Honda and Okamoto Break NR, Nonaka and Murayama Take XC Medals

Honda and Okamoto Break NR, Nonaka and Murayama Take XC Medals - Weekend Update

We've been in transit back from NYC, where Komazawa University 2nd-year Shunsuke Kuwata turned in the fastest-ever half marathon by a Japanese man outside Japan, and are catching up on a busy weekend in Japan and elsewhere.

Saturday saw 2 new records and 2 international medals. At the rebranded Fukuoka Ohori Road Running race, Ojiro Honda (Tottori Johoku H.S.) took 1 second off the NR in the men's road mile, coming up just short of a sub-4 in 4:00.2. Laura Nicholson (Ireland) won the women's mile in 4:44 by 3 seconds over Yuzu Nishide (Daihatsu).

Caroline Kariba (Japan Post) had a big win in the women's 5 km, outrunning the more accomplished Medina Eisa (Ethiopia) and Margaret Akidor (Comodi Iida) to win in 15:15 with Medina 2nd in 15:20 and Akidor 3rd in 15:33. Marathoner Mao Uesugi (Tokyo Metro) was the top Japanese finisher at 4th in 16:11. Kio Furuhashi (Surugadai Univ.) took the men's 5 km in 13:45 by 2 seconds over steepler Ryoma Aoki (Honda), 2nd in 13:47 after doubling in the mile with a 4:03.0 for 3rd.

No Japanese athletes won individual medals at the IAU 50 km World Championships in New Delhi, India, but Haruki Okayama (Comodi Iida) came through with a 2:50:44 for 8th in the men's race, breaking the Asian area record behind winner Alex Milne (Great Britain), 1st in 2:46:09 to lead a British sweep of the top 6. 100 km NR holder Jumpei Yamaguchi was 23rd in 3:07:28 and Hiroki Kai 29th in 3:16:42 to put Japan 6th in the team scoring.

Hina Shiozaki led the Japanese women at 10th in 3:27:41, Mai Fujisawa and Haruna Takano going 13-14 in 3:34:32 and 3:35:50 to land the team bronze for Japan. A 1-2 finish by Naomi Robinson and Katrina Ballantyne gave Great Britain the women's team gold to go along the men's, Poland taking silver.

There were 2 individual medals for Japan at the FISU World University Cross Country Championships in Cassino, Italy on Saturday. Hiromichi Nonaka (Koku Gakuin Univ.) dueled with Ugandans Elisha Yeko and Solomon Cherotwo in the men's long race. Yeko won out in 30:27, with Nonaka holding off Cherotwo by 4 seconds to take silver in 30:36. Sota Orita (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) was 9th in 31:16.

In the women's long race Amisa Murayama (Tohoku Fukushi Univ.) took bronze in 35:41 behind gold medalist Lucia Arnoldo (Italy), 35:20, and silver medalist Nursena Ceto (Turkey), 35:35. Haruka Ogawa (Rikkyo Univ.) was 9th in 36:44.

Other university women were in action at the Matsue Ladies' Half Marathon on Sunday, the host of the National University Women's Half Marathon Championships. Yumi Yamada (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) broke free of a pack of 10 in the last 5 km to win in 1:11:26, with Momoka Tsutano (Daito Bunka Univ.) 2nd in 1:11:59 and Sakura Yumiki (Ritsumeikan Univ.) 3rd in 1:12:03. Collegiate athletes took the top 6 places, corporate leaguer Kurumi Yoda (Panasonic) coming in 7th in 1:12:31.

After a 2:07:39 PB for 8th by Naoya Sakuda (JR Higashi Nihon) last year, the Seoul Marathon continues to grow as another option on the late winter calendar for Japanese marathoners. This time around Daisuke Uekado (Otsuka Seiyaku), already qualified for the 2027 L.A. Olympics marathon trials after winning August's Hokkaido Marathon in 2:11:36, was 12th in 2:09:03 after holding 2:06 pace through 25 km. Kensuke Horio (MABP Maverick) had to hit the 2:06:30 time standard in Seoul to qualify, but like Uekado he fell off that pace after 25 km and finished 15th in 2:10:01.

After a 2:34:41 PB at the Osaka International Women's Marathon in January and a 2:37:39 CR 3 weeks later to win the Kyoto Marathon, Miyu Fukada (Ritsumeikan Univ.) ran an evenly-paced race for 13th in Seoul, coming just short of her PB in 2:35:00.

Hassan Runs NR/CR for Osaka Win, Dibaba Hits Women's CR, Yoshida and Shuley Earn Legends

This was maybe the most entertaining marathon in years. After rocking the 2nd leg at last year's Hakone Ekiden Hibiki Yoshida (Sunbelx) ran an incredible 1:01:01 CR for the 21.9 km New Year Ekiden 2nd leg last month, equivalent to a 58:47 half marathon. That predicted a 2:03:27 marathon if he ever ran one, and when Yoshida announced he was debuting at this year's Osaka Marathon he wasted no time in saying it'd be a shot at the 2:04:55 NR. Things went out fast enough with a 14:50 split through 5 km, 2:05:11 pace, but Yoshida just couldn't hold back and took off at 8 km. He clearly DGAF about what was probably going to happen as his projected finish kept getting faster, 2:04:41, 2:04:15, 2:03:51, 2:03:40, edging closer and closer to what his New Year time predicted, but not helped along by the fact that he missed 4 out of his first 5 drink bottles. People laughed, and then cheered him on. 30 km was the first time he slowed, his finish projection dropping to 2:03:53, an...

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...

Ogikubo Breaks Road 10 km NR - April Road Roundup

And now back to our regular schedule. Two of Japan's best current marathoners, Akira Akasaki (Kyudenko), 6th in the Paris Olympics and 2nd in Berlin last fall in a 2:06:15 PB, and Shunya Kikuchi (Chugoku Denryoku), 7th in Osaka last year in a PB of 2:06:06, were supposed to be in on the wild action at the Boston Marathon and London Marathon , but both ended up scratching with injury. It's hard not to wonder what kind of dent they might have made, especially Akasaki. In Kikuchi's absence London didn't have any elite-level Japanese athletes, and the only one in Boston was Mao Uesugi (Tokyo Metro), 2:22:11 in Nagoya last year. Uesugi went out relatively strongly but faded hard in the hills to finish only 26th in 2:34:38. One other Japanese woman, Sherry Drury , ran the BAA Mile held the Saturday before the marathon, finishing 6th in 4:43.26. Bigger news the same day as the BAA Mile came in Spain, where Tomoya Ogikubo (Hiramatsu Byoin) followed up his 1:00:22 half ma...

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