Hirabayashi Runs PB at Shanghai Half, WR Holder Nakata Dominates Fuji Five Lakes - Weekend Road Roundup

Returning to the roads after his 2:06:18 win at February's Osaka Marathon, Kiyoto Hirabayashi (Koku Gakuin University) took 5th at Sunday's Shanghai Half Marathon in a PB 1:01:23, just under a minute behind winner Roncer Kipkorir Konga (Kenya) who clocked a CR 1:00:29. After inexplicably running the equivalent of a sub-59 half marathon to win the Hakone Ekiden's Third Stage, Aoi Ota (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) was back to running performances consistent with his other PBs with a 1:02:30 for 8th. His AGU teammate Kyosuke Hiramatsu was 10th in 1:04:00. Women's winner Magdalena Shauri (Tanzania) also set a new CR in 1:09:57.

Aoyama Gakuin runners took the top four spots in the men's half marathon at the Aomori Sakura Marathon, with Hakone alternate Kosei Shiraishi getting the win in 1:04:32 and B-team members Shunto Hamakawa and Kei Kitamura 2nd and 3rd in 1:04:45 and 1:04:48. Club runners took the other division titles, Hina Shinozaki winning the women's half in 1:20:47, Shota Hiwatashi the men's marathon in 2:26:50 and Eri Suzuki the women's marathon in 2:44:57.

The bigger marathon was in Nagano, Keigo Yano (Kao) went for a long surge from 5 km out to drop the rest of a lead group of seven and win the Nagano Marathon in 2:15:53. Yuta Inage (Press Kogyo) took 2nd in 2:17:04 and Haruki Masago (Aichi Seiko) 3rd in his debut in 2:17:20. Rie Kawauchi (Otsuka Seiyaku) soloed a 2:33:16 to win the women's race by over four minutes. The debuting Chisato Kagaya (Tokyo Metro) was one second/km slower that Kawauchi most of the way but tanked over the last 10 km, overtaken by trail runner Chifumi Ito (Shikazoku), 2nd in a 2:37:32 PB, and falling to 3rd in 2:42:05.

A week earlier, Sakiho Tsutsui (Yamada Holdings) ran the Rotterdam Marathon for the second year in a row. After running 2:29:09 last year Tsutsui improved to 2:26:51 this time, but with a more competitive field placed only 10th versus her 8th in 2023.

The popular Fuji Five Lakes Ultramarathon also happened Sunday. Kenshiro Sakamoto won the 120 km Sparta men's division in 10:06:01, Yuichi Aikawa the men's 118 km in 9:13:21, Yusuke Kodama the men's 100 km in a solid 6:56:14, and Takuya Uesugi the men's 62 km in 4:25:28. The only woman entered in the 120 km, Tomomi Bito was a DNF, but 24-hour world record holder Miho Nakata took the 118 km division in 9:22:35 for 2nd overall behind men's winner Aikawa. Mai Arizuka won the women's 100 km in 8:03:28, with Kanako Tomita the women's 62 km winner in 5:14:31.

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