Weekend Road Race Roundup

Strong winds prevented the kind of times usually seen at the Sanyo Ladies Road Race, the last major non-ekiden race on the Japanese calendar every year. Running as a tuneup for pacing January's Osaka International Women's Marathon, 3000 m JPN all-comers record holder Margaret Akidor (Comodi Iida) won a four-way sprint finish to take 1st in the half marathon in 1:11:19. 3rd last year, Joan Kipkemoi (Kyudenko) was 2nd in 1:11:20, reversing places with Desta Burka (Denso) who dropped from 2nd last year to 3rd in 1:11:21. Unable to keep up in the last kick, 2-time champ Zeyituna Husan (Denso) was 4th in 1:11:25. Yuri Karasawa (Kyudenko) was the top Japanese woman at 5th in 1:12:01.

In the 10 km division, Agnes Mwikali (Kyocera) won a slightly less close sprint finish over Tabitha Njeri Kamau (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) and Janet Nyiva (Kurashiki H.S.) in 31:56 to Njeri' 31:59 and Nyiva's 32:00. Top Japanese woman Misaki Hayashida (Kyudenko) was 4th in 33:14.

The 136th running of the Kanto 10-Mile Road Race in Narita, Chiba was mostly a dual between B-squads from Hakone-bound Chuo University and Juntendo University. Chuo's Ryusei Hato and Yosuke Nagashima went 1-2 in 48:42 and 48:54, Juntendo's top finisher being Jyonoshin Deguchi at 3rd in 49:01. Juntendo Hakone Ekiden entry roster members Shunsuke Shikama and Yuma Nishizawa both made the top 10, Shikama 7th in 49:34 and Nishizawa 10th in 49:39.

Broadcast live on TV for the first time in its 30-year history, the National Junior High School Ekiden in Shiga saw 2021 girls' champ Inami J.H.S. successfully defend its title, anchor Hina Yoshikawa making up a 13-second deficit to leader Yuki Kato of Kyoto Katsura J.H.S. over the 3.0 km Fifth Stage to give Inami the win over Katsura by 8 seconds. Boys' winner Kashiwa Sakaine J.H.S. hovered around 20th for the first three stages before a heroic stage win by 4th runner Yunosuke Ito put them in 1st. Hofu Kokufu J.H.S.' fifth runner Yu Osaki briefly took the top spot, but Sakaine anchor Kosuke Oyama had enough to turn it back around for the win by 8 seconds over Kitakyushu Yugawa J.H.S.

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