Kenya 2:03:59 CR at International Chiba Ekiden

Published by Japan Running News on November 23, 2013

The 2013 International Chiba Ekiden lived up to expectations with a dynamic race that saw two-time defending champion Kenya make it three in a row in a course record 2:03:59 for the six-stage, 42.195 km course with a team made up of three men and three women. Kenya led wire to wire, but despite a couple of scares from 2012 runner-up Japan mid-race, Kenya managed to build a lead of over three minutes on the final two stages to seal the record-setting win.  Japan again took the silver spot in 2:07:13, with last year's 4th-placer Russia moving up to 3rd just a few meters back in 2:07:22.  The 2012 bronze medalU.S.A. team spent much of the race in the back half of the field, advancing to 5th on the anchor stage but outrun by 28 seconds by a team made up of the world's best collegiate distance runners, the Japanese University Select Team, 4th in 2:08:03.

2010 World XC champion Joseph Ebuya (Kenya) led the 5.0 km men's First Stage off a slow first lap of the track, accompanied on either shoulder by Japan's top two collegiate runners, Komazawa University's Kenta Murayama (Univ. Select Team) and Waseda University's Suguru Osako (Japan). A mid-stage change of gear dropped Osako, and when Murayama ran into trouble late in the leg Ebuya pulled away to take the stage best in 13:31.  Murayama was run down by perpetual Chiba First Stage top three man Egor Nikolaev (Russia) but came back with his characteristic last kick to take second on the stage in 13:40 by a stride over Nikolaev.

Kenya's Caroline Nyakagwa started the 5.0 km Second Stage strong, but behind her 2013 World University Games 10000 m gold medalist Ayuko Suzuki gave the kind of run that showed why she is the world's #1 collegiate long distance woman, running Nyakagwa down and pulling up to her shoulder.  Nyakagwa responded and turned on a long surge to reopen Kenya's lead to six seconds, but Suzuki, a student at Nagoya University, took the fastest time on the stage from her by three seconds in 15:31.  The surprise of the stage came a ways back as unheralded Moeno Nakamura (Chiba Pref.) ran 15:36, the third-best time on the stage, to advance Chiba to 3rd overall.  Japan's Risa Kikuchi faltered, dropping to 5th behind the strong Canada team.