japan running news

After a surprise finish outside the top 10 at this year's Hakone Ekiden, Meiji University  was back to do the expected, winning the Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai half marathon qualifier Saturday in Tachikawa, Tokyo by over 4 minutes. In windy conditions things went out slowly up front, the lead group of 6 Kenyans hitting the first km in only 3:01. Last year's winner Joseph Lemeteki Razini  (Takushoku Univ.) made a push to get things into gear and Vincent Raimoi (Kokushikan Univ.), James Bunuka  (Surugadai Univ.), Charles Kamau Wanjiku  (Musashino Gakuin Univ.) and Paul Onyiego  (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) all took turns leading, but it wasn't until 14 km for Wanjiku to make a serous move. Running the rest of the way unchallenged, he took 1st in 1:01:23, more than a minute slower than Razini's winning time last year. The only two people in the front group not to take the lead at some point, Samson Ndirangu (Ryutsu Keizai Univ.) and Noah Kiplimo  (Nihon Yakka Univ....

The second meet in the 2021 Hokuren Distance Challenge series happened Wednesday in Fukagawa, Hokkaido. The race of the day was the men's 10000 m A-heat , where 2021 Hakone Ekiden MVP Vincento Yegon  (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) lead a pack of seven through 9000 m just sub-28 pace. Newcomer Samson Ndirangu  (Ryutsu Keizai Univ.) threw it down with 1000 m, breaking up the pack as he pulled away for the win in 27:43.58. Yegon faded to 4th in 27:50.66, with Naoki Koyama  (Honda) next across the line in 27:55.16, the only Japanese man of the day to break 28 minutes. 2019 Fukuoka International Marathon winner Taku Fujimoto  (Toyota) came up just short, 7th in a 6-second PB of 28:02.54. After barely missing out on a place on the unexpectedly competitive Japanese men's 3000 mSC squad for the Tokyo Olympics, steepler Hironori Tsuetaki (Fujitsu) was quick to turn around the disappointment with a 5-second PB of 28:11.09 to win the 10000 m B-heat . Riki Nakanishi  (Toenec) won...

The 100th edition of the Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships ran through its second half Saturday and Sunday at Kanagawa's Gion Stadium. Check out the results from Thursday and Friday here . In the D1 men's 5000 m , 10000 m winner Samson Ndirangu  (Ryutsu Keizai Univ.) bettered 1500 m champ and 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura  (Juntendo Univ.) to pull off the distance double in 13:39.92. Miura was 2nd in 13:48.90. In his absence, Masanari Shintaku 's D1 8:35.2 D1 men's 3000 mSC meet record from 1977 lived another year as  Atsushi Shobu  (Waseda Univ.) took the steeple title in 8:45.95 PB. D2 men's 10000 m winner and 2021 Hakone Ekiden MVP  Vincent Yegon (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) also doubled, easily winning the D2 5000 m in 13:42.54. Kota Yoshida  (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) won the D2 men's 3000 mSC in a PB of 8:46.55. First-year Seira Fuwa  (Takushoku Univ.) made a great debut as she won the D1 women's 5000 m in 15:48.82, just over 5 sec...

The 100th edition of Japan's biggest collegiate meet, the Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships kicked off Thursday at Kanagawa's Gion Stadium. Or more exactly it kicked off at the Yomiuriland amusement park closer to Tokyo, where the men's half marathon was held on a closed circuit course inside the park. D1 top three Vincent Raimoi  (Kokushikan Univ.), Charles Ndungu  (Nihon Univ.) and Paul Onyiego  (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) stayed together the entire way until Raimoi pulled away in the last sprint to win in 1:01:13. Ndungu clocked 1:01:14 and Onyiego 1:01:15. 4th-placer Shunsuke Shikama (Juntendo Univ.) just missed, running 1:02:26 for the top Japanese spot with the next four all under 1:03. The D2 race was just as exciting and almost as deep, Ryo Nishikubo  (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) and Kyosuke Hanao  (Komazawa Univ.) outkicking Luka Musembi (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.)) and both timed at 1:02:00 but Nishikubo earning the win. Musembi was 3rd...