Yamaguchi Wins Setagaya 246 Half, Orita Takes Miyako

It's the point in the season where Hakone Ekiden-bound university coaches are farming out their squads to half marathons to sort through the contenders to make their 16-runner Hakone entry rosters. Next weekend's Ageo City Half Marathon is the biggest of them, but two key races happened today. In rainy conditions at the Setagaya 246 Half in Tokyo, Shoki Yamaguchi (Soka Univ.) won a sprint finish against sub-60 man Paul Kuira (JR Higashi Nihon), Kuira overtaking Yamaguchi after Yamaguchi had pulled away over the last km but Yamaguchi fighting back on the track. Both clocked 1:01:46, but Yamaguchi succeeded in snagging the win away from Kuira right before the line.

In 3rd, Aito Sato led a massive group from 2025 Hakone champ Aoyama Gakuin University with a PB of 1:01:57 for 3rd. 5 other AGU runner were under 63 minutes, all but one breaking 62:30 and most in PBs, with Kotaro Suzuki (Chuo Univ.), 8th in 1:02:28, and Yota Aoteki (Hosei Univ.), 10th in 1:02:46 breaking up AGU's control of the rest of the top 10. Former Nitori member Kaede Okajima (Kanto RC) won the women's race in 1:18:07, with 50-year-old Junko Ganbara running an excellent 1:20:09 for 3rd.

AGU's Sota Orita, 13:28.78 for 5000 m in high school, was at the Miyako Salmon Half in Iwate for his half marathon debut instead of Setagaya. Orita soloed a 1:02:51 for the win, opening up 9 seconds on Kosei Niitani from National University Ekiden champion Komazawa University, 2nd in a PB of 1:03:00. Also debuting, AGU's Ao Funakoshi ran 1:03:02 for 3rd. The duel between AGU and Komazawa was a preview of what is probably to come at Hakone less than 2 months from now.

Atsumi Nagashima (Saysky) won the women's race in Miyako in 1:25:15.

20th Setagaya 246 Half Marathon

Tokyo, 9 Nov. 2025

complete results

Women

1. Kaede Okajima (Kanto RC) - 1:18:07

2. Remi Tanaka (Hiratsuka T&F Assoc.) - 1:19:01

3. Junko Ganbara (Kasai Runners) - 1:20:09

Men

1. Shoki Yamaguchi (Soka Univ.) - 1:01:46

2. Paul Kuira (JR Higashi Nihon) - 1:01:46

3. Aito Sato (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:01:57 - PB

4. Kyosuke Hiramatsu (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:02:04 - PB

5. Kaito Nakamura (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:02:08 - PB

6. Kenta Torii (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:02:23 - PB

7. Keito Kumai (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:02:25 - PB

8. Kotaro Suzuki (Chuo Univ.) - 1:02:28 - PB

9. Ibuki Sugiyama (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:02:32 - debut

10. Yota Aoteki (Hosei Univ.) - 1:02:46 - PB

39th Miyako Salmon Half Marathon

Miyako, Iwate, 9 Nov. 2025

complete results

Women

1. Atsumi Nakashima (Saysky) - 1:25:01

2. Norie Kamamachi (unattached) - 1:27:59

3. Kako Washizu (Tohoku Univ.) - 1:28:26

Men

1. Sota Orita (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:02:51 - debut

2. Kosei Niitani (Komazawa Univ.) - 1:03:00 - PB

3. Ao Funakoshi (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:02 - debut

4. Ryosuke Kamimura (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:05 - debut

5. Hijiri Komatsu (Komazawa Univ.) - 1:03:27 - debut

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...

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...

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...

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