japan running news

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/hokkaido/sports/news/20120524-OHT1T00161.htm translated and edited by Brett Larner In the men's 5000 m first-round heats on the second day of the Hokkaido regional qualifier for the National High School Track and Field Championships, May 23 at Sapporo's Atsubetsu Park Field, the first Kenyan to ever run the meet, Sapporo Yamanote H.S. first-year Charles Ndungu  made history with the meet's first-ever sub-14 clocking as he won his heat in 13:58.83.  Both a personal best and the Hokkaido international student high school record, Ndungu's shocking debut took him to the final as the top seed. His performance marked the beginning of a new era in Hokkaido high school boys' distance running.    In only the first-round heats of the 5000 m Ndungu surged hard over the last lap, battling a strong headwind as he came down the home straight in first place.  When the digital clock showed his time of 13:58.83 a huge roar of cheering and applau...

by Brett Larner The 2011 Hokuren Distance Challenge series wrapped up June 29 with its fourth and final event, the Shibetsu Meet. Despite warm and humid conditions, significant marks came in the women's 5000 m and men's 1500 m. In the women's 5000 m, Kenyan Sally Chepyego (Team Kyudenko) marked her latest PB of the season, 15:10.53, to take the win. Just behind her, National Championships 5000 m runner-up Hitomi Niiya , sporting her new Team Universal Entertainment jersey for the first time after a few months as an independent following being fired from Team Toyota Jidoshokki, just cleared the World Championships A-standard with a new PB of 15:13.12. Niiya's mark all but assures she will join national champion Megumi Kinukawa (Team Mizuno) in Daegu and secures her as the all-time Japanese #10 over 5000 m. Her former teammate, 1500 m national record holder Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki), was a regrettable DNF after a long period lost to injury. In the ...

by Brett Larner Junior 10-mile world record holder Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) became the first man to break the 45 minute barrier three times at the Dec. 5 Kumamoto Kosa 10-Miler, taking his fifth win with a time of 44:59. His nearest competitor, John Thuo (Kenya/Team Toyota) was a fair way back in 45:47. Among Japanese competitors, who have a separate start from foreign runners, Ryuji Watanabe (Team Toyota Kyushu) was the top finisher in 47:21, the promised field of top-ranked young elites being entirely absent. All told 37 men broke 49 minutes. 2010 Kumamoto Kosa 10-Mile Road Race click here for complete results International Men's 10-Miler 1. Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 44:59 2. John Thuo (Kenya/Team Toyota) - 45:47 3. Micah Njeru (Kenya/Team Toyota Boshoku) - 46:45 4. Alex Mwangi (Kenya/Team YKK) - 47:48 Japanese Men's 10-Miler 1. Ryuji Watanabe (Team Toyota Kyushu) - 47:21 2. Daisuke Matsufuji (Team Kanebo) - 47:37 3. Yuya Konishi (Tea...

by Brett Larner Japan's fall track season is well underway, a transition period designed to sharpen the summer base as the focus shifts to the ekiden season. The Monday, Oct. 11 national holiday saw two major track meets alongside the Izumo Ekiden. The Niigata Big Athletics Festa focused on 10000 m for the distance runners. Former Sendai Ikuei H.S. standout Paul Kuira (Kenya/Team Konica Minolta) led the way with a 27:50.64 to move into the 2010 worldwide top 30. In second came Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) in a PB of 28:07.99, just clearing the 2011 World Championships B-standard. The women's 10000 m added two more Japanese women to the 2010 worldwide top 30, with veteran Kayo Sugihara (Team Denso) clearing the World Championships A-standard in 31:44.93 and Remi Nakazato (Team Daihatsu) the B-standard in 31:53.22. In other Niigata events, Miwa Yokoyama (Niigata Meikun H.S.) broke the prefectural high school girls' 5000 m record with a solo 15:58.81, winning by ...

2010 Hokuren Distance Challenge Fukagawa Meet - Top Finishers click here for complete results Men's 10000 m A-heat 1. Micah Njeru (Kenya) - 27:57.91 2. Alex Mwangi (Kenya) - 27:59.59 3. Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Team Konica Minolta) - 28:01.54 - PB Women's 10000 m 1. Hiroko Miyauchi (Team Kyocera) - 32:09.01 2. Remi Nakazato (Team Tenmaya) - 32:12.10 3. Aki Odagiri (Team Toyota Jidoshoki) - 32:43.45 Men's 10000 m B-heat 1. Masato Imai (Team Toyota Kyushu) - 28:37.89 2. Hideyuki Anzai (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 28:38.99 3. Kenichi Jiromaru (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 28:42.17 Men's 10000 m C-Heat 1. Teruto Ozaki (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 28:56.82 2. Jeon Eun Hoi (South Korea) - 29:11.41 3. Ryuji Watanabe (Team Asahi Kasei) - 29:15.62 Men's 3000 m 1. Kazuki Hayashi - 8:08.46 2. Tomoya Shirayanagi - 8:08.65 3. Kosuke Murasashi - 8:08.82 Women's 3000 m 1. Betelhem Moges (Ethiopia) - 9:12.74 2. Mai Ito - 9:17.41 3. Sayo Nomura - 9:24.51 (c) 2010 Brett Larner all rights reserved

by Brett Larner Lost in the shuffle following Tsegaye Kebede's record-breaking run at today's Fukuoka International Marathon, the world's most competitive 10-miler took place across Kyushu at the 2009 Kumamoto Kosa 10 Mile Road Race . A total of 90 men broke 50 minutes at the race, a tune-up for the Jan. 1 New Year Ekiden national corporate championships. In the "International Division," made up of Japan-based foreigners who run for Japanese corporate teams and are given an inscrutable one-minute headstart, 2007 World Championships 10000 m bronze medalist Martin Mathathi (Team Suzuki) won in 44:52, just one second off his course and world junior record of 44:51. In the Japanese Division, former Juntendo University Hakone Ekiden "God of the Mountain" 5th Stage record breaker Masato Imai (Team Toyota Kyushu) scored the first big result of his pro career with a 46:40 win by one second over university-era Hakone 5th stage rival Satoru Kitamura (Team Nissin S...

by Brett Larner Six days after completing a rare quadruple with an 800 m meet record at the Kanto Regional University Track and Field Championships, fourth year Daniel Gitau (Nihon Univ.) took down Japanese 1500 m national record holder Fumikazu Kobayashi (Team NTN) with a PB and meet record 3:37.96 in the men's 1500 m at the May 30 Golden Games in Nobeoka . Heavy rain throughout the meet dashed hopes for a new Japanese national record-level performance, but although he missed his own record mark of 3:37.40 Kobayashi's time of 3:38.80 was one of his best since setting the record in 2004. Other noteworthy marks came in the ten heats of the men's 5000 m. The fastest times came in the E-heat, where Micah Njeru (Team Toyota Boshoku) ran 13:22.20, a PB by 0.07 over his time from last year's Golden Games, to take down John Thuo (Team Toyota) for the win by just over a second. Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) continued his return to form after a year of serious illness in 2008, ru...