Kenyan Edwin Rotich and 2016 Olympic marathon silver medallist Eunice Kirwa lead their respective fields at the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Sunday (30).
<h3>Sub-60 the goal in the men&rsquo;s contest</h3>
Rotich ran his personal best of 59:32 in Valencia in October last year, and hasn&rsquo;t competed in a half marathon since. However, the Kenyan showed good form when finishing in 46:46 at the Cherry Blossom 10 Miles in Washington DC earlier this month. He will start as one of the favourites in Istanbul in a field that includes six men who have broken the event&rsquo;s one-hour barrier.
Evans Kiplagat of Azerbaijan returns to run the city&rsquo;s major half marathon for the third year in a row. His winning time of 1:00:13 from 2015 stands as the race record, though it is 17 seconds shy of his career best.
Adugna Takele, the fastest Ethiopian over the distance in 2016 with 59:40, is another outstanding name in the field. The 28-year-old crossed the finish line in 1:01:14 at the RAK Half Marathon in Ras al-Khaimah in February.
There were to be two more fast Ethiopians on the starting line, however, both Tamirat Tola and Guye Adola withdrew from the race due to injury and illness respectively.
Other leading names include Kenya&rsquo;s Vincent Kipsegechi Yator, who has a best of 59:55 from 2015, and Morocco&rsquo;s national record holder Aziz Lahbabi with 59:25.
Peter Kwemoi Ndorobo is not to be written off in the battle for victory on Sunday. The Kenyan ran exactly the same time in Ostia in 2016 and 2017, 1:00:13, which stands as his best.
Also lining up will be Tanzania&rsquo;s Ismail Juma, who was ninth in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships Guiyang 2015.
<h3>Kirwa vs Degefa - women&rsquo;s race</h3>
The women&rsquo;s race will host Kirwa, the Rio 2016 Olympic marathon silver medallist, who also took bronze in the event at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015. The 32-year-old Bahraini clocked 1:08:07 in Marugame in February, her only half marathon this year.
However, the fastest woman on paper is Worknesh Degefa of Ethiopia. The 27-year-old finished in a time of 1:06:14 in Prague last year to become the world all-time number 10 over the distance.
Kenya&rsquo;s Ruth Chepngetich has been a fast improver this year. Starting the year with 1:09:06 in Adana, she shaved off nearly a minute from that time to win in 1:08:08 in Paris in early March, following with an impressive 1:07:42 in Milan, another victory within the same month. The next target for Chepngetich would the fourth win of the year with another improvement.
Hiwot Gebrekidan will also be setting her sights on a podium finish after she won her first ever half marathon, clocking 1:08:00 in Copenhagen last September. The Ethiopian, who will celebrate her 22nd birthday two weeks after her second race over the distance, is one of the youngest elite women to run in Istanbul on Sunday.
<h3>&Ouml;zbilen and Aydemir carry local hopes</h3>
After the withdrawal of the multiple European medallist Ali Kaya, Kaan Kigen Ozbilen will carry Turkish hopes on Sunday. As &Ouml;zbilen returns to action following an injury, he may not be in the same form that propelled him to a 59:58 performance in 2011, but he is among the athletes to watch for the home crowd.&nbsp;
In the Turkish women&rsquo;s pack, a special mention goes to Esma Aydemir who placed fifth at last year&rsquo;s European Athletics Championships with a career best time of 1:11:49. The 25-year-old was also crowned the European 10,000m Cup winner in 2016. Then there is two-time Olympian Ozlem Kaya, European bronze medallist in the 3000m steeplechase, who will be attempting to run a fast time in the half marathon.
Although the forecast calls for unseasonably warm conditions, around 19 degrees at the start, organisers expect a sub-60-minute performance on the fast course, which would be the Turkish all-comers&rsquo; record.
The elite athletes will start at 08:45 local time this year with the mass race to follow 15 minutes later. The event also incorporates a 10k race.
Organisers for the IAAF

Kenyan Edwin Rotich and 2016 Olympic marathon silver medallist Eunice Kirwa lead their respective fields at the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Sunday (30).

