Skip to main content

Kamulu Breaks Sanyo Ladies Half Marathon Course Record

Japan-based Kenyan Pauline Kamulu (Route Inn Hotels) outran defending champion Rei Ohara (Tenmaya) and three of Japan's best upcoming young talents to cut 13 seconds off the course record as she won the 36th edition of the Sanyo Ladies Road Race half marathon.

Kamulu, Ohara and 2017 national cross country champion Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal) set off near 1:08-flat pace, a time no Japanese woman has cleared in almost 12 years. Behind them, Rio Olympian Miyuki Uehara and the debuting Azusa Sumi (Univ. Ent.) went at a more conservative pace while keeping the leaders in sight. After 5 km Kamulu through in a surge to drop her Japanese competition, going through 10 km in 32-flat and pushing on alone to finish in 1:08:04, a new course record and a PB by well over a minute and a half.


Behind her, Ohara and Ichiyama fought to keep it on sub-1:09 pace. Ohara began to fade, and as Ichiyama pulled away Uehara and Sumi began to come up from behind. Uehara, who memorably frontran her way to the 5000 m final in Rio, surged hard to get rid of Sumi, passing Ohara and then Ichiyama on the last lap of the track to take 2nd in 1:09:13. Ichiyama was right behind in 1:09:14. Behind them, Sumi likewise caught Ohara on the track to take 4th in a solid debut of 1:09:21. Ohara was only 9 seconds off her PB in 1:09:26, but as the 4th Japanese woman her chances of being picked up for the 2018 Valencia World Half Marathon Championships team look slim.

Further back, Charlotte Purdue (Great Britain) took 13th in a PB of 1:11:29, the fastest time this year by a British woman. Camille Buscomb (New Zealand) dropped out partway through the race.

The half marathon has been a major area of weakness for Japanese woman in recent years, with none under 1:09 since 2013 and a sub-1:10 time almost a surprise at this point. With four women under 1:09:30, three of them young runners making the all-time Japanese top 25 in their first serious half marathons, it was a welcome positive note on which to end a mostly disappointing year.


The 10 km division also saw good debuts by several young athletes. 19-year-old Japan-based Ethiopian Shuru Bulo (Toto) won her first road 10 km easily in 32:03. Yuka Hori (Panasonic) took 2nd in a PB of 32:27, with debuting Daiichi Seimei teammates Kanami Sagayama, 19, and Himawari Yuda, 20, both just clearing 33 minutes for 3rd and 4th.

36th Sanyo Ladies Road Race

Okayama, 12/23/17
click here for complete results

Half Marathon
1. Pauline Kamulu (Route Inn Hotels) - 1:08:04 - CR, PB
2. Miyuki Uehara (Daiichi Seimei) - 1:09:13 - PB
3. Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal) - 1:09:14 - PB
4. Azusa Sumi (Universal Entertainment) - 1:09:21 - debut
5. Rei Ohara (Tenmaya) - 1:09:26
6. Kaori Morita (Panasonic) - 1:10:11 - debut
7. Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) - 1:10:22 - PB
8. Akane Sekino (Imabari Zosen) - 1:10:28 - PB
9. Reia Iwade (Dome) - 1:10:35
10. Grace Kimanzi (Starts) - 1:10:36
-----
13. Charlotte Purdue (Great Britain) - 1:11:29 - PB
DNF - Camille Buscomb (New Zealand)

10 km
1. Shuru Bulo (Toto) - 32:03 - debut
2. Yuka Hori (Panasonic) - 32:27 - PB
3. Kanami Sagayama (Daiichi Seimei) - 32:52 - debut
4. Himawari Yuda (Daiichi Seimei) - 32:56 - debut
5. Wakana Itsuki (Kyudenko) - 33:01 - PB

© 2017 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Chesang and Kipkoech Win Hot Gifu Half

Hot conditions held back fast times at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon Sunday, where Ugandan Stella Chesang and Kenya Hillary Kipkoech took the top spots over last year's winners Dolphine Nyaboke Omare and Amos Kurgat . In the women's race Chesang, Omare and Kenyan-born Bahraini Eunice Chebichii Chumba went out as a trio, Japan-based Hellen Ekarare with them initially but eventually dropping out. After a 15:39 opening 5 km Chumba started to slip off, and by 15 km Chesang was on her own. Chesang won in 1:07:59, solid given the conditions, with Omare 2nd in 1:08:31 and Chumba 3rd in 1:09:10. Rinka Hida was the first Japanese woman, 5th overall in 1:12:06 behind Australian Genevieve Gregson . A lead men's pack of 11 went through 5 km in 14:31, but by 10 km it was down to Kipkoech, Kurgat, , Timothy Kiplagat , Ugandan Stephen Kissa and Japan-based Kenyans Patrick Mathenge Wambui and Anthony Maina . At 15 km in 43:40 only Kurgat and Kipkoech were left, and over the last 5
1 comment
Read more

Okumoto and Kondo Score Silver and Bronze - U20 Asian Championships Day One

The U20 Asian Athletics Championships started Wednesday in Dubai, U.A.E. Narumi Okumoto (Hitachi) and Nozomi Kondo (Meijo Univ.) scored Japan's first two medals in the women's 3000 m, running behind leader Yaxuan Li of China over the first 1000 m. Kondo lost touch after the first 1000 m, while Okumoto lasted another 1000 m with Li. Li took gold in 9:12.79, Okumoto silver in 9:25.19 and Kondo bronze in 9:38.91. In qualifying rounds: Both Yuri Nishida (Ritsumeikan Univ.) and Sari Kameda (Kyoto Kyoiku Univ.) won their women's 800 m heats and advanced to the next round, Nishida in a PB 2:07.36 and Kamei in 2:10.87, also a PB. Shota Fuchigami (Waseda Univ.) won his 400 mH heat in a PB 50.19 to make the final. Hiroto Shogomori (Chuo Univ.) was 2nd in his 400 m heat in 47.37, yet another athlete to run a PB, moving on to the semifinals. The lone female sprinter on the Japanese team, Misaki Morimoto (Sonoda Joshi Gakuen Univ.) won her 100 m heat in 12.20 (-1.4) and advance
Post a Comment
Read more

Drury and Mashiko Lead Four Japanese Golds - U20 Asian Championships Day 4

The closing day of the Dubai U20 Asian Athletics Championships saw Japan go out big, with four gold medals led by dominant runs by Sherry Drury (Tsuyama H.S.) and Yota Mashiko (Gakuho Ishikawa H.S.). Making her international debut, the 16-year-old Drury led start to finish in the women's 1500 m final, grinding down the rest of the field and putting over 4 seconds on runner-up Sandilea Vinod of India over the last 300 m to win in 4:21.41. Drury's splits: 1:11-2:24-(3:19)-3:35-4:21. There's still a long way for Drury to go, but in terms of form and confidence this was the best she has looked since her legendary breakthrough CR at last year's National Women's Ekiden, and you could see more than a glimmer of what everyone is hoping is really there. Mashiko was even more dominant in the men's 3000 m. Coming out on the front end of some pushing and shoving in the first 50 m, Mashiko led the entire way. By 300 m he had a measurable gap that never got smaller, and af
1 comment
Read more