2023 Hakone Ekiden champion Komazawa University's 1st and 8th runners from its winning team Kensuke Tsubura and Yuto Akahoshi were at the United Airlines NYC Half Sunday with head coach Hiroaki Oyagi and his wife Kyoko Oyagi as part of the partnership between race organizers NYRR and November's Ageo City Half Marathon set up by JRN in 2012. For both athletes it was the first time for them to ever go outside Japan.
Akahoshi, a 3rd-year at Komazawa who ran his PB of 1:02:00 at Ageo last fall, lasted longer in the main pack, staying with the group that ended up filling 4th through 14th after the breakaway move up the East Side by world record holders Jacob Kiplimo and Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda and Moroccan Zouhair Talbi. In the last 5 km he dropped back to finish 14th in 1:03:49, just behind 2022 Fukuoka International Marathon winner Maru Teferi of Israel.
"My goal was to come here and try to stay with some of the best athletes in the world, so I'm pretty disappointed that I lost touch after 15 km," he told JRN post-race. "Neither my time nor my place hit my targets, but it was still a great experience to run against people like this in one of the world's top races. I know it's going to help me in my future career."
Tsubura, who graduates next week and will give up running to begin preparation to become a monk at his family's Buddhist temple, came to NYC on only 2 weeks of training after a stress fracture following his excellent opening leg run at Hakone in January. He lasted in the pack through 10 km before losing ground, overtaking and then running with British early breakaway leader Chris Thompson before getting caught by American Galen Rupp in the last km and finishing 18th in 1:05:01.
"I'm really disappointed that I wasn't able to come here in good condition," he said post-race. "But I knew this was going to be my last race, and it makes me truly happy to have been able to do it in front of coach Oyagi and Kyoko. This is the end of my road, but I'm really glad I had a career as an athlete and that I chose to have it at Komazawa University."
For Oyagi, the United Airlines NYC Half was the last race in a 28-year career as head coach at Komazawa that produced 27 wins at the Big Three University Ekidens, 11 sub-2:09 marathoners, a 2:06:51 marathon national record in 2000, the fastest-ever half marathon and 10000 m times by a Japanese-born collegian, U20 3000 m and 5000 m NR, and a long list of other achievements.
"It was one of the joys of my life to have been coach at Komazawa University for 28 years," Oyagi said after the race. "It was a lot of fun. There were hard times, but when I look back at it now and see what the people I helped develop have gone on to accomplish, I think I did a good job as coach. I have nothing but gratitude to everyone I worked with. Thank you all."
United Airlines NYC Half
New York, 19 Mar. 2023
Men
1. Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda) - 1:01:31
2. Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda) - 1:02:09
3. Zouhair Talbi (Morocco) - 1:02:18
4. Ben True (U.S.A.) - 1:02:57
5. Edward Cheserek (Kenya) - 1:02:58
6. Andrew Butchart (Great Britain) - 1:02:58
7. Nico Montana (U.S.A.) - 1:03:00
8. Reed Fischer (U.S.A.) - 1:03:02
9. Frank Lara (U.S.A.) - 1:03:07
10. Teshome Mekonen (U.S.A.) - 1:03:08
11. Connor Winter (U.S.A.) - 1:03:10
12. Kennedy Kimutai (Kenya) - 1:03:20
13. Maru Teferi (Israel) - 1:03:41
14. Yuto Akahoshi (Japan) - 1:03:49
15. Rory Linkletter (Canada) - 1:04:21
16. Chris Thompson (Great Britain) - 1:04:32
17. Galen Rupp (U.S.A.) - 1:04:57
18. Kensuke Tsubura (Japan) - 1:05:01
Women
1. Hellen Obiri (Kenya) - 1:07:21
2. Senbere Teferi (Ethiopia) - 1:07:55
3. Karoline Grovdal (Norway) - 1:09:53
4. Diane van Es (Netherlands) - 1:10:43
5. Desiree Linden (U.S.A.) - 1:12:21
6. Dakotah Lindwurm (U.S.A.) - 1:12:25
7. Molly Huddle (U.S.A.) - 1:12:27
8. Natasha Wodak (Canada) - 1:12:33
9. Jeralyn Poe (U.S.A.) - 1:12:46
10. Erika Kemp (U.S.A.) - 1:13:18
text and photos © 2023 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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