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His Honda teammate Hiroaki Sano led the Berlin-experienced Koji Gokaya (JR Higashi NIhon) and fellow sub-61 half marathoner Masato Kikuchi (Team Konica Minolta) on a more conservative, steady pace around 2:10:30 until 30 km, after which point Kikuchi started to slip. Gokaya, like Sano a one-time sub-2:10 runner to date, was next, leaving Sano to gut out a 2:11:24 for 7th.
Shitara's time was the 9th sub-2:10 of the year by a Japanese man. Along with Takuya Noguchi (Konica Minolta) and Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) at July's Gold Coast Airport Marathon he was the third to do it outside Japan this year, the most in a single year since 1986. At least four more international marathons and one domestic marathon could see additions to that list, meaning a possible record-setting year for depth at the front end of Japanese men's marathoning. With 2:09 marathons in his first two times out the gate Shitara is one of the ones leading that charge.
