June 26, 2019 5,000m Time Trial
June 27, 2019
July 31, 2019 5,000m Time Trial
August 3, 2019
• Yuta Suda started June off with a good run on the 2nd at the Tokyo East Run 30K. He WON the race with a time of 1:46:35 (3:33/km).
• Our Namban ladies showed their power at the Bokka Ekiden at Mt. Tanzawa in Kanagawa pref. on the 2nd. This is a crazy race where you have to carry 10kg on your back up a mountain. The A team of Satohi Numasawa, Yuko Takamaki, Rieko Trees and Shinobu Shikauchi came in 2nd (!) beating the previous champions but losing to another team. The B team of Yukiko Kanazawa, Ayano Onodera, Rachel Blustein and Yoko Kubo came in 12th. Well done, ladies!
• On the 9th, Romaine Demare and Padraig MacColgain were up in Nagano for the Skyline Trail Sugadaira Marathon. Romaine ran the 48k race in 5:06, finishing 2nd overall, and Padraig ran the Half in 3:01:15, coming in 5th AG—19 minutes faster than last year and no falls!
• Annnd, Chika Kanai ran the Hidatakayama 100K Ultra in 10:07:41. Some elementary math tells me that’s about 6:00 per k, which is the same pace I did my 18k run today, after which I was happy to stop. She’s amazing!!! (Oh, and she walked for a few km!). Harrisson Uk also ran it (4th time), in a time of 9:25, which is great for an ordinary human but slow for him – he only had 6 weeks of training for it.
• Eric Lebrasseur was as at the Okumusashi Speed Trail Championship (42k), a small race with lots of foreigners, which he won! in 4:28:23. Luigi Mondino ran the 21.8km race and finished 3rd in 2:04:59.
• Emmanuel Obser went to the Otona no Time Trial at Oda Field on the 9th and came away with a new PB of 17:42 – congratulations!
• The Yaeyama Trail Race in Uenohara, Yamanashi was a very tough 38.55k course, steep and muddy, but Terry Minegishi managed to finish it in 6:38:50.
• On the 16th, there was a 100K/50K Ultra on Okinoshima (in the Sea of Japan off Shimane), which somehow drew 8 Nambanners. Sarah Martin 11:30:24 4th AG, Faith Geraghty 11:33:38, Yukari Oimatsu made it to 85K. Doing “only” the 50K were Alan Cannon 4:49:47 6th AG, Derek Leong 4:53:24 8th AG, Tony Collins 5:03:03 10th AG, Andrew Farmer 5:12:00 and Yuri Kambara 5:50:57 4th AG. Yuki Kawauchi greeted the runners at the start. Interestingly, 40s men and women are much faster than the 30s.
• On the 23rd, Yuta Suda placed 2nd in the Norikura Tenku Marathon, in a time of 2:55:55. It must have been a tough course! And Kota Torii ran the Suika (Watermelon) Road Race in Tomisato in Chiba. 10,000 runners came out for the watermelon (lots of watermelons!). Kota timed 42 mins., ok for a crowded race.
• Padraig MacColgain ran and climbed the 43.9k Inov Cup Utsukushigahara Trail race on the 29th, finishing in 5:57. Eric Lebrasseur did the 90K version.
• Kota Torii was in Gumma on the 30th for the Cabbage Marathon in Tsumagoi. Very steep course with heavy rain. He ran the Half in 1:54:40.
• 12 Nambanners gathered at Ajinomoto Stadium in Chofu for the MacDonald’s House charity relay race. Jon Kushner helped to organize the event, Glenn Rubin organized the Namban teams.
• We end the month in Germany, where Dennis Büchner ran the Hamburg Hella Halfmarathon (which was properly named, since it was hot as hell – 34°!) and finished 84th out of 5,000.
The weather is wet.
So it’s a very good bet
That hot it will get!
(Sorry, not my best effort. Although true…)
