japan running news

by Brett Larner Yoshihiro Wakamatsu  (Team Nissin Shokuhin), a graduate of Hakone Ekiden course record holder  Toyo University , won the final running of the historic Himejijo Road Race men's 10 miler on Feb. 11. Throwing in a surge at 7 km he easily broke away from the field, which included London Olympics marathoner Ryo Yamamoto  (Team SGH Group Sagawa), two-time Himejijo winner Kazuyoshi Tokumoto  (Team Monteroza), and Norihisa Imai  of Toyo's 2014 Hakone-winning squad, to open a gap of 30 seconds and claim the win unchallenged in 47:38. Tsukasa Morita (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) was a solo 2nd in 48:08, his teammate Jun Shinoto , the 2006 national champion in the 3000 m steeplechase, winning a tight pack race for 3rd in 48:21. In the women's 5 km, Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.  went 1-2 with  Tomoka Iwai  winning in 16:24 over Tomoka Katada  in 16:28. The Himejijo Road Race is set to be transformed into a mass-participation marath...

by Brett Larner Alongside the Ageo City Half Marathon it was a big weekend at the 212th Nittai University Time Trials, Nov. 20-21 in Yokohama. Among the highlights: While 19 year-old Kenyan Bitan Karoki (Team S&B) added another sub-28 time in the 10000 m to his name with a 27:46.19 win, Jobu University senior Yusuke Hasegawa ran the fastest mark of the year by a Japanese university student, 28:07.47, to take 2nd in the A-heat. In the B-heat, Sendai Ikuei High School junior Yuma Hattori set the fastest time of the year by a Japanese high school student, 28:58.08. Three Josai University men broke 29 minutes for the first time; Josai head coach Seiji Kushibe , Jobu head coach Katsuhiko Hanada and Ageo winner Suguru Osako 's coach at Waseda University, Yasuyuki Watanabe , were all teammates at Waseda during their student days. Former 2:08 marathoner and national champion Team Nissin Shokuhin assistant coach Kenjiro Jitsui , 41, set a masters' 10000 m national record of 29:16...

2010 National Sports Festival - Top Results Oct. 3, Chiba Sogo Sports Center Stadium click here for complete results High School Boys' 5000 m - final 1. Titus Waroru (Kenya/Chinzei H.S.) - 13:39.43 2. Genki Yagisawa (Nasu Takuyo H.S.) - 13:57.37 3. Takashi Ichida (Kagoshima Jitsugyo H.S.) - 13:57.76 4. Shogo Nakamura (Ueno Kogyo H.S.) - 13:59.88 5. Norihisa Imai (Gijuku Ishikawa H.S.) - 14:06.98 6. Kazuto Nishiike (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 14:07.58 7. Kenta Murayama (Meisei H.S.) - 14:07.91 8. Naoki Shimada (Hamamatsu Nittai H.S.) - 14:12.48 9. Ryoma Takeuchi (Tokai Oyamagata H.S.) - 14:13.14 10. Kei Fumimoto (Rakunan H.S.) - 14:17.73 Women's 1500 m - final 1. Mika Yoshikawa (Team Panasonic) - 4:12.38 - MR 2. Ayako Jinnouchi (Team Kyudenko) - 4:18.22 3. Yukari Soh (Team Asahi Kasei) - 4:18.38 High School Girls' 1500 m - final (10/2) 1. Risa Yokoe (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 4:16.90 - MR 2. Tomoka Kimura (Chikushi Jogakuen H.S.) - 4:17.93 - MR 3. Shiho Takeda (Tokiwa H.S.) - 4:23.39 Men...