Skip to main content

Cherop, Mwangi and Ekarare Win at Edion Distance Challenge


At Thursday's Edion Distance Challenge in Osaka's Nagai Stadium, 2023 World Cross Country Championships mixed relay gold medalist Mirriam Cherop (Shin Nihon Jusetsu Group) won the most competitive race of the day, taking over 30 seconds off her 5000 m PB with a 15:06.46. Cherop ran in a trio with the top two from last month's Queen's Ekiden international stage, CR-breaker Agnes Mwikali (Kyocera) and 2nd-placer Judy Jepngetich (Shiseido), splitting 3:00-6:02-9:07-12:12 en route with Jepngetich doing all the work.

With 300 m to go Cherop went to the front for the first time, Mwikali right behind her but Jepngetich losing touch. Mwikali tried to go by on the curve, but coming into the home straight Cherop opened up and held on for the win. Mwikali took 2nd in 15:06.96, with Jepngetich 3rd in 15:09.18. Queens Ekiden 2nd leg winner Yuma Yamamoto (Sekisui Kagaku) was the top Japanese finisher at 6th in 15:30.03.

Cosmas Mwangi (Chugoku Denryoku) won a tough back-and-forth race in the men's 5000 m A-heat against Daniel Kosen (Fujitsu), Mwangi 1st in 13:26.26 to Kosen's 13:26.44. Takuma Sunaoka (Konica Minolta) was top Japanese at 4th in 13:51.08. Hellen Ekarare (Toyota Jidoshokki) had an easy win in the women's 10000 m Heat 2, running 32:20.34 with Yumi Furukawa (Daiichi Seimei) 2nd in 32:22.25. Miku Suginaga (Sonoda H.S.) took the women's 3000 m Heat 3 in 9:36.31.

Edion Distance Challenge

Nagai Stadium, Osaka, 7 Dec. 2023

Women's 5000 m Heat 5
1. Mirriam Cherop (Shin Nihon Jusetsu Group) - 15:06.46 - PB
2. Agnes Mwikali (Kyocera) - 15:06.96
3. Judy Jepngetich (Shiseido) - 15:09.18
4. Janet Nyiva (Panasonic) - 15:19.60
5. Sarah Wanjiru (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 15:22.20
6. Yuma Yamamoto (Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:30.03
7. Sora Shinozakura (Panasonic) - 15:31.45
8. Erika Tanoura (Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:32.14
9. Desta Burka (Denso) - 15:34.21
10. Esther Wangui (Starts) - 15:40.70
11. Hikaru Kitagawa (Osaka Geijutsu Univ.) - 15:48.18
12. Nanami Watanabe (Panasonic) - 15:48.83
13. Rina Sasaki (Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:49.13
14. Mariya Noda (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 15:50.82
15. Chikako Mori (Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:53.54
16. Tabitha Njeri Kamau (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 15:53.70
17. Kae Gyu (Japan Post) - 15:54.11
18. Yuna Takahashi (Shimamura) - 15:56.99
19. Toshika Tamura (Hitachi) - 15:58.98
20. Mai Nakamura (Uniqlo) - 16:08.07

Men's 5000 m Heat 3
1. Cosmas Mwangi (Chugoku Denryoku) - 13:26.26
2. Daniel Kosen (Fujitsu) - 13:26.44
3. Josphat Ledama Kisaisa (Kao) - 13:45.21
4. Takuma Sunaoka (Konica Minolta) - 13:51.08
5. Yeneblo Biyazen (Hiramatsu Myoin) - 13:56.17

Women's 10000 m Heat 2
1. Helen Ekarare (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 32:20.34
2. Yumi Furukawa (Daiichi Seimei) - 32:22.25
3. Yuna Wada (Japan Post) - 32:49.59
4. Hisami Ishii (Sysmex) - 32:51.58
5. Erina Yasui (Iwatani Sangyo) - 32:56.95

Women's 3000 m Heat 2
1. Miku Suginaga (Sonoda H.S.) - 9:36.31
2. Riho Yoshida (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 9:44.15
3. Noa Ushiroda (Sonoda H.S.) - 9:50.51

© 2023 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Labels:

Comments

Stefan said…
I noticed Daiichi Seimei have 3 very accomplished 10000m runners: Haruka Kokai (who we will see on Sunday's National 10000m Championships), Yuka Suzuki (MGC Winner) and now Yumi Furukawa. I'm curious to see if Haruka Kokai can mix it with the likes of Ririka Hironaka and Rino Goshima. She has been an athlete on a steady rise and at only 20 years old I think she is one to watch. 3 Personal Bests in 2023, in the 3000m (9:04.56), 5000m (15:23.98) and 10000m (32:01.83). If she can break 32 it will be a very good progression this year. I'm hoping she can do it. She's a very good Exiden runner too so I'm thinking she is one who may be following Yuka Suzuki's path into the longer road distances in the near future.

Smart run by Mirriam Cherop to win her race. Whilst the time was not super fast it was very well raced on her part.

December 8, 2023 at 3:37 PM
Brett Larner said…
Yes, they should all be interesting in Nationals. Coincidentally, Mirriam will be doing some training with Daiichi Seimei later this month before going back to Kenya for the holidays. Given the credentials of the 2nd and 3rd-placers and how conservatively she ran it seems like 14 minutes is just around the corner. One more thing to look forward to in the spring.
December 8, 2023 at 4:01 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

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...
3 comments
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
1 comment
Read more