japan running news

by Brett Larner The six-part Hokuren Distance Challenge series of summer meets got underway June 14 in Sapporo. Held in towns across Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, the Hokuren Distance Challenge has become an important part of the calendar for the hundreds of university and corporate runners who relocate to Hokkaido for summer base training to escape the heat. Top results of this year's Sapporo Meet are reproduced below. 2010 Hokuren Distance Challenge Sapporo Meet - Top Finishers click here for complete results Men's 5000 m A-Heat 1. Edward Waweru (Kenya/Team NTN) - 13:25.18 2. Alex Mwangi (Kenya/Team YKK) - 13:42.50 3. Akihiko Tsumurai (Team Mazda) - 13:44.43 4. Satoshi Irifune (Team Kanebo) - 13:45.66 5. Norio Kamijo (Team Aichi Steel) - 13:55.00 Women's 5000 m 1. Felista Wanjugu (Kenya/Team Universal Ent.) - 15:15.27 2. Kazue Kojima (Team Toyota Jidoshoki) - 15:41.96 3. Risa Takenaka (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 15:42.96 4. Maiko Kushima (Niigata Albirex AC...

by Brett Larner The spring regional corporate track and field championship season began May 8 with the first day of the Chugoku Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships, the regional meet for central Japan. Each of the regional meets throughout the country is spread over two consecutive weekends, with the Chugoku region's men's and women's 5000 m the first events to take place. Many of the biggest names sat the races out in favor of the May 9 Sendai International Half Marathon and next weekend's 10000 m, leaving easy wins for Kenyans Joseph Gitau (Team JFE Steel) and Danielle Filomena Cheyech (Team Uniqlo). 2010 Chugoku Jitsugyodan T&F Championships - Top Finishers click here for complete results Men's 5000 m 1. Joseph Gitau (Kenya/Team JFE Steel) - 13:49.85 2. Takuya Ishikawa (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 13:50.70 3. Akihiko Tsumurai (Team Mazda) - 13:50.94 4. Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 13:52.30 5. Tetsuya Sasaki (Team Chudenko) - 14:04.15 Women's...

by Brett Larner In the grand prix events on day two of the 2010 Hyogo Relay Carnival , Bukkyo Univ. third-year Hikari Yoshimoto showed that her anchor stage win at last November's International Chiba Ekiden was no fluke as she nearly ran down winner Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) in the women's 10000 m and set a new national university record in the process. Fukushi, the 3000 m, 5000 m and half marathon national record holder, won in a solid 31:29.03. Yoshimoto, in her first track 10000 m, was just steps behind in 31:30.92, a time which broke the 15 year-old Japanese university record and which would have put her in the top 20 worldwide last year. The pair outran top-ranked Kenyan Doricah Obare (Team Hitachi), who was 3rd in a PB of 31:37.07. The trio's times were the 2nd, 3rd and 4th-fastest in the world so far this year and no other women broke 32:15, making Yoshimoto's debut all the more impressive. In the men's 10000 m John Thuo (Kenya/Team Toyota) outkicked J...