Kawauchi, Kizaki 5000 m PBs at Nittai Time Trials

by Brett Larner

The first full day of fall temperatures brought fast times in the 35 heats of 5000 m on the second day of the 218th Nittai University Time Trials meet in Yokohama. In the men's A-heat, junior Wataru Ueno (Komazawa University) aggressively frontran his way to the win in 13:46.79 to lead five Komazawa men under 14 minutes. 3rd-placer Masato Kikuchi (Meiji Univ.) likewise led four Meiji runners under 14 including Daiki Hirose's mark from heat 34. With Meiji's Tetsuya Yoroizaka having run 27:44.30 and Komazawa's Ikuto Yufu and Hiromitsu Kakuage 28:02.46 and 28:03.27 this season both schools look set to make a dent in Hakone Ekiden rivals Waseda University and Toyo University.

2010 Tokyo Marathon winner Masakazu Fujiwara (Team Honda) was the top corporate runner, 4th in 13:52.23 after abandoning plans to run the Berlin Marathon. The big news for many fans came far down the field, where marathoner Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref.) ran 13:59.38 to break his PB by 0.35 seconds three weeks after running the Daegu World Championships marathon and just a day after crashing and burning in the Nittai 10000 m A-heat. The PB was Kawauchi's first since his breakthrough 2:08:37 run at February's Tokyo Marathon, no doubt an important psychological hurdle to have cleared. Kawauchi is scheduled to run next month's inaugural Osaka Marathon.

The women's A-heat was also fast, with virtually the entire top ten running PBs. 2010 National Corporate 10000 m champion Ryoko Kizaki (Team Daihatsu) won in a quick 15:22.87, breaking her PB by 13 seconds in her first solid performance since struggling at January's Osaka International Women's Marathon. Over 100 m back, Rie Mizutake (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) narrowly held off high schoolers Yume Tanaka (Yamanashi Gakuin Prep. H.S.) and Miki Sakakibara (Hamakita Nishi H.S.), all three running 15:45. Like Komazawa and Meiji in the men's race, Meijo University had a solid pack showing with four women under 16 minutes, a result which should have them in a good position against titans Bukkyo University and Ritsumeikan University at next month's National University Women's Ekiden Championships.

218th Nittai University Time Trials 5000 m
Yokohama, 9/25/11
click here for complete results

Men's Heat 35
1. Wataru Ueno (Komazawa Univ.) - 13:46.79
2. Ikuto Yufu (Komazawa Univ.) - 13:49.67
3. Masato Kikuchi (Meiji Univ.) - 13:50.71
4. Masakazu Fujiwara (Team Honda) - 13:52.23
5. Norikazu Kato (Team Yakult) - 13:52.51
6. Tomohiro Nakagawa (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 13:52.78
7. Kei Fumimoto (Meiji Univ.) - 13:53.47
8. Yoshiyuki Oseki (Team Subaru) - 13:54.01
9. Kazuhiro Kuga (Komazawa Univ.) - 13:54.49
10. Keigo Yano (Nittai Univ.) - 13:54.54
-----
11. Shogo Nakamura (Komazawa Univ.) - 13:55.09
14. Shuho Dairokuno (Meiji Univ.) - 13:57.46
16. Shota Inoue (Komazawa Univ.) - 13:58.53
17. Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref.) - 13:59.38

Women's Heat 32
1. Ryoko Kizaki (Team Daihatsu) - 15:22.87
2. Rie Mizutake (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 15:45.08
3. Yume Tanaka (Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S.) - 15:45.17
4. Miki Sakakibara (Hamakita Nishi H.S.) - 15:45.85
5. Ayano Takagi (Meijo Univ.) - 15:47.55
6. Rina Yonetsu (Meijo Univ.) - 15:50.87
7. Sayo Nomura (Meijo Univ.) - 15:54.01
8. Mika Tanimizu (Meijo Univ.) - 15:54.56
9. Eri Sato (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 15:54.80
10. Rina Yamazaki (Team Panasonic) - 15:55.78

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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