Skip to main content

Sato and Fukunaga Win Fukui Sakura Marathon


The lead group took a shot at sub-2:10 in the men's race at the Fukui Sakura Marathon, with a group of 7 going through halfway in 1:04:40 before things started to come apart. By 25 km it was down to 4, and at 30 km only Koki Sato and Hiromasa Ishikawa were left, hitting it in 1:32:09, 2:09:37 pace. Neither could hold that til the end, but Sato held on best as he broke the tape in 2:11:07, a PB by 6 seconds and a new Fukui CR. Ishikawa took 2nd in 2:12:24 in his debut, with amateur Yudai Fukuda 3rd in 2:13:16.

Fuka Fukunaga had a solo run in her debut, hitting halfway in 1:16:55 with a 50-second lead over local Momoko Yao and turning that into a win by 2:10 in 2:37:00. Mai Arizuka moved into 3rd just before 30 km and stayed there til the end, running 2:43:33.

Runners from NTT Nishi Nihon swept the men's 5 km top 5, all under the old CR with Haruki Minatoya winning in 13:43. Bears runners took the top 3 in the women's 5 km, Saki Matsui getting the win in 16:23.

Fukui Sakura Marathon

Fukui, 29 March 2026

Men
1. Koki Sato (Asahi Kasei) - 2:11:07 - CR, PB
2. Ryuga Ishikawa (Chuo Hatsujo) - 2:12:24 - debut
3. Yudai Fukuda (Ishikawa T&F) - 2:13:16
4. Mahiro Sato (Konica Minolta) - 2:15:27 - debut
5. Sho Ota (Chuo Hatsujo) - 2:20:17 - debut

Women
1. Fuka Fukunaga (Edion) - 2:37:00 - debut
2. Momoko Yao (Fukui T&F) - 2:39:10
3. Mai Arizuka (Wayz) - 2:43:33 - PB
4. Erina Tanimachi (Fukui T&F) - 2:48:27 - debut
5. Ayaka Furukawa (Frontier) - 2:51:17

Men's 5 km
1. Haruki Minatoya (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:43 - CR
2. Sakito Matsuzaki (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:46 (CR)
3. Benson Kiplangat (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:47 (CR)
4. Kazuma Hattori (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:48 (CR)
5. Taishi Ito (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:50 (CR)
6. Yuto Hirosawa (Konica Minolta) - 13:56

Women's 5 km
1. Saki Matsui (Bears) - 16:23
2. Momoyo Hirota (Bears) - 16:32
3. Rizuna Yaji (Bears) - 16:56

© 2026 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Asian Games Preview - Entries, Timetable and Live Results

Back in Japan for the first time in 32 years and representing 60% of the world's population, with more athletes competing across all sports than at the Olympics, the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are already underway. Athletics competition starts tomorrow and runs through Tuesday the 29th. Some of the biggest names on the entry list include: Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (SRI) - men's javelin throw - 2026 World Ultimate Championships gold and 2026 Diamond League champion Haruka Kitaguchi (JPN) - women's javelin throw - 2026 World Ultimate Championships and 2024 Paris Olympics gold Birhanu Balew (BRN) - men's 5000 m/10000 m - 2026 Diamond League 5000 m champion Sanghyeok Woo (KOR) - men's high jump - 2025 Tokyo World Championships silver Hayato Katsuki (JPN) - men's marathon race walk - 2025 Tokyo World Championships bronze Abderrahman Samba (QAT) - men's 400 mH - 2025 Tokyo World Championships bronze Jiale Zhang (CHN) - women's hammer throw - 2025 Tokyo W...
Post a Comment
Read more

Endo, Nishikawa and Yamakawa Announce Corporate Team Changes

The SG Holdings men's corporate team announced on Oct. 1 that long-distance athletes Hyuga Endo and Yuichiro Nishikawa have joined its roster after leaving the Sumitomo Denko team. Endo, 28, won the Junior Olympics 3000 m while at Koriyama Nishi J.H.S. before going on to Gakuho Ishikawa H.S. where he was the the top Japanese placer in the 5000 m at the National High School Championships 2 years in a row. After graduating from Gakuho Ishikawa he joined the Sumitomo Denko team, winning the National Championships 5000 m in 2021. He won gold at the 2023 Asian Championships and represented Japan at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. "I will give everything I have as part of the team and work hard toward helping it win the New Year Ekiden," he said of his new environment. Of his personal goals he said, "I want to focus on the 5000 m and reach new levels to compete internationally." Nishikawa, 28, was a member of Tokai University 's winning teams at the H...
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Athletes Provisionally Suspended After Positive Drug Tests at Asian Games

The International Testing Agency announced on Oct. 2 that provisional suspensions have been imposed on two athletes, Kazakhstan's Aiana Bolatbekkyzy in track and field, and Tajikistan's Issamjon Sharifov in tennis, after they tested positive for prohibited substances at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Aichi. Bolatbekkyzy, 19, tested positive for the steroid drostanolone in a sample collected during an in-competition test at the Games. A diuretic drug was found in the sample collected from Sharifov, 23. source article: https://www.sanspo.com/article/20261002-X4FJLT5MMZKFND6WXPOESAKETQ/ translated by Brett Larner
Post a Comment
Read more