japan running news

by Brett Larner As the Japanese academic year comes to a close this month, many of this year's talented group of graduating university seniors prepare to enter the corporate team world of jitsugyodan running while others bid goodbye to their days of serious running. Below is a listing of some of the best runners in this year's graduating class and their destinations next month. Tsuguya Asahi (Waseda Univ.) - Team Kyudenko Soji Ikeda (Komazawa Univ.) - Team Yakult Kenta Kawasaki (Kokushikan Univ.) - Team Suzuki Yuki Kawauchi (Gakushuin Univ.) - Saitama Prefectural Government Masato Kihara (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - Team Kanebo Mekubo Mogusu (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - Team Aidem Kazuki Onishi (Toyo Univ.) - Team Kanebo Tomoya Onishi (Toyo Univ.) - Team Asahi Kasei Hiroyuki Ono (Juntendo Univ.) - Team Nissin Shokuhin Yukinori Ota (Komazawa Univ.) - Team Mazda Takuma Sasaya (Nihon Univ.) - Team JR Higashi Nihon Yuki Sato (Tokai Univ.) - Team Nissin Shokuhin / Tokai Graduate School Tsuyo...

by Brett Larner Mekubo Mogusu in the lead. Click image for video of the race. One week after winning his third titles in the 1500 m and 10000 m events, setting a PB, meet record and Japanese university record of 27:27.64 in the latter, Yamanashi Gakuin University senior Mekubo Mogusu of Kenya broke his own course record to win the half marathon on the final day of the Kanto Regional University Track and Field Championships at Tokyo`s National Stadium. The half marathon was contested over a ten-loop course. Beginning in the National Stadium, runners completed 1 km on the track before exiting the stadium for a hilly, twisting section on the roads. Runners then re-entered the stadium before beginning the next iteration of the road loop. The course is notoriously difficult; last year Mogusu set the course record of 1:03:10 in the midst of a year in which he broke one hour for the half marathon three times. This year competitors faced the additional challenge of rain and wind brought by th...