Kipyegon and Yamaguchi Win Kanto Regionals D1 and D2 Half Marathon Titles

The men's half marathon component of the Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships relocated this year away from the main part of the meet in May to be held as part of the Yaizu Minato Half Marathon in Shizuoka, a longstanding part of the collegiate half marathon calendar with its Pair Marathon team competition.

At Kanto Regionals D1 and D2 teams are usually split into 2 separate starts with a time stagger and run on a loop course. This time around they started together, giving people who wouldn't usually be racing together the chance to go head-to-head. Soka University 3rd-year Shoki Yamaguchi was the only one to try to go with Yamanashi Gakuin University 4th-year Brian Kipyegon, both hitting 5 km in 14:28 before Kipyegon said goodbye.

Kipyegon rolled on solo to take the D1 title in 1:01:23, just 9 seconds off his own meet record on a different course. Yamaguchi hung on well enough for 1st in the D2 field in 1:02:55, runner-up Kuranosuke Yoshida of last year's Izumo Ekiden winner Koku Gakuin University closing on him after 10 km but coming up short in 1:03:17. Teikyo University 4th-year Yuta Asakawa was 3rd in 1:03:25, with Daisuke Sato of Chuo University and Junpei Nakano of Tokai University taking 2nd and 3rd in the D1 race in 1:03:50 and 1:03:54.

YGU 4th-year Tsubasa Hirai was 5th in 1:04:07, together with Kipyegon giving them the team title in 2:05:30. Soka was 2nd in 2:06:40 off Yamaguchi and a solid D2 5th-place run by 4th-year Yuta Kinugawa in 1:03:45. KGU was 3rd in 2:07:15 thanks to Yoshida and 2nd-year Kenshin Noda, 6th in 1:03:58.

105th Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships

Men's Half Marathon

Yaizu, Shizuoka, 5 April, 2026

complete results

D1 Men

1. Brian Kipyegon (4th yr., Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 1:01:23

2. Daisuke Sato (3rd yr., Chuo Univ.) - 1:03:50

3. Junpei Nakano (3rd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 1:03:54

4. Atsuyuki Kodaira (4th yr., Waseda Univ.) - 1:03:56

5. Tsubasa Hirai (4th yr., Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 1:04:07

6. Yuto Kobayashi (4th yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 1:04:17

7. Yuki Kani (4th yr., Tokai Univ.) - 1:04:25

8. Shitaka Kumai (4th yr., Josai Univ.) - 1:04:32

9. Tatsuya Furukawa (4th yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 1:04:54

10. Gensuke Sema (3rd yr., Waseda Univ.) - 1:05:00

D2 Men

1. Shoki Yamaguchi (3rd yr., Soka Univ.) - 1:02:55

2. Kuranosuke Yoshida (4th yr., Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:17

3. Yuta Asakawa (4th yr., Teikyo Univ.) - 1:03:25

4. Kenta Torii (4th yr., Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:32

5. Yuta Kinugawa (2nd yr., Soka Univ.) - 1:03:45

6. Kenshin Noda (2nd yr., Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:58

7. Kosei Niitani (4th yr., Komazawa Univ.) - 1:04:06

8. Ryoga Mihara (4th yr., Kanagawa Univ.) - 1:04:41

9. Sho Fukutomi (3rd yr., Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:04:46

10. Rintaro Enoki (3rd yr., Soka Univ.) - 1:05:05

Pair Marathon Team Scoring

1. Yamanashi Gakuin University - 2:05:30

2. Soka University - 2:06:40

3. Koku Gakuin University - 2:07:15

4. Aoyama Gakuin University - 2:08:18

5. Tokai University - 2:08:19

6. Waseda University - 2:08:56

7. Teikyo University - 2:09:03

8. Juntendo University - 2:09:11

9. Chuo University - 2:09:22

10. Josai University - 2:09:54

Kobe Marathon Elite Field

Sunday's Kobe Marathon has announced its elite fields, finally. Japanese athletes have a shot at qualifying for next fall's MGC Race, the official trials race for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, if they go sub-2:27 for the first Japanese woman across the line or sub-2:09 for the first 3 Japanese men to do it. There aren't a lot of contenders to pull it off. On the women's side, Kaede Hagitani , Ayaka Shimoyamada and Kotomi Tsubokura all ran 2:31-32 PBs in the spring and will need to step it up a couple of notches to get there. 2:23 Kenyan Antonina Kwambai is perfectly positioned to help. On the men's side, Keijiro Mogi is closest with a 2:09:06 at last year's Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Hiroto Kanamori his closest domestic competition with a 2:10:01 PB in Osaka in February. The international trio of last year's winner Barnaba Kipkoech , Elisha Rotich and Goitom Kifle all have recent 2:06-7 times and should help set it up for someone to get there, wh...

Kenyan Graduate Student Athlete Posts Job Hunt for Ekiden Team on Twitter

A Kenyan runner who had tried to help lead his team to the Hakone Ekiden has taken an unusual approach to finding a post-graduation sponsor. Last week Patrick Kamau posted his job hunt on his Twitter account , saying, "I am looking for a club team or a corporate team where I can run in ekidens. I would be happy to run for any team that gave me a chance. I would be grateful for any opportunity and take it on with a positive attitude!" Kamau was 5th at the Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai qualifying race half marathon in 1:01:10 last year during his 4th year at Jobu University . But despite his efforts, Jobu never qualified for Hakone during his 4 years there. He is currently working on a graduate degree while looking for "a team that will let me continue my competitive career." Fans responded to Kamau's job search posting, saying, "I hope it works out for you!" "Good luck comes to those who work hard" and "Kamau is going to graduate school? Given...

Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Elite Field (updated)

Another big race on the MGC qualifying calendar has posted its elite fields, the Dec. 6 Hofu Yomiuri Marathon . It looks like a good race for the single MGC spot up for women under 2:27, and the 6 spots for men sub-2:09. Yuka Ando is the favorite in the women's race with a 2:21:18 in Nagoya 2 years ago, with her only real competition coming from Ayumi Morita , who broke 2:27 in Hofu last year but missed qualifying by not being the first Japanese woman across the line. CR holder Workneh Derese is back after his 2:06:58 win last year, leading Kenyan veteran Bedan Karoki and 4 Japanese men with a solid chance at sub-2:09, Tatsuya Maruyama , Ryoma Takeuchi , Shuho Dairokuno and Kento Nishi . Takeuchi set his 2:08:20 PB at Gold Coast in July, and Dairokuno is fresh off a great run at the final Kyushu Corporate Ekiden. Masatoshi Sakata , Yota Ifuku , Madoka Tanihara and Daiji Kawai have both come close to sub-2:09 in recent races and could factor in. 57th Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Elite...

japan running news

Search This Blog