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28-min and 13-min High Schoolers, a Masters National Record and More at Nittai Time Trials

by Brett Larner

Alongside the Ageo City Half Marathon it was a big weekend at the 212th Nittai University Time Trials, Nov. 20-21 in Yokohama. Among the highlights:
  • While 19 year-old Kenyan Bitan Karoki (Team S&B) added another sub-28 time in the 10000 m to his name with a 27:46.19 win, Jobu University senior Yusuke Hasegawa ran the fastest mark of the year by a Japanese university student, 28:07.47, to take 2nd in the A-heat. In the B-heat, Sendai Ikuei High School junior Yuma Hattori set the fastest time of the year by a Japanese high school student, 28:58.08. Three Josai University men broke 29 minutes for the first time; Josai head coach Seiji Kushibe, Jobu head coach Katsuhiko Hanada and Ageo winner Suguru Osako's coach at Waseda University, Yasuyuki Watanabe, were all teammates at Waseda during their student days.
  • Former 2:08 marathoner and national champion Team Nissin Shokuhin assistant coach Kenjiro Jitsui, 41, set a masters' 10000 m national record of 29:16.83 in the men's 10000 m B-heat.
  • In the men's 5000 m A-heat Kenyan newcomer Clement Langat (Team Subaru) continued to impress, winning in 13:37.55. Behind him Meisei High School's Kenta Murayama ran an excellent 13:49.45 for 2nd, while Ishikawa High School's Norihisa Imai and Sano Prep High School's Takuya Otani also broke 14, running 13:52.52 and 13:58.31 respectively.
  • Asagari San Junior High School's Ayaka Nakagawa ran the fastest junior high school girls' 3000 m of the year with a 9:22.54 in the women's 3000 m for 4th amongst a raft of top pro women.
  • Team Daihatsu's Remi Nakazato won the women's 5000 m in 15:38.50. Perpetual comeback hopeful and 10000 m junior national record holder Megumi Kinukawa (Team Mizuno) had another sad DNS.

Click here for complete results from the 212th Nittai University Time Trials.

(c) 2010 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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