Skip to main content

Weekend Road Race Roundup


The ACN Expo Ekiden was the biggest race of the weekend domestically, but there was so much else going on domestically and internationally that it was hard to keep track. We'll do our best.
  • Saturday in Fukuoka the Fst in Fukuoka road mile and 5 km moved from its usual fall date to a spring date for the first time. Ireland's Sophie O'Sullivan outran high school sensation Sherry Drury by 1 second for the win in the women's mile, 4:53 to 4:54. Drury's mark was a new U20 NR. The men's mile also came down to a 1-second win for Irishman Brian Fay over Japan's Jo Aoki, 4:12 to 4:13. Margaret Akidor had an easy win in the women's 5 km in 15:34, with veteran Yuichiro Ueno outrunning a doubling Fay in the men's 5 km to win in 14:07. Complete results here.
  • The Matsue Ladies Half Marathon hosted the National University Women's Half Marathon Sunday. National champion Ritsumeikan University's Makoto Tsuchiya outran Daito Bunka University's Mariya Noda by 16 seconds for the win in 1:12:04, with top general division entrant Yumi Yoshikawa taking 3rd overall in 1:12:26 just a week after running 2:30:33 at the Nagoya Women's Marathon. Complete results.
  • At the Niigata Half Marathon, Shu Nagamoto from Tokai University took a 3-way race with Shinta Miyazawa (Suzuki) and amateur Gakuto Kojima for the win in 1:03:38 with all 3 runners finishing within 7 seconds. Corporate leaguer Mayu Hirata won the women's race in 1:15:45. Complete results.
  • Overseas, Naoya Sakuda (JR Higashi Nihon) had a good one at the Seoul Marathon, breaking 2:08 for the first time with a 2:07:39 PB for 8th. Amateur Ryuichi Yoshioka was 17th in 2:13:14 just 2 weeks after running a 2:10:49 PB at the Tokyo Marathon. Ayano Ikeuchi (Denso) took 8th in the women's race in 2:38:50. Complete results.
  • Komazawa University's Yudai Kiyama and Hibiki Murakami ran the United Airlines NYC Half. Going through 5 km with the fastest split since NYC started bringing Japanese collegiate men in 2012, 14:11, Kiyama ultimately finished 17th in 1:04:15 almost 4 minutes off his PB. Murakami experienced ankle problems on the Brooklyn Bridge section of the course and dropped out around 9 km. Complete results.
  • At the Semi-marathon de Lille, Rakunan H.S. runner Yuto Miyake took a distant 2nd in the U20 men's 5 km in 14:06, 42 seconds behind winner Sewmehon Anteneh. Teammates Yuto Inoue and Tomoya Inoue were 4th and 6th in 14:30 and 14:39, with one other teammate Tsubasa Kashima 16th in 15:23.
© 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Labels:

Comments

Stefan said…
Good to see Sherry Drury having an excellent mile race in very tough wet conditions too. An U20 NR is a great step in the right direction given her mixed form last year.

Speaking of high schoolers, Rin Kubo ran in the Sydney Track Classic - World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger, 800m Women on Saturday 15 March and came in 4th with a time of 2:03.64. Australian, Claudia Hollingsworth won with a fast 1:59.30 in very warm conditions. Having exposure to tough international competition and having to fight for track position is probably a relatively rare experience for her and one that should help her in future races.
Below is a YouTube link of her race uploaded from a young fan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA8OGS9TEAo&t=7s&ab_channel=KT%27sRunningJourney
March 17, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Hakone Ekiden

The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...
3 comments
Read more

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shikama and Njeri Win Sendai International Half Marathon

Shunsuke Shikama (Logisteed) and Tabitha Njeri Kamau (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) won the Sendai International Half Marathon Sunday in Sendai, Shikama in 1:01:31 and Njeri in 1:09:20. Mizuki Nishimura (Tenmaya) was the top Japanese woman at 2nd overall. The men's race went through 5 km in 14:34 and 10 km in 29:22. Shikama ran alongside top competition including Shoki Yamaguchi (Soka Univ.), who has been running well in half marathons this season, and Tokyo World Championships marathon team member Naoki Koyama (Honda). On a course with many small ups and downs, Shikama attacked on a downhill just after 15 km, quickly breaking free of the lead group of 7. 13 seconds up by 20 km, Shikama covered the last 1.0975 km in 3:06 to seal his first Sendai title. A graduate of Juntendo University , Shikama is in his 4th season with Logisteed. At the 2024 National Corporate Half Marathon he ran 1:00:41, and at last year's East Japan Corporate Ekiden he won the Third Stage. In his marathon d...
Post a Comment
Read more