2011 Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon Elite Field

by Brett Larner

Organizers of the 49th Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon have announced the elite field for the Feb. 13 race. A developmental race for up-and-coming marathoners and first-timers, Nobeoka serves the role of a step up to the next tier of the Japanese marathoning circuit.

Last year's 3rd-placer Takanori Ide (Team Kyudenko) heads the field, and with training partner Kazuhiro Maeda going for a World Championships spot a week before at the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon Ide has been doing the workouts necessary to win. His competition will include last year's 5th-place man Kenji Higashino (Team Asahi Kasei), Takayuki Ota (Team Fujitsu), and, looking to improve on his rare overseas debut at last fall's Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Minoru Okuda (Team Honda). Among the debutants Okuda's teammate Seigo Ikegami (Team Honda) is the most likely to have a strong showing, but 1:02 half marathoners Yusuke Ichinoi (Team Nishitetsu) and Takaharu Miyazaki (Team Sumco) should also be near the forefront.

2011 Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon Elite Field
click here for complete field listing with photos
Takanori Ide (Team Kyudenko) - 2:14:11 (Nobeoka 2010)
Takayuki Ota (Team Fujitsu) - 2:15:23 (Fukuoka 2009)
Taiga Ito (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 2:15:42 (Hofu 2010)
Kenji Higashino (Team Asahi Kasei) - 2:15:42 (Nobeoka 2010)
Katsuhiro Katagai (Team Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki) - 2:15:47 (Nobeoka 2008)
Minoru Okuda (Team Honda) - 2:18:52 (Toronto Waterfront 2010)
Takumi Owada (Team Hitachi Cable) - 2:22:02 (Tokyo 2010)
Michinori Takano (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 2:24:27 (Senshu 2010)
Naoki Yamashita (Team NTN) - 2:25:43 (Nobeoka 2010)
Yusuke Ichinoi (Team Nishitetsu) - debut - 1:02:44 (Ageo Half 2005)
Takaharu Miyazaki (Team Sumco) - debut - 1:02:50 (Marugame Half 2009)
Seigo Ikegami (Team Honda) - debut - 1:03:00 (Kyoto Half 2002)
Kenji Sakata (Team Kurosaki Harima) - debut - 1:03:09 (Jitsugyodan 2005)
Takahiro Inoue (Team Komori Corp.) - debut - 1:03:39 (Inuyama 2007)
Bunta Kuroki (Team Yasukawa Denki) - debut - 1:03:57 (Jitsugyodan 2009)
Mahoro Ikeda (Team Aichi Seiko) - debut - 1:04:12 (Nagoya 2010)

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
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