Tanui and Obare Win National Corporate 10000 m Titles – by Brett Larner – Japan Running News

The 61st National Corporate Track and Field Championships got underway the evening of Sept. 20 in Kumagaya, Saitama with five rounds of 10000 m.  

Moscow World Championships 10000 m bronze medalist Paul Tanui (Team Kyudenko) outran fellow Japan-based Kenyan Edward Waweru (Team NTN) for the A-heat win in 27:26.43 to 27:30.51, pushing the pace relentlessly to make it a two-man race before kicking away over the final lap.  Ethiopian Mulaku Abera (Team Kurosaki Harima) went sub-28 for the first time, running a solo 27:54.74 for 3rd.  

2012 national corporate half marathon champion Chihiro Miyawaki (Team Toyota), relatively flat this year since a strong 30 km debut in February, was the top Japanese finisher, 4th inonly 28:06.52.

In the women's A-heat, longtime Japan resident Doricah Obare (Team Hitachi) got the better of Moscow 7th-place finisher Sally Chepyego (Team Kyudenko), pulling away to win in 32:02.78 over the last km.  Chepyego in turn barely held off the charging Sayuri Oka (Team Daihatsu), a training partner of Moscow marathon 4th-placer Ryoko Kizaki. Oka ran in the chase pack behind the two leading Kenyans until making a move late in the race, closing to even with Chepyego but finishing a step behind as Chepyego took 2nd in 32:06.14 to Oka's new PB 32:06.79.

The men's B and C heats were steady and relatively uneventful, former Meiji University captain Masato Kikuchi (Team Konica Minolta) running a one-second PB of 28:42.61 to win the B-heat and steepler Ryosuke Maki (Team Osaka Gas) a surprise win in the C-heat in 29:03.58.

The women's B-heat may have been the most interesting race of the evening, with the top four all running large PBs and 5th just off hers.  Running just five days after a solid 1:10:44 half marathon debut at England's Great North Run, Misaki Kato (Team Kyudenko) did most of the work in ensuring that the race stayed on track for a sub-33 time.  19-year-old Katsuki Suga, like Moscow 10000 m 5th-place Hitomi Niiya (Team Univ. Ent.) a star of ekiden powerhouse Kojokan H.S. who went on to Team Toyota Jidoshokki post-graduation, sat behind Kato until late in the race before surging away to win in a best of well over 30 seconds 32:42.96.  Just behind her, Kato likewise took nearly 30 seconds off her best for 2nd in 32:44.13.  Misato Tanaka (Team Sysmex), a teammate of marathon national record holder Mizuki Noguchi, rounded out the top three with a best of 32:45.67.

The National Corporate Track and Field Championships continue throughout the weekend.

61st National Corporate Track and Field Championships
Kumagaya Sports Park Field, Kumagaya, Saitama, 9/20~22/13
click here for complete results

Men's 10000 m Heat Three
1. Paul Tanui (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) – 27:26.43
2. Edward Waweru (Kenya/NTN) – 27:30.51
3. Mulaku Abera (Ethiopia/Team Kurosaki Harima) – 27:54.74 – PB
4. Chihiro Miyawaki (Team Toyota) – 28:06.52
5. Agato Yashin Hasen (Ethiopia/Team Chuo Hatsujo) – 28:23.67
6. Tomoya Onishi (Team Asahi Kasei) – 28:23.95
7. Patrick Mutunga (Kenya/Team Toyota Boshoku) – 28:28.72
8. Yuya Konishi (Team Toyota Kyushu) – 28:31.23
9. Benjamin Ngandu (Kenya/Team Monteroza) – 28:43.68
10. Ryuji Kashiwabara (Team Fujitsu) – 28:46.73

Women's 10000 m Heat Two
1. Doricah Obare (Kenya/Team Hitachi) – 32:02.78
2. Sally Chepyego (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) – 32:06.14
3. Sayuri Oka (Team Daihatsu) – 32:06.79 – PB
4. Mai Ito (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) – 32:09.16
5. Ayumi Hagiwara (Team Uniqlo) – 32:09.80
6. Risa Takenaka (Team Shiseido) – 32:10.66 – PB
7. Yuko Mizuguchi (Team Denso) – 32:11.82
8. Yurie Doi (Team Starts) – 32:16.05 – PB
9. Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki) – 32:24:42
10. Ayumi Sakaida (Team Daihatsu) – 32:24.85 – PB

Men's 10000 m Heat Two
1. Masato Kikuchi (Team Konica Minolta) – 28:42.61 – PB
2. Yuji Osuda (Team Mazda) – 28:54.84
3. Keita Baba (Team Honda) – 28:55.28
4. Shota Hiraga (Team Fujitsu) – 28:57.52
5. Takuya Noguchi (Team Konica Minolta) – 28:59.80

Women's 10000 m Heat One
1. Katsuki Suga (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) – 32:42.96 – PB
2. Misaki Kato (Team Kyudenko) – 32:44.13 – PB
3. Misato Tanaka (Team Sysmex) – 32:45.67 – PB
4. Kotomi Takayama (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) – 32:49.12 – PB
5. Yukari Abe (Team Shimamura) – 32:52.93

Men's 10000 m Heat One
1. Ryosuke Maki (Team Osaka Gas) – 29:03.58
2. Kazuyoshi Shimozato (Team Komori Corp.) – 29:13.87
3. Yuji Sasanuma (Team NTN) – 29:16.51
4. Takuya Suzuki (Team Aisan Kogyo) – 29:29.63
5. Yuki Moriwaki (Team JFE Steel) – 29:32.63

(c) 2013 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

by Brett Larner – Japan Running News