by Brett Larner
In its third running the Naoko Takahashi Cup Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon continues to take over from the Sendai International Half Marathon as Japan's premier late-spring half. This year organizers have set up a pair of great duels among their overseas elites.
On the men's side, world record holder Zersenay Tadese (Eritrea) faces course record holder Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) in a rematch of the 2007 Osaka World Championships 10000 m, where Tadese led most of the race until a surge from Mathathi, who ended up with bronze, knocked him out of the medals. Other top international competition includes three-time Sapporo International Half Marathon winner Cyrus Njui (Kenya/Team Hitachi Seiryu), Japan-based Kenyans Jacob Wanjuki (Team Aichi Seiko) and Micah Njeru (Team Toyota Boshoku), 2005 Fukuoka International Marathon winner Dmytro Baranovskyy (Ukraine) and American Ryan Vail. Seven sub-63 Japanese men are scheduled to run. 2010 Asian Games mar…
In its third running the Naoko Takahashi Cup Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon continues to take over from the Sendai International Half Marathon as Japan's premier late-spring half. This year organizers have set up a pair of great duels among their overseas elites.
On the men's side, world record holder Zersenay Tadese (Eritrea) faces course record holder Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) in a rematch of the 2007 Osaka World Championships 10000 m, where Tadese led most of the race until a surge from Mathathi, who ended up with bronze, knocked him out of the medals. Other top international competition includes three-time Sapporo International Half Marathon winner Cyrus Njui (Kenya/Team Hitachi Seiryu), Japan-based Kenyans Jacob Wanjuki (Team Aichi Seiko) and Micah Njeru (Team Toyota Boshoku), 2005 Fukuoka International Marathon winner Dmytro Baranovskyy (Ukraine) and American Ryan Vail. Seven sub-63 Japanese men are scheduled to run. 2010 Asian Games mar…