Rui Aoki and Shunsuke Kuwata Making U.S. Debut at United Airlines NYC Half

When the National University Half Marathon was canceled in 2011 after the massive earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan 2 days before the race, JRN talked to the New York Road Runners about bringing 2 collegiate runners to the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon the next weekend as a show of support. It wasn't possible to pull it together in the immediate aftermath of the disasters, but a year later we brought 2 young 2nd-years from Hakone Ekiden CR breaker Toyo University, Kento Otsu and Yuta Shitara, who had been the top 2 Japanese collegiate finishers at the Ageo City Half Marathon in November before Hakone.

Shitara ran 1:01:48, at the time the fastest-ever by a Japanese man on U.S. soil, with Otsu running a solid 1:03:15. Thanks to that great start the Ageo-NYC partnership became a regular thing, and except for the pandemic it's continued every year since, expanding this year to June's New York Mini 10 km when 2 runners from Mt. Fuji Women's Ekiden runner-up Tohoku Fukushi University, Nazuki Sasaki and Amisa Murayama, will race for the first time.

A Japanese athlete hasn't held the CR in Ageo since Ethiopian Gebretsadik Bekele ran 1:01:26 to better Hideaki Date's 1:02:08 back in 2006. But at last November's race Rui Aoki from Izumo Ekiden winner Koku Gakuin University and Shunsuke Kuwata from National University Ekiden champ Komazawa University pushed each other the whole way, the 4th-year Aoki going 2 seconds under the CR in 1:00:45 for the win and the 2nd-year Kuwata just missing in 1:00:48 to score invitations to NYC. Both were PBs, but at Hakone in January they surpassed those marks, Aoki running the equivalent of a 59:54 half marathon to take the First Stage CR and Kuwata running the equivalent of 1:00:35 on the Second Stage.

Both Aoki and Kuwata skipped February's Marugame Half to focus 100% on NYC. Aoki, a native of Gunma, graduates next week, and in a deep field of sub-60 half marathoners he's hoping to prove that Hakone time wasn't a fluke. From Aichi, Kuwata did a lot of his training for NYC on rolling hills in Japan's southern islands and is focused on trying to stay with the debuting Grant Fisher.

24 Japanese collegiate men have run the United Airlines NYC Half over the years, 9 of them from Komazawa, with Komazawa's Kenta Murayama coming back in 2017 as a corporate league runner with the Asahi Kasei team to run the best-ever Japanese placing and time in NYC, 1:00:57 for 5th on the old faster version of the NYC course. Shitara's 1:01:48 on the old course remains the fastest-ever collegiate time, with Komazawa's Kei Katanishi the fastest on the tougher new course at 1:03:05 for 7th in 2018, the best-ever collegiate placing on either course. With 8 men in the field having broken 60 minutes not including Aoki it'll take an A-list performance to beat Katanishi's placing, but it'll be a surprise if his time survives these 2 next-generation talents.

United Airlines NYC Half Men's Field Highlights

New York, U.S.A., 15 March 2026

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

Abel Kipchumba (Kenya) - 59:09

Adriaan Wildschutt (South Africa) - 59:13

Daniel Ebenyo (Kenya) - 59:14

Patrick Kiprop (Kenya) - 59:14

Mohammed El Youssfi (Morocco) - 59:21

Alex Maier (U.S.A.) - 59:23

Ryan Ford (U.S.A.) - 59:47

Rory Linkletter (Canada) - 59:49

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

Sondre Moen (Norway) - 1:00:11

Zouhair Talbi (U.S.A.) - 1:00:41

Rui Aoki (Japan/Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 1:00:45

Shunsuke Kuwata (Japan/Komazawa) - 1:00:48

Alex Masai (Kenya) - 1:00:51

Jack Rowe (Great Britain) - 1:00:53

Joe Klecker (U.S.A.) - 1:01:06

Peter Lynch (Ireland) - 1:01:15

Camren Todd (U.S.A.) - 1:01:23

Hendrik Pfeiffer (Germany) - 1:01:28

Tummy Tsegay (Eritrea) - 1:01:50

Galen Rupp (U.S.A.) - 1:02:01

Jacob Thomson (U.S.A.) - 1:02:26

Joel Reichow (U.S.A.) - 1:02:30

Max Turek (Canada) - 1:02:45

Haftu Knight (U.S.A.) - 1:02:47

Matt Leach (Great Britain) - 1:03:05

Nick Hauger (U.S.A.) - 1:03:06

Kieran Tuntivate (Thailand) - 1:03:19

Grant Fisher (U.S.A.) - debut

Gulveer Singh (India) - debut

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...

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