Rotich and Kirwa the favourites at Istanbul Half Marathon

Olympic marathon silver medallist Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa and 10,000m bronze medallist Tamirat Tola will be among the elite runners on the start line of the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on 30 April.
Kirwa clocked 1:08:07 in Marugame at her only half marathon this year, just one second slower than her career best that she ran in the same race a year ago. The Bahraini went on to take the silver in Rio last year, an improvement on her bronze medal at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015. The 32-year-old proved her good form this season with her marathon lifetime best of 2:21:17 in Nagoya three weeks ago.
Tola will be one of the favourites in the men&rsquo;s race in the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon. The Ethiopian made a great start to 2017 with his win at the Dubai Marathon, running an outstanding 2:04:11. His winning time of 59:37 in Prague this past weekend further excites the organisers who expect a sub-60-minute performance on Istanbul&rsquo;s fast course, which would also be a Turkish all-comers&rsquo; record.
The winners will pocket prize money of US$10,000 in Istanbul. Last year&rsquo;s races were won in 1:00:16 and 1:08:18.
Organisers for the IAAF

Olympic marathon silver medallist Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa and 10,000m bronze medallist Tamirat Tola will be among the elite runners on the start line of the Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on 30 April.

Olympic medallists Kirwa and Tola to run in Istanbul

Pulling away from Yuka Ando after 33km, Olympic silver medallist Eunice Kirwa won the Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon on Sunday (12) for the third straight year, becoming the first three-time winner of the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.
Kirwa, who fell at the start of the race, won in 2:21:17 to break her own 2:22:08 course record from 2015. Her time is also a personal best and a Bahraini record.
&ldquo;I am very happy to win three in a row, despite falling at the start,&rdquo; said Kirwa. &ldquo;I was bit worried immediately after the fall. The pace makers did a good job of keeping up the pace and it was good that the pace did not slacken after they are gone.&rdquo;
Yuka Ando, a marathon debutante who was 10th at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships Cardiff 2016, finished second in 2:21:36, the fastest marathon debut by a Japanese runner and good enough for fourth on the Japanese all-time list behind Mizuki Noguchi, Yoko Shibui and Naoko Takahashi.
As her time was faster than the 2:22:30 target set by the Japanese federation, Ando clinched a spot on the team for the IAAF World Championships London 2017. &ldquo;Since it was my first marathon, I was planning to run an aggressive race,&rdquo; said Ando. &ldquo;In order to challenge the Olympic silver medallist, I knew I need to stay with her. I told myself that if I cannot stay with Kirwa I cannot be world class, but at the end I could not keep up with her. My weakness has shown at the end.&rdquo;
Competing in her second marathon, Mao Kiyota improved her PB by almost a minute to finish third in 2:23:47. As her time is faster than the top Japanese finishers at the Osaka and Saitama marathons, she may have a chance of making the team for the World Championships. Sayaka Kuwahara finished fourth while Hisami Ishii, another marathon debutante, finished fifth in 2:27:35.
Pace makers Visiline Jepkesho and Eunice Chumba were instructed to reach the half-way mark in about 1:11 while the third pace maker&rsquo;s target was 1:12. Kirwa took a tumble just after the start, but apparently came out unscathed. The first kilometre was covered in 3:22 and by three kilometres, reached in 10:11, the lead pack was split into two groups with Kirwa, Ando, Kiyota and Ishii all in the first group.
The first 5km was reached in 16:51 and when the ninth kilometre was covered in 3:08, Kiyota and Ishii started to drift behind Ando and Kirwa. After passing 10km in 33:14, Kiyota bridged the gap and caught up with the leaders, but after passing 15km in 50:05, Kiyota fell behind again. She caught up to Kirwa and Ando once more, but soon fell behind them for good.
The leaders went through the half marathon point in 1:10:21, faster than scheduled time of 1:11, and both pace makers dropped out, leaving Kirwa and Ando to duel it out for the rest of the race. Naturally the pace slowed after the pace makers left the race. The 22nd kilometre took 3:30 and the 5km segment between 20 and 25 kilometres took 17:02, the slowest of the race.
The duel between Ando and Kirwa continued. Kirwa tried to shake Ando after 27km, and again after 31km, but both times Ando covered Kirwa&rsquo;s move. Kirwa then tried again at 33km and continued to push the pace through the steepest uphill portion of the race which starts after 34km, and Ando had to let Kirwa go. Running alone, Kirwa covered the uphill kilometre in 3:15 and by 40km, reached in 2:13:57, Kirwa led Ando by 18 seconds.
Kirwa went on to cross the finish line in 2:21:17, the second-fastest time in the world this year. In second place, Ando&rsquo;s 2:21:36 was the fastest time by a Japanese runner since 2005.
Italy&rsquo;s 2013 world silver medallist Valeria Straneo did not start the race, while both Monica Jepoech and Reia Iwade dropped out of the race after 15km.
This year&rsquo;s Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon had 137 elite runners and 21,564 non-elite runners.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
1 Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa (BRN) 2:21:17 2 Yuka Ando (JPN) 2:21:36 3 Mao Kiyota (JPN) 2:23:47 4 Sayaka Kuwahara (JPN) 2:26:09 5 Hisami Ishii (JPN) 2:27:35 6 Miharu Shimokado (JPN) 2:27:54 7 Kaori Yoshida (JPN) 2:28:24 8 Ai Utsunomiya (JPN) 2:28:52 9 Shiho Takechi (JPN) 2:30:10 10 Sinead Diver (AUS) 2:31:37

