Hirabayashi Runs PB at Shanghai Half, WR Holder Nakata Dominates Fuji Five Lakes

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.

'2024 IAU 100k World Championships Results: Jumpei Yamaguchi and Floriane Hot Win Gold'

Silver two years ago , Japanese NR holder Jumpei Yamaguchi took gold at the IAU 100 km World Championships Saturday in Bengaluru, India. Defending gold medalist Haruki Okayama was bronze this time, with Toru Somiya just over 2 minutes behind Okayama in 4th. Japanese women were shut out of the medals, 24-hour world record holder Miho Nakata placing highest at 4th. Complete report and results here: https://www.irunfar.com/2024-iau-100k-world-championships-results photo © 2024 Tarzan Aqzawa, all rights reserved

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...

800 m NR Holder Ko Ochiai Heads to Komazawa University

Men's 800 m national record holder Ko Ochiai , 18, a 3rd-year at Shiga Gakuen H.S. , will go to ekiden powerhouse Komazawa University after his graduation in March. Ochiai won this year's National Championships 800 m in June, and at July's National High School Championships he ran a 1:44.80 NR to win for the second year in a row. His time there was almost 1 second under the old record of 1:45.75 set by Sho Kawamoto in 2014 and equalled by Hiroki Minamoto in 2021. In August he became the first Japanese athlete to make a World U20 Championships 800 m final, winning bronze. Hope are high that he will continue to lead Japanese middle distance into new territory. Ochiai's immediate goal is to make the Tokyo World Championships next year. After coming back from the World U20 Championships he told reporters, "I want to become someone who can make the final and go for a medal, not someone who is just targeting making the team." Regarding the 1:44.50 qualifying stan...

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