japan running news

by Brett Larner Sera H.S. wins the 2011 National High School Boys Ekiden Championships in 2:03:50. Click photo for video highlights via broadcaster NHK. As in the girls' race, the 2009 National High School Boys Ekiden champion took back the top position Dec. 25 in Kyoto, with Hiroshima's Sera H.S.  taking the win in an all-time top ten 2:03:50 for the hilly seven-stage, 42.195 km course.  Many of the favorites, including defending national champion  Kagoshima Jitsugyo H.S. , 2008 champ Saku Chosei H.S. , Samuel Wanjiru 's alma mater Sendai Ikuei H.S. , and the powerful Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S. , suffered pre-Championships setbacks with injuries to their star runners, paving the way for the unheralded Kurashiki H.S.  to take the runner-up spot in 2:05:13, both its best placing and fastest time ever. Kyushu Gakuin H.S.  ace Kazuma Kubota  got things off on the right foot, winning the 10.0 km First Stage in 29:38 in a beautiful performance that ...

by Brett Larner click here to read detailed race commentary on JRNLive Kensuke Takezawa (Hyogo) outkicks Atsushi Sato (Fukushima) for the win. Click photo for video highlights. Waseda University graduate and first-year Team S&B elite Kensuke Takezawa (Hyogo Pref.) ran in the image of his coach and mentor Toshihiko Seko , closely tailing half marathon national record holder and fellow Waseda alum Atsushi Sato (Fukushima Pref.) throughout the 13 km anchor leg of the seven stage, 48 km 2010 National Interprefectural Men's Ekiden in Hiroshima on Jan. 24. With 280 m to go Takezawa dispatched Sato with a blazing kick, bringing Hyogo home in 2:20:02 to deliver Hyogo its first National Interprefectural Ekiden win in 3 years and robbing Fukushima of its first-ever National win. "I had a pretty bad year last year," said Takezawa after the race, "so it's nice to get this one off to a good start." Two-time defending champion and course record holder Nagano Prefec...