Pulling away from Yuka Ando after 33km, Olympic silver medallist Eunice Kirwa won the Nagoya Women’s Marathon on Sunday (12) for the third straight year, becoming the first three-time winner of the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.

Third win in a row for Kirwa and fast debut for Ando in Nagoya

Eunice Kirwa will be gunning for an unprecedented third straight victory at the Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Sunday (12).
Of the top seven finishers from the last year&rsquo;s event, five will return to run this year&rsquo;s race. Only Tomomi Tanaka and Rei Ohara who finished second and third last year are missing from this year&rsquo;s start line. Ohara was originally entered, but pulled out recently due to a stress fracture in her left foot.
But it&rsquo;s Kirwa, a two-time Nagoya winner, who will start as the prohibitive favorite. If she wins Kirwa will be the first three-time winner of this event, breaking her tie with China&rsquo;s Zhao Youfeng, the 1988 and 1989 winner, and Naoko Takahashi, who won in 1998 and 2000. &nbsp;
Kirwa, the the 2014 Asian Games champion, 2015 World Championships bronze medallist and 2016 Olympic Game silver medallist, has never lost a race in Japan. In addition to her Nagoya titles, she also won the last two Marugame Half Marathons and the last two Gifu Seiryu Half Marathons. Kirwa has a personal best is 2:21:41 recorded in the 2012 Amsterdam Marathon and holds the Nagoya record with 2:22:08.
The next fastest runner in the field is 40-year-old Valeria Straneo who is a superb championships marathon runner. Second in both the 2013 World Championships and 2014 European Championships, she was also eighth at both the 2012 Olympic Games and World Half Marathon Championships in 2014 and more recently, 13th at the Rio Olympic Games. After making her debut over the distance in Carpi in 2009, she&rsquo;s cracked the 2:30 barrier in each of her races since the 2011 Berlin Marathon, except for the 2016 Wurzburg marathon. The fastest marathon by a 40-year-old is 2:26:41 by Irina Mikitenko. Can Straneo challenge the mark?&nbsp;
Other invited runners from abroad include Ethiopian Fatuma Sado who has a best of 2:24:16, Spaniard Alesandra Aguilar with a 2:27:00 best, Kenyan Monica Jepkoech with a best of 2:27:26 and Janet Cherobon-Bawcom of the US who&rsquo;s clocked 2:29:45.
Sado produced her best in the 2015 Toronto Marathon, but in her last two marathons failed to break 2:37. Aguilar recorded her best in the 2011 Rotterdam Marathon, but her last sub-2:30 effort came in at 2015 London Marathon. On the other hand Jepkoech, who recorded her best at the 2015 Toronto Marathon, was third in the 2016 Saitama Marathon with 2:28:56, and thus may be in the best form among the second group of challengers.
<h3>In final London 2017 qualification race, fierce domestic battle on tap</h3>
For domestic runners, Sunday&rsquo;s race is the final qualifying contest for the Japanese squad for the IAAF World Championships London 2017. The race is expected to be fierce.
