by Brett Larner Windy conditions prevailed at the 36th Tokaimura Shinshun Half Marathon on Jan. 12, where a freak early-morning rain shower combined with sub-zero temperatures to coat sections of the hilly course with a slick layer of ice. Japan Running News founder Brett Larner (Harriers AC) took the overall win in the men’s race with a course-record 1:16:02. Larner led from the 300 m point all the way to the finish, dropping a chase pack of three on the course’s long uphill after the 8 km point. Japan Running News co-editor Mika Tokairin (Namban Rengo AC), the top Japanese woman at the 2007 London Marathon, was 3rd overall in the women’s race behind Team Hitachi’s Sayaka Yamaguchi, who ran a substantial course-record 1:18:48 in her half-marathon debut. Both Tokairin and Larner reported being 3 minutes behind their expected times, an indication of the difficulty of the course and conditions. Tokairin will race the Jan. 25 Osaka International Women’s Marathon, while Larner will run...
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