japan running news

It was a busy weekend on the track across Japan. At Saturday's Kanaguri Memorial Meet  in Kumamoto, the biggest news came in the men's 1500 m where 17-year-old Keita Sato (Rakunan H.S.) ran 3:40.36, a new U18 national record, the 2nd-fastest ever by a Japanese high schooler, and 3rd-fastest-ever U20 mark. Sato took 4th after leading the first three laps, with two of the three people who finished ahead of him going under 3:40. Winner Kazuki Kawamura (Toenec) broke into the all-time Japanese top ten at 3:38.83 and Keisuke Morita (Komori Corp.) was 2nd in 3:39.37. Steeplechase specialist Kazuya Shiojiri  (Fujitsu) followed up his 10000 m win last month in Nobeoka with a 5000 m PB at Kanaguri, dropping a Kenyan trio led by Justus Kevasa  (Honda) for the win in 13:22.80. A total of thirteen people broke 13:40 across heats. Joan Kipkemoi  (Kyudenko) led Japan-based Africans to sweep the top five spots in the women's 5000 m in 15:30.45, with Ethiopian Burka Desta  ...

Takumi Komatsu (NTT Nishi Nihon) became the 21st Japanese man to break 62 minutes in the half marathon so far this year with a 1:01:35 for 8th at the U.K.'s Great North Run. Great North Run Half Marathon Newcastle, Great Britian, 9/8/19 complete results Men 1. Mo Farah (Great Britain) - 59:07 2. Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia) - 59:13 3. Abei Nageeye (Netherlands) - 59:55 4. Callum Hawkins (Great Britain) - 1:00:39 5. Bashir Abdi (Belgium) - 1:01:11 ----- 8. Takumi Komatsu (Japan) - 1:01:35 12. Kyohei Hosoya (Japan) - 1:03:39 18. Tsuyoshi Bando (Japan) - 1:05:21 20. Shoma Yamamoto (Japan) - 1:06:40 Women 1. Brigid Kosgei (Kenya) - 1:04:28 2. Magdalyne Masai (Kenya) - 1:07:36 3. Linet Masai (Kenya) - 1:07:44 4. Mary Keitany (Kenya) - 1:07:58 5. Charlotte Purdue (Great Britain) - 1:08:10 text and photos © 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

by Brett Larner video by Ekiden News Waseda University fourth-year Rintaro Takeda became just the fourth man and third Japanese collegiate runner in the 29-year history of the Ageo City Half Marathon to break 62 minutes on the Ageo course, running a PB of over a minute to win in 1:01:59 in a tight sprint finish on the track. Just about the last major university race before the January 2-3 Hakone Ekiden , Ageo serves to help coaches of the twenty Hakone-bound schools sort out their final rosters for Japan's biggest race.  With most schools fielding around thirty runners apiece this has made Ageo into the deepest half marathon in the world, and over the last five years an invitation for the top two finishers to run March's United Airlines NYC Half Marathon has taken the front end of the race to another level. Despite predicted hot weather the day dawned with thick fog and temperatures under 10 degrees.  Running his first half marathon, 18-year-old  Chuo Gakui...

by Brett Larner Kicking off the 2016 Big Three University Ekiden season , the 6-stage, 45.1 km Izumo Ekiden played out almost exactly according to script , with defending champion Aoyama Gakuin University holding off the perfectly-matched Yamanashi Gakuin University and Tokai University on the second half of the anchor stage to win a second-straight title. A moderate easterly wind meant slower times than last year on the first three and final stages.  Right from the start it was all Aoyama Gakuin, Yamanashi Gakuin and Tokai, given a push on the 8.0 km First Stage by Nittai University 's Takumi Komatsu and Daiichi Kogyo University 's Geoffrey Gichia , but by midway through the 5.8 km Second Stage Aoyama Gakuin's Kazuki Tamura and Tokai first-year Ryoji Tatezawa had opened a lead over Yamanashi Gakuin that lasted until the anchor stage. In terms of the anchor stage Yamanashi Gakuin had the greatest advantage, with last year's stage winner Dominic Nyairo havi...

by Brett Larner 焼津みなとマラソン 大学生ばかり載せてましたが、一般の川内選手は大会新記録でした( •̀ᄇ• ́)ﻭ✧ pic.twitter.com/e4Y4N6NDon — テツジマン (@tetsujiman) April 10, 2016 Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) won Sunday's Yaizu Minato Half Marathon by almost a minute in 1:03:47, outrunning dozens of university men to turn in his fastest half marathon since November.  His third time at Yaizu Minato, it was Kawauchi's fastest run on the flat seaside course and the fastest-ever by a general division entrant.  For his win Kawauchi was awarded the fishing town of Yaizu's local specialty, a large bonito. 焼津みなとマラソンで優勝した明治大学藪下くんのインタビュー pic.twitter.com/RKJbo2s3RX — ひろ (@sh2167_kmmn) April 10, 2016 Ryota Yabushita (Meiji Univ.) was 2nd across the line, beating Takumi Komatsu (Nittai Univ.) by 5 seconds to lead the university division in 1:04:39.  University teams in Yaizu Minato are scored by the combined times of their fastest two finishers, the Pair Marathon winners earning more bonito for their tea...

by Brett Larner video by naoki620 全日本予選会 関東は中央学院大がトップ通過。 最終組では潰滝が28:31！ pic.twitter.com/mkfy7SpL1i — EKIDEN_MANIA (@ekiden_mania) June 20, 2015 Saturday saw the first event on the university men's ekiden circuit with regional qualifier action for November's National University Men's Ekiden .  Universities across the country that finished outside the seeded top six at last November's Nationals competed on the track in their regions, eight runners from each school split into four heats and their team score determined by the combined times of all eight. The biggest event, needless to say, was in the Tokyo-area Kanto Region , home of the Hakone Ekiden, where twenty schools competed for nine places at Nationals.  Led by senior Hironori Tsuetaki , the double 5000 m and 10000 m D2 champ at last month's Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships, Chiba's Chuo Gakuin University came out on top as the only school to clear 3:59, its eight runners tot...