The main protagonists are Mao Kiyota, Reia Iwade, Sayaka Kuwaraha and Shiho Takechi, who finished fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively in Nagoya last year.&nbsp;
Kiyota, whose 2:24:32 outing in Nagoya last year was the fifth fastest marathon debut by a Japanese, may be ready be ready to challenge for the top spot on the podium on Sunday after showing good form in recent races. She recorded the fastest stage in November&rsquo;s East Japan Women&rsquo;s Ekiden and then recorded third fastest stage in January&rsquo;s Inter-Prefectural Women&rsquo;s Ekiden. She told Tokai TV that her goal is 2:22:30 and to finish as the top Japanese.
Iwade was third in her marathon debut, clocking 2:27:21 at the 2014 Yokohama Women&rsquo;s Marathon, the fastest performance by a Japanese teenager (not a U20 record, as she was born in December) at the time.&nbsp; She recorded her current personal best of 2:24:38 in Nagoya last year and then finished fourth in Berlin Marathon with 2:28:16. But she hasn&rsquo;t shown good form in her recent races. She was 14th with 1:13:24 in the Sanyo half marathon in December and then was only 38th in the 2017 Inter-Prefectural Women&rsquo;s Ekiden.&nbsp;
Asami Kato, who has run four marathons, has a 2:26:30 best from Rotterdam in 2015. She was only 11th in Nagoya last year after being hit by injury one week before the race. Most recently, she finished third in January&rsquo;s Osaka Women&rsquo;s Half Marathon with 1:11:39.&nbsp;
This year&rsquo;s most anticipated debutante is Hisami Ishii. Last year she recorded bests of 15:29.12 in the 5000m, 31:48.24 in the 10,000m and 1:10:25 in the half marathon. Her goal for Sunday is to run 2:22 with a long-term goal to medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Although not among the invited runners, Ai Utsunomiya also has a shot at making the team by finishing as the first Japanese. The 22-year-old won a half marathon on 12 February clocking 1:10:47 and then won a 30km road race a week later. She is in good shape.&nbsp;
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
<div>Invited Runners -</div>
<div>Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa (BRN), 2:21:41</div>
<div>Valeria Straneo (ITA), 2:23:44</div>
<div>Fatuma Sado (ETH), 2:24:18</div>
<div>Alesandra Aguilar (ESP), 2:27:00</div>
<div>Monica Jepkoech (KEN), 2:27:26</div>
<div>Janet Cherobon-Bawcom (USA), 2:29:45</div>
<div>Cassie Fien (AUS), 2:33:01</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Japanese -</div>
<div>Mao Kiyota, 2:24:32</div>
<div>Reia Iwade, 2:24:38</div>
<div>Sayaka Kuwahara, 2:25:09</div>
<div>Shiho Takechi, 2:25:29</div>
<div>Asami Kato, 2:26:30</div>
<div>Hisami Ishii, Debut</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Pace makers -</div>
<div>Visiline Jepkesho (KEN)</div>
<div>Camile Buscomb (NZL)</div>
<div>Eunice Chebichi Chumba (BRN)</div>

