Skip to main content

Noda Wins National University Women's Half Marathon


Daito Bunka University 1st-year Mariya Noda won a tight three-way battle over the last km to win the 2024 National University Women's Half Marathon title Sunday in Matsue. After a slow start with almost 40 athletes going through 5 km in 17:22, the pace built steadily with 17:14 and 16:41 splits over the middle part of the race. By 20 km it was down to just Noda, newcomer Mahiru Kobayashi of Osaka Gakuin University, last year's 5th-placer Nanase Tanimoto from national champion Meijo University and corporate leaguer Shiho Tachizako from Tenmaya, with 2023 3rd-placer Saki Harada drifting 9 seconds back in 5th. Noda ramped the pace up to 3:08 for the final km, dropping Tachizako, then Tanimoto, and finally Kobayashi to win by 2 seconds in 1:12:01. Kobayashi was next in 1:12:03, holding Tanimoto back to 3rd in 1:12:05. The top 6 were all under 1:13, with 17 women under 1:15 and 24 under 1:16.

45th Matsue Ladies Half Marathon

National University Women's Half Marathon
Matsue, Shimane, 17 Mar. 2024

1. Mariya Noda (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 1:12:01
2. Mahiru Kobayashi (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 1:12:03
3. Nanase Tanimoto (Meijo Univ.) - 1:12:05
4. Shiho Tachizako (Tenmaya) - 1:12:18
5. Saki Harada (Meijo Univ.) - 1:12:29
6. Momoka Tsutano (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 1:12:57
7. Saki Arai (Takushoku Univ.) - 1:13:12
8. Hinata Kaneko (Josai Univ.) - 1:13:20
9. Ai Yamada (Takushoku Univ.) - 1:13:36
10. Shiori Zama (Shimamura) - 1:13:56
11. Nana Nagashima (Josai Univ.) - 1:14:02
12. Ami Furunishi (Meiji Kokusai Iryo Univ.) - 1:14:03
13. Koharu Kaneko (Josai Univ.) - 1:14:16
14. Mako Nakasai (Toyo Univ.) - 1:14:25
15. Shuho Takahashi (Asia Univ.) - 1:14:39
16. Koto Hiramura (Daiso) - 1:14:50
17. Mana Marumo (Surugadai Univ.) - 1:15:16
18. Akie Hirao (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 1:15:23
19. Amisa Murayama (Tohoku Fukushi Univ.) - 1:15:24
20. Misaki Matsumoto (Chukyo Gakuin Univ.) - 1:15:37
21. Sakurako Yanai (Nittai Univ.) - 1:15:39
22. Ayaka Maeda (Kansai Univ.) - 1:15:39
23. Hinano Shiroki (Josai Univ.) - 1:15:49
24. Momoko Shimada (Nittai Univ.) - 1:15:58
25. Hikari Kobayashi (Tohoku Fukushi Univ.) - 1:16:00
26. Ayana Yamashita (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 1:16:12
27. Momona Nishimoto (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 1:16:13
28. Misaki Kato (Daiso) - 1:16:31
29. Nanaka Miyahara (Fukuoka Univ.) - 1:16:40
30. Himeka Chiba (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 1:16:44
31. Nozomi Tanaka (Nittai Univ.) - 1:16:48
32. Yumena Kirikuri (Kansei Univ.) - 1:16:59
33. Koyuki Kato (Daiso) - 1:17:07
34. Moe Koda (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 1:17:23
35. Kyoka Gomi (Meijo Univ.) - 1:17:27
36. Shion Katagiri (Takushoku Univ.) - 1:17:52
37. Aiwa Sakaguchi (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 1:17:52

© 2024 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Comments

Most-Read This Week

2026 Tokyo Marathon Elite Field

The Mar. 1 Tokyo Marathon has great fields this year, so let's get right to it. The women's field has 3 of last year's top 10, winner for the 2nd year in a row and Tokyo CR holder Sutume Asefa Kebede , 3rd-placer and 2025 Chicago winner Hawi Feysa , and 5th-placer and 2025 Berlin winner Rosemary Wanjiru , plus 2024 Valencia winner Megertu Alemu , 2025 Prague winner Bertukan Welde , 2024 Paris winner Mestawut Fikir , 2024 Osaka winner Waganesh Mekasha , former WR holder Brigid Kosgei , and a lot more. Japanese hopes pretty much go to all-time #7 Ai Hosoda , 2:20:31 in Berlin 2024 but who announced this month that she is retiring after Tokyo despite having qualified for the 2028 Olympic marathon trials with her 2:23:27 for 6th in Sydney last year. Other internationals include Canadian Malindi Elmore , American Sara Hall , a big Chinese group led by Yuyu Xia , Poland's Aleksandra Brzezińska and Australian Vanessa Wilson . The men's race has 5 of last year's top 1...

Measuring Marathon Courses by Bicycle

http://news.searchina.ne.jp/disp.cgi?y=2013&d=0110&f=column_0110_034.shtml translated by Brett Larner The full marathon is a sport where you compete over 42.195 km, but how do they go about measuring that distance?  Today we're going to look a little bit at how they go about certifying the distance of a marathon. The reality is that major international marathons use a bicycle to measure the distance.  This rule is an international standard, and the same method of measurement is used everywhere.  It was put into place in 1986.  In order to ensure that the same method is used everywhere, a bicycle that meets IAAF specifications must be used for measurement. In the case of Japan's major marathons, to be certain that the distance is correct a provisional measurement is first made.  Before the course is certified using a bicycle the course is measured using a 50 m-long length of wire to determine that it is in fact 42.195 km.  When a bicycle is u...

Ai Hosoda Announces Retirement

photo © 2025 Victah Sailer/Photo Run, all rights reserved On Jan. 8 the Edion women's corporate team announced that Ai Hosoda , 30, will retire at the end of March this year. The Tokyo Marathon will be her last race. At Nagano Higashi H.S. Hosoda ran in the National High School Ekiden her 2nd and 3rd years. During her 3rd year at Nittai University she won both the 5000 m and 10000 m at the Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships, going on to win the bronze medal in the 10000 m at the World University Games in her 4th year at Nittai. After graduating she joined the Daihatsu corporate team, debuting at the 2019 Nagoya Women's Marathon in 2:29:27. 2 years later she transferred to Edion. She qualified for the Paris Olympics marathon trials at the 2022 Nagoya Women's Marathon and finished 3rd in the trials in the fall of 2023, but was later bumped down to Olympic alternate after another athlete ran a faster time. Instead of the Olympics, Hosoda ran the 2024 Ber...