Kawauchi and Kanematsu Win Rainy Shimantogawa 100 km – Brett Larner – Japan Running News

The 100 km division started under a heavy downpour at 5:30 a.m. in front of Warabioka J.H.S. The 576 participants in the 60 km division got off 4 1/2 hours later from Koinobori Park, with both races finishing at Nakamura H.S.

Kawauchi, the younger brother of "civil servant runner" Yuki Kawauchi, ran Shimantogawa for the second time, improving dramatically on last year's run to win in 6:42:06. "Last time I was 21st, a total disaster," Kawauchi said afterward. "My brother told me, 'Don't overdo it on the uphills,' and his advie helped me get through it. The scenery around Iwama Chinkabashi was really beautiful."

Kanematsu began running with her husband around age 30 so that they could do marathons together. In her first time running Shimantogawa she took more than a minute off the course record with an outstanding winning time of 8:05:39. "I ran the pace I wanted to," she said of her race. "I enjoyed talking to the senior citizens sitting along the course to cheer us on and to the volunteers."