Eunice Kirwa will be gunning for an unprecedented third straight victory at the Nagoya Women’s Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Sunday (12).


Kirwa targeting three-peat at Nagoya Women’s Marathon

Eunice Kirwa of Bahrain and Callum Hawkins of Great Britain notched convincing victories at the 71st edition of the Kagawa-Marugame Half Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, on Sunday (5).
Kirwa, the pre-race favourite, clocked 1:08:07 to win by 20 seconds while Hawkins clocked 1:00:00 to win by nearly a minute.
<h3>Kirwa successfully defends</h3>
With Shalane Flanagan&rsquo;s late hour withdrawal, Olympic silver medallist and defending champion Kirwa started as the overwhelming favourite. She pushed the pace aggressively from the start, opening with a 15:35 first five-kilometre split, three seconds faster than Florence Kiplagat&rsquo;s opening stretch in her 1:05:09 world record run, to build a 30-second lead over Amy Cragg of the US, who was running a distant second.
But she didn&rsquo;t maintain that pace very long, nor did she have to. She reached the 10-kilometre mark in 31:37, 44 seconds ahead of Cragg. She slowed further, taking 16:21 between kilometres 10 and 15, at which point Cragg began to slightly chip away at the lead, cutting the margin to 32 seconds at 15 kilometres and to 26 at 20.
But Kirwa was never threatened in her pursuit to follow 2012 Olympic marathon champion Tiki Gelana, who won in Marugame in 2012 and 2013, as a back-to-back winner. Kirwa's 1:08:07 performance was just one second slower than her winning run last year, and the third fastest in 2017.
Kirwa will return to Japan to run the Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon in March where she&rsquo;ll be targeting a third successive victory.
Cragg finished second in 1:08:27, lopping 1:23 from her previous lifetime best. Riko Matsuzaki was a distant third, clocking 1:11:04.
<h3>Hawkins threatens one-hour barrier</h3>
Hawkins was even more dominant in the men&rsquo;s race but, unlike Kirwa, chose to begin in a much more cautious fashion.
Abraham Kipyatich led a large group through the first five kilometres in 14:20 and through 10 in 28:28. The pack included Hawkins, Ethiopian Atsedu Tsegaye, Joel Mwaura and the Japanese trio of Daichi Kamino, Suguru Osako, and Yuta Shitara &ndash; national 10,000m record-holder Kota Murayama fell back early&nbsp;&ndash; who were mounting an assault on the 1:00:25 national record. Of the latter three, Shitara was the first to fall back a few kilometres later.
At about 13 kilometres, the pack began to break up, with Hawkins and Kipyatich taking to the front. Hawkins made his move soon after the pair reached 15 kilometres in 42:37, and began to pull away for good. By 20 kilometres he was more than 50 seconds ahead of Kipyatich who in turn had a gap of a few seconds on the chase pack that included Tsegaye, Kamino and Mwaura, a Kenyan attending high school in Japan.
The 24-year-old Briton stopped the clock at 60 minutes even, just missing out on becoming the fourth runner to crack the one-hour barrier in this race after Mekubo Mogusu, Paul Kuira and Zane Robertson. His performance elevated him to second on the UK all-time list behind Mo Farah.
"I am happy with my time, but at the same time I am disappointed because I came so close to breaking 60 minutes," said Hawkins, who was ninth in the Olympic marathon last August.
Tsegaye made up ground in the waning stages to finish second in 1:00:58, his best performance since 2013, with Mwaura third in 1:00:59. Kipyatich finished fourth in 1:01:00.&nbsp;
In the race for Japanese top honours, Osako was the first to make a move. Kamino covered it and answered with one of his own to pull away and eventually finish fifth in 1:01:04 but more than 30 seconds shy of the national record. Osako was next across the line in 1:01:13. Both were personal bests.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Callum Hawkins (GBR) 1:00:00 (14:21, 28:28 (14:07), 42:37 (14:09), 56:55 (14:18)) 2 Atsedu Tsegaye (ETH) 1:00:58 3 Joel Mwaura (KEN) 1:00:59 4 Abraham Kipyatich (KEN) 1:01:00 5 Daichi Kamino (JPN) 1:01:04 6 Suguru Osako (JPN) 1:01:13 7 Yuta Shitara (JPN) 1:01:19 8 Kenneth Kipkemoi (KEN) 1:01:27 9 Kazuki Tamura (JPN) 1:01:56 10 Jonathan Ndiku (KEN) 1:02:07
Women 1 Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa (BRN) 1:08:07 (15:35, 31:37 (16:02), 47:58 (16:21), 64:34 (16:36)) 2 Amy Cragg (USA) 1:08:27 3 Riko Matsuzaki (JPN) 1:11:04 4 Miho Shimizu (JPN) 1:11:07 5 Chikako Mori (JPN) 1:11:40 6 Eri Hayakawa (JPN) 1:11:43 7 Eloise Wellings (AUS) 1:12:30

Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa of Bahrain and Callum Hawkins of Great Britain notched convincing victories at the 71st edition of the Kagawa-Marugame Half Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, on Sunday (5). Kirwa, the pre-race favourite, clocked 1:08:07 to win by 20 seconds while Hawkins clocked 1:00:00 to win by nearly a minute.

