3 Top-Tier Japanese Collegiate Runners in United Airlines NYC Half Elite Field

The NYRR have announced the elite fields for the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half, and 3 top-tier runners from Japanese universities feature prominently in the men's field. Having just lost his 59:32 collegiate record to Komazawa University's Kotaro Shinohara in Marugame earlier this month, collegiate 5000 m and 10000 m record holder Richard Etir of Tokyo Kokusai University heads to New York fresh off a 1:05:31 CR on the 23.1 km Hakone Ekiden Second Stage, equivalent to a 59:50 half marathon on a rolling net uphill course. That should predict success on the tough NYC course. He'll be the main competition for newly crowned American record holder Connor Mantz, 59:17 in Houston at the end of January, with defending champ and sub-59 man Abel Kipchumba in contention too after a 59:52 win at last year's Great North Run. Sub-27 10000 m men Mohammed Ahmed and Woody Kincaid are also debuting.

Komazawa teammates Yudai Kiyama and Hibiki Murakami earned spots in New York with breakthrough runs at November's Ageo City Half Marathon as part of JRN's partnership with the NYRR and Ageo. Kiyama was 2nd in 1:01:59 and Murakami 4th in 1:02:04, both PBs. At Hakone Kiyama was 2nd again on the 21.3 km First Stage in 1:02:39, with Murakami 5th on the 23.1 km Ninth Stage. Both broke through again at Marugame earlier this month, Kiyama was a stellar 1:00:32 that saw him go from 15th to 10th in the last km and Murakami running a 1:01:46 PB. For both it will be the first time racing outside Japan.

United Airlines NYC Half

Elite Men's Field Highlights

New York, U.S.A., 16 March 2025

times listed are athletes' best in last 3 years except where noted

Conner Mantz (U.S.A.) - 59:17 (Houston 2025)

Richard Etir (Kenya/Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) - 59:32 (Marugame 2024)

Abel Kipchumba (Kenya) - 59:52 (Great North Run 2024)

Patrick Dever (Great Britain) - 1:00:11 (Houston 2025)

Hillary Bor (U.S.A.) - 1:00:20 (Houston 2025)

Yudai Kiyama (Japan/Komazawa Univ.) - 1:00:32 (Marugame 2025)

Wesley Kiptoo (Kenya) - 1:00:34 (Houston 2025)

Biya Simbassa (U.S.A.) - 1:00:37 (Valencia 2023)

Reed Fischer (U.S.A.) - 1:00:54 (Houston 2025)

Ben Flanagan (Canada) - 1:01:00 (Valencia 2022)

Alex Masai (Kenya) - 1:01:04 (Houston 2025)

Jack Rowe (Great Britain) - 1:01:08 (Greenwich 2023)

Yemane Haileselassie (Eritrea) - 1:01:34 (Houston 2024)

Hibiki Murakami (Japan/Komazawa. Univ.) - 1:01:46 (Marugame 2025)

Tristan Woodfine (Canada) - 1:02:40 (Boston 2023)

Andrew Davies (Canada) - 1:03:05 (Vancouver 2025)

Jose Mauricio Gonzalez (Colombia) - 1:03:07 (Caracas 2023)

Connor Winter (U.S.A.) - 1:03:10 (NYC 2023)

Charlie Sweeney (U.S.A.) - 1:03:31 (Indianapolis 2023)

Liam Dee (Great Britain) - 1:03:43 (Valencia 2024)

Nick Hauger (U.S.A.) - 1:03:48 (Great North Run 2024)

Tim McGowan (U.S.A.) - 1:03:54 (Philadelphia 2023)

Debut

Mohammed Ahmed (Canada) - 26:43.79 (Paris Olympics 10000 m 2024)

Woody Kincaid (U.S.A.) - 26:57.57 (The TEN 10000 m 2024)

Luke Combs (U.S.A.) - 28:24.84 (Palo Alto 10000 m 2024)

East Japan Corporate Ekiden English Commentary

For the time being I'll be using this post for English commentary on today's East Japan Jitsugyodan Ekiden Championships. Reload article to see updates. Race broadcast starts at 1:55 p.m. Japan time. Click here to watch TBS' broadcast online.

Australian YouTuber Handed Lifetime Ban by Ageo City Half Marathon After Running 1:06 with Another Runner's Bib (updated)

After discussion with their race's chief JAAF referee, on Nov. 27 the organizers of the Ageo City Half Marathon handed down a lifetime ban from their event against 36-year-old Australian Matt Inglis Fox for running the Nov. 15 race wearing the bib number of another JAAF-registered runner. The incident came to light after Fox posted on his personal Instagram account that he had run a PB of 1:06:33 and finished 203rd in Ageo with a 10 km split of 31:03, along with photos and video of himself in the race wearing a bib number beginning with 11. Fox did not appear in the results by name or in that time or place, the closest match being a 1:06:54 gross, 1:06:50 net finish time with a 31:21 10 km split for 18th place in the JAAF-registered division and 209th overall by bib number 1129, registered to a non-Japanese Tokyo-resident club runner. The club runner, Harrisson Uk , readily confirmed that he had given his bib to Fox, saying, "I gave my number to Matt. It wasn't me."...

How it Happened

Ancient History I went to Wesleyan University, where the legend of four-time Boston Marathon champ and Wes alum Bill Rodgers hung heavy over the cross-country team. Inspired by Koichi Morishita and Young-Cho Hwang’s duel at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics I ran my first marathon in 1993, qualifying for Boston ’94 where Bill was kind enough to sign a star-struck 20-year-old me’s bib number at the expo. Three years later I moved to Japan for grad school, and through a long string of coincidences I came across a teenaged kid named Yuki Kawauchi down at my neighborhood track. I never imagined he’d become what he is, but right from the start there was just something different about him. After his 2:08:37 breakthrough at the 2011 Tokyo Marathon he called me up and asked me to help him get into races abroad. He’d finished 3rd on the brutal downhill Sixth Stage at the Hakone Ekiden, and given how he’d run the hills in the last 6 km at Tokyo ’11 I thought he’d do well at Boston or New York. “I...

japan running news

Search This Blog