japan running news

Having been named to the Kenyan men's team for this summer's Paris Olympics, Alexander Mutiso , 27, of the Nanyo, Yamagata-based ND Software corporate team, told the Yamagata Newspaper on May 13 that his goal for the Olympic marathon is "to be #1." Having lived in Yamagata for 10 years, Mutiso has strong attachment to the area and credits its environment for helping him develop, saying, "Ever since I came to Yamagata I've been running well." He left for Kenya on May 14 to join the Kenyan national team training camp, aiming to be in perfect condition when he arrives in Paris for the main event. Mutiso came to Japan in 2015, joining the ND Software team and taking up residence in Nanyo. "I don't like the cold winters in Yamagata so much, but the other seasons are nice." From that base he has grown into the athlete he is now, competing in races across Japan and around the world. Compared to the track, his strengths lie more in long road races

  The biggest domestic meet of the weekend was the four-day Kanto Region Track and Field Championships , but there were other good meets happening across the country. At the Kinami Memorial Meet in Osaka, Kazuto Iizawa (Sumitomo Denko) had a near-miss on the Japanese NR, running a meet record 3:35.77 for the win to come in at all-time JPN #2. 2nd through 4th-placers Abraham Guem (South Sudan), Felix Muthiani (Kenya) and Dezhu Liu (China) were all under the old MR and under 3:38, and the top 10 all went under 3:40. All told it was one of the best non-international championship men's 1500 m ever on Japanese soil. The women's 3000 mSC also saw a new MR from Shuangshuang Xu (China) in 9:47.45, with 2nd through 4th-placers Miu Saito (Nittai Univ.), Georgia Winkcup (Australia) and Manami Nishiyama (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) all breaking 10 minutes. At part one of the Chugoku Corporate Championships in Hiroshima, Rebecca Mwangi (Daiso) had an easy win in the women's 5000 m

Conditions at Sunday's Sendai International Half Marathon were too hot for fast times, but for Paris Olympics marathon team members Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) and Naoki Koyama (Honda) it was a pretty good test run for what they'll up against come August. Marathon NR holder Maeda had no problems soloing the win, running 1:11:17 to finish 1:17 ahead of 2nd-placer Yuki Nakamura (Panasonic). Rie Kawauchi (Otsuka Seiyaku) was 3rd in 1:12:58. Koyama was a little shakier at 6th in 1:03:23 in the men's race, not exactly a bad day but not up to the no-miss form he's had over the last two years either. In his place, Koyama's Honda teammate Ken Nakayama scored the men's win, out kicking Kenyans Paul Kuira (JR Higashi Nihon) and Benard Kimeli (Fujitsu) on the track to take the win in 1:02:31. Kuira was 2nd in 1:02:32 and Kimeli 3rd in 1:02:36. Sendai International Half Marathon Sendai, Miyagi, 12 May 2024 complete results Women 1. Honami Maeda 1:11:17 2. Yuki Nakamura 1

The 103rd edition of the Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships wrapped Sunday at Tokyo's National Stadium. Kenyans won four of the five long distance events of the day, with 2nd-year Brian Kipyegon (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) defending his won D1 half marathon title and breaking the MR he set last year with a new 1:01:38 MR. That was over a minute and a half better than 2nd-placer Ren Umezaki (Toyo Univ.) and especially impressive given hot early morning temps of 25˚C. 3rd-year Patrick Kamau (Jobu Univ.) put 6 seconds on Hakone Ekiden Third Stage winner Aoi Ota (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) over the last km to win the D2 title in 1:02:58. In the D1 women's 5000 m, 2nd-year Sarah Wanjiru (Daito Bunka Univ.) scored a double title after breaking the 10000 m MR, winning in 15:44.85 by 5 seconds over Risa Yamazaki (Nittai Univ.). 3rd-year Victor Kimutai (Josai Univ.) took the D1 men's 5000 m title in 13:37.62, just over a second up on 2nd-year Shadrack Kipkemoi (Ni

Day 3 of the 103rd Kanto Regionals meet at Tokyo's National Stadium was mostly one of qualifying rounds on the track, the only finals being the D1 and D2 men's 10000 m race walks. Usual race walking power Toyo University was absent from the D1 podium, 3rd yr., Misaki Kondo (Meiji Univ.) clocking a PB 40:32.85 for the win with 2nd and 3rd-placers Riku Oie (Juntendo Univ.) and Yushi Nakajima (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) within 12 seconds of him, both also PBing. 4th-yr Chisato Hasegawa took the D2 title in 41:34.39. Qualifying rounds in the men's 3000 mSC didn't see many surprises, with D1 favorites Boniface Mutech (Ryutsu Keizai Univ.) and So Yamasaki (Juntendo Univ.) both getting through to the final and D2 win contenders Oju Tsujimoto (Teikyo Univ.) and Kai Ogata (Kanto Gakuin Univ.) doing the same. Kanto Regionals wrap up Sunday with the men's half marathon in the morning and the 3000 m SC, 5000 m and other finals in the afternoon. 103rd Kanto Region Univers

Day two of the 103rd Kanto Regionals meet took place Friday at Tokyo's National Stadium and other facilities. The 1500 m was the only mid or long-distance final on the program, and in the D1 women's final 4th-yr Yuiri Ogata (Nittai Univ.) scored a dominant win with a 4:19.08 PB that put her 2 1/2 seconds up on 2nd-placer Yui Yoshii (Daito Bunka Univ.). 4th-yr Hiroto Takamura (Nittai Univ.) won the D1 men's title in 3:45.65, with 2nd-yr Ryoto Aoki (Rikkyo Univ.) taking the top spot in a strategic D2 men's final in 3:52.93. D2 men also had a round of 5000 m qualifiers on the program. Kenyans took the top four spots in Heat 1 led by newcomer Brian Kiptoo (Reitaku Univ.) in 13:50.47, with Hakone Ekiden runner-up Komazawa University 4th-yr Kota Nakaya outrunning Hakone champ Aoyama Gakuin University 1st-yr Sota Orita for 1st in the slower Heat 2, 14:04.47 to 14:04.95. The final happens Sunday alongside the D1 men's and women's races. In other noteworthy per