10000 m National Championships Preview

Given all the breakthrough runs over 10000 m in Japan the last few weeks, enough to take Japan to 30 men sub-28 for the distance this year, it seems a bit odd to have the 10000 m National Championships happening this Sunday in Tokyo's National Stadium. But relative to the timing of ekiden season, the rest of the National Championships in the late spring, and next summer's Paris Olympics, it makes sense. NHKBS is broadcasting it live, with the men's race starting at 16:03 and the women's at 16:43.

The 27:00.00 would be a stretch at this point for any of the Japanese men in the race, but one woman, former 5000 m NR holder Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post) has actually cleared the 30:40.00 standard before with a 30:39.71 at the 2022 Oregon World Championships. But that was before the qualifying window opened, so she'll have to try to continue to build back from the injuries she suffered last winter if she wants to hit the standard here. Her best this year is 31:35.12 at the Budapest World Championships, so if she doesn't clear the standard, a win here and something closer to or under the standard sometime in the spring would be enough to get her to Paris

Hironaka's main competition at 31:22.38 is women-only half marathon NR holder Rino Goshima (Shiseido), who broke Hironaka's CR on the opening leg of the Queens Ekiden at the end of November. Tomoka Kimura (Sekisui Kagaku) is a little ways back in 31:56.32 after sitting the Queens Ekiden out. Goshima's Kenyan teammate Judy Jepngetich is there as a de facto pacer, with the addition this year of the Wavelight pacing system, the red lights up front set for 30:50 and the green second set for 31:10. Wakana Kabasawa (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) is a dark horse coming in with a 15:19.98 best for 5000 m.

The men's race has a Kenyan pacer too, Sitonik Kiprono (Kurosaki Harima) the fastest in the race at 27:14.76. At 27:28.04 Ren Tazawa (Toyota) has dominated the distance domestically in the long absence of NR holder Akira Aizawa (Asahi Kasei), but Aizawa is back this time along with his catalyst for greatness, Tatsuhiko Ito (Honda). Kanta Shimizu (Subaru) is a threat for the win with a 27:31.27, and Tazawa's teammate Tomoki Ota (Toyota) rounds out the Japanese top 5 at 27:42.49. But with 16 Japanese men with sub-28 bests in the field it's likely to be another shinkansen-style race with some unpredictable results.

Many of the fastest Japanese men won't be there, having just dropped their big times in the last week or two. That includes Hakone Ekiden champ Komazawa University's Keita Sato, Mebuki Suzuki and Kotaro Shinohara, Jun Kasai (Asahi Kasei), 19-year old Sonata Nagashima (Asahi Kasei) and Chuo Gakuin University's Reishi Yoshida.

107th National Championships 10000 m Start Lists

National Stadium, Tokyo, 10 Dec. 2023

times listed are best within qualifying window

complete field lists

Women

Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post) - 30:39.71

Rino Goshima (Shiseido) - 31:22.38

Tomoka Kimura (Sekisui Kagaku) - 31:51.05

Hina Yanagitani (Wacoal) - 31:56.32

Wakana Itsuki (Kyudenko) - 31:58.59

Yuka Takashima (Shiseido) - 31:59.60

Haruka Kokai (Daiichi Seimei) - 32:01.83

Madoka Nakano (Iwatani Sangyo) - 32:13.01

Mikuni Yada (Edion) - 32:13.03

Misaki Hayashida (Kyudenko) - 32:15.97

Yumi Yoshikawa (Uniqlo) - 32:18.01

Kaede Kawamura (Iwatani Sangyo) - 32:22.23

Rio Einaga (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 32:27.40

Tomo Muramatsu (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 32:29.14

Natsuki Omori (Daihatsu) - 32:29.56

Judy Jepngetich (Kenya/Shiseido) - 14:50.20

Wakana Kabasawa (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 15:19.98

Nanami Watanabe (Panasonic) - 15:25.48

Chikako Mori (Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:30.39

Nagisa Shimotabira (Senko) - 15:30.91

Risa Yamazaki (Nittai Univ.) - 15:31.39

Minami Yamanouchi (Shimamura) - 15:32.86

Miyaka Sugata (Japan Post) - 15:35.73

Kazuna Kanetomo (Kyocera) - 15:39.91

Men

Sitonik Kiprono (Kenya/Kurosaki Harima) - 27:14.76

Ren Tazawa (Toyota) - 27:28.04

Kanta Shimizu (Subaru) - 27:31.27

Tatsuhiko Ito (Honda) - 27:42.48

Tomoki Ota (Toyota) - 27:42.49

Akira Aizawa (Asahi Kasei) - 27:42.85

Yusuke Tamura (Kurosaki Harima) - 27:43.11

Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) - 27:46.82

Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) - 27:48.22

Takashi Nanba (Toenec) - 27:48.27

Yuto Imae (GMO) - 27:50.93

Shunya Kikuchi (Chugoku Denryoku) - 27:51.64

Tatsuya Oike (Toyota Boshoku) - 27:53.79

Kyuma Yokota (Toyota Kyushu) - 27:56.20

Minato Oishi (Toyota) - 27:57.32

Hiroki Matsueda (Fujitsu) - 27:57.72

Ayumu Kobayashi (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 27:57.99

Shingo Moriyama (YKK) - 27:59.90

Daiki Hattori (Toyota Boshoku) - 28:02.22

Naoki Ota (Yakult) - 28:02.90

Ayumu Okawa (Press Kogyo) - 28:03.58

Hazuma Hattori (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 28:05.44

Yohei Ikeda (Kao) - 28:06.33

Takuya Kitazaki (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 28:07.10

Aritaka Kajiwara (Comodi Iida) - 28:08.21

Sodai Shimizu (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 28:12.47

Miu Saito Moves up Steeplechase All-Time List at Edion Distance Challenge

The last big track time trial of the season, probably, Saturday's Edion Distance Challenge had its biggest result in its smallest event. With only 3 women on the starting line, the 3000 mSC saw Miu Saito from Nittai University move up from all-time Japanese #9 to #8 with a 9:45.62 PB that put her almost 35 seconds ahead of her closest competitor. Panasonic 's Nanami Watanabe took the women's 5000 m fast heat in 15:29.67, but a lot of the main competition, Kae Gyu from National Corporate Women's Ekiden winner Japan Post , Yuma Yamamoto , Risa Sasaki and Tomoka Kimura from runner-up Sekisui Kagaku , top-tier collegians Nanaka Yamazaki , Nanase Tanimoto and Haruka Ogawa , and others just looked tired. Only 8 women broke 16 minutes, and with 7 others going sub-16 in the B-heat better seeding might have produced better races. Some Japan Post runners did do well in the women's 10000 m fast heat, with Miyaka Sugata winning in 31:42.28 and Caroline Kariba 3rd in 3...

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