japan running news

by Brett Larner Former national high school champion teammates Koki Takada (Waseda Univ.) and Takashi Ichida (Daito Bunka Univ.) ran Sunday's United Airlines NYC Half with support from JRN, their last time running together before Ichida's graduation at the end of the month. With bests of 1:02:02 and 1:02:03 from last November's Ageo City Half Marathon, both were aiming for mid to high 1:01 times and went out with the lead pack running that pace through the hills of Central Park in the first half of the course. But when the pace quickened heading down 7th Avenue into the city neither could keep up with the change, first Ichida and then Takada slipping away from the front quartet led by last year's 3rd-placer Stephen Sambu (Kenya) and then from the mostly American chase pack including Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi and World Half Marathon bronze medalist Dathan Ritzenhein . Down almost 10 seconds on Takada at one point, Ichida fought his way back with ...

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20141215-1409335.html http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20141215-1409308.html translated and edited by Brett Larner click here for complete results Eri Suzuki ran a PB 2:47:00 for 9th as the top woman among the 13,000 Japanese finishers at the 42nd JAL Honolulu Marathon on Dec. 14, her second year in a row taking top Japanese honors in Honolulu.  Exhausted just after finishing, she managed to say, "The crowd support along the course was wonderful and kept me going."  Having run well again in Honolulu she was satisfied with her results, saying, "I met both of my goals of being the first Japanese woman and breaking my PB." Joyce Chepkirui (Kenya) won the women's race in 2:30:23.  In the men's race, Wilson Chebet (Kenya) took the top spot in 2:15:35, with Taku Harada the fastest Japanese man at 7th overall in 2:27:26.  In the wheelchair race, Wakako Tsuchida wo...

by Brett Larner For the second year in a row, Kenya and Japan battled back and forth for the lead of the International Chiba Ekiden all the way, with Kenya pulling ahead in the final two km to a narrow victory in 2:05:06 to Japan's 2:05:16.  All three Kenyan women on the team won their stages,  Gladys Cherono  and anchor Joyce Chepkirui  setting new records on their legs.  Olympic 10000 m medalist Galen Rupp  won his stage to bring the U.S.A close to the leaders but could not improve his team's position, the U.S.A. taking 3rd in 2:06:36.  Russia, the Japanese University Select Team, Canada, New Zealand and hosts Chiba Prefecture rounded out the top eight, with New Zealand's twins Jake  and Zane Robertson  winning their stages.  Although times were slower than last year in the cold rain the day brought, in all it felt like the highest-level, most truly international edition of Chiba since the switch to the joint men's and women's tea...