Kirwa and Hawkins win convincingly in Marugame

Defending Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon champion and Olympic marathon silver medallist Eunice Jepkirui will take on USA&rsquo;s 2008 Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Shalane Flanagan at the IAAF Silver Label Road Race on Sunday (5).
Kirwa is one of the best marathon runners in the world. Before taking the Olympic silver medal in Rio last year, the Bahraini earned bronze at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 and gold at the 2014 Asian Games.
But she is also a superb half marathon runner. She has won her past five outings over the distance, including last year&rsquo;s Marugame Half Marathon and the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon, and has only one finished outside the top two in all 20 of her half marathons to date.
Flanagan will be Kirwa&rsquo;s main competition in Marugame this weekend. The 35-year-old finished ninth in the marathon at the 2012 Olympics and sixth in Rio last year. Flanagan&rsquo;s half marathon PB of 1:07:51 is 15 seconds faster than Kirwa&rsquo;s, but the latter may cope better in the heat.
Eloise Wellings was third in Marugame last year, setting a personal best of 1:09:29. The Australian, who set a 10,000m PB of 31:14.94 to finish 10th in last year&rsquo;s Olympic final, will be looking to rebound from two recent disappointing showings, having finished fourth over 10,000m in Melbourne followed by a DNF at the Okayama Half Marathon.
USA&rsquo;s Amy Cragg, who finished just three places behind Flanagan in the marathon at the Olympic Games last year, is also in the field. After beating Flanagan in the Olympic Trials marathon last year, Cragg went on to set PBs of 31:31 for 10km and 1:09:50 for the half marathon.
Reia Iwade is the fastest of the Japanese entrants, but Riko Matsuzaki, who has faster track PBs than Iwade, looks set for a strong half-marathon debut.
<h3>Kipkemoi faces returning Tsegay</h3>
He is among the top 15 men of all time at the distance, but Kenneth Kipkemoi is yet to win a half marathon.
The Kenyan has a best of 59:01 and has five other sub-60-minute performances to his name. He is also the 2012 African 10,000m champion and has a PB of 26:52.65 at that distance. Now, in his first race in Japan, Kipkemoi will be seeking his first half marathon victory.
With a best of 58:47, Atsedu Tsegay is the fastest man on the entry list. But the Ethiopian record-holder hasn&rsquo;t raced since his 1:02:39 clocking in Lisbon in October 2015, so there is something of a question mark over his form going into this weekend&rsquo;s race.
If Tsegay isn&rsquo;t near his best, Kipkemoi&rsquo;s toughest competition could come from compatriots Abraham Kipyatich and Bernard Kimani. Both will be keen to finish within 60 minutes, having come close to that barrier in recent years with respective PBs of 1:00:03 and 1:00:05.
Britain&rsquo;s Callum Hawkins also won&rsquo;t be short of motivation. He won the Great Scottish Run in October in 1:00:24 but he only recently discovered that the time won&rsquo;t count as a PB as the course was 150 metres short. Having finished third at the European Cross Country Championships in December and second at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country in January, the 24-year-old is clearly in the form of his life.
Dominic Nyairo and Fabiano Sulle, second and fourth respectively at last year&rsquo;s Marugame Half Marathon, will return for this year&rsquo;s race with the aim of improving on their performance from 12 months ago.
Among the 25 invited domestic runners, six stand out: national 5000m record-holder Suguru Osako, national 10,000m record-holder Kota Murayama, Chihiro Miyawaki, Kenta Murayama, Keita Shitara, and Daichi Kamino. All six men are 25 years old or younger and are considered genuine hopes for the 2020 Olympic Games.
Osako set the national 5000m record of 13:08.40 in 2015 and finished 17th in the 10,000m at last year&rsquo;s Olympic Games. His last half marathon was back in 2010 when he set a national U20 record of 1:01:47. Since then, he has improved his PBs at all other distances, so it would be fair to expect him to set another PB on Sunday.
Murayama, who set the national 10,000m record of 27:29.69 in 2015, finished second at the 2014 Marugame Half Marathon with 1:00:50.
Miyawaki, Shitara and Kamino all boast PBs that suggest they could challenge for a top-five finish, while Japanese fans will be hoping that at least one of them makes a big breakthrough on Sunday.
The Japanese half marathon record of 1:00:25 has stood to Atsushi Sato for nearly 10 years. It has withstood several challenges in recent years &ndash; including Masato Kikuchi&rsquo;s 60:32 in 2015 &ndash; but an improvement on the record is long overdue.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
<h3>Elite fields</h3>
Men Atsedu Tsegay (ETH) 58:47 Kenneth Kipkemoi (KEN) 59:01 Abraham Kipyatich (KEN) 1:00:03 Bernard Kimani (KEN) 1:00:05 Callum Hawkins (GBR) 1:00:24 Dominic Nyairo (KEN) 1:00:50 Kenta Murayama (JPN) 1:00:50 Chihiro Miyawaki (JPN) 1:00:53 Keita Shitara (JPN) 1:01:12 Fabiano Sulle (TAN) 1:01:19 Daichi Kamino (JPN) 1:01:21 Suguru Osako (JPN) 1:01:47 Ryo Yamamoto (JPN) 1:01:54 Kota Murayama (JPN) debut Kazuya Shiojiri (JPN) debut
Women Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa (BRN) 1:08:06 Shalane Flanagan (USA) 1:07:51 Eloise Wellings (AUS) 1:09:26 Reia Iwade (JPN) 1:09:45 Amy Cragg (USA) 1:09:50 Winfridah Kebaso (KEN) 1:09:59 Eri Hayakawa (JPN) 1:10:13 Kaho Tanaka (JPN) 1:11:12 Kellys Arias (COL) 1:11:21 Moeno Nakamura (JPN) 1:11:33 Miharu Shimokado (JPN) 1:11:48 Riko Matsuzaki (JPN) debut

Defending Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon champion and Olympic marathon