Yamaguchi will run next weekend's East Japan Women's Ekiden.

The Toyama Marathon had 12,068 finishers, two-time men's champ Hiroki Sugawa the fastest of them with a 2:21:28 to make it three in a row. Women's winner Mitsuko Hirose, 48, scored a 4th-straight win in 2:43:22, 3:10 ahead of runner-up Yurino Yokoyama. 2012 Olympian Arata Fujiwara ran the men's race as a celebrity guest, running 3:26:07.

The Shimonoseki Kaikyo Marathon in Yamaguchi saw 7.940 starters. Chika Yokota won the women's race in 2:45:59, 2nd-placer Manami Tanigawa just making it under 2:50 in 2:49:26. Toshiro Takenaka was the men's winner in 2:25:18.

© 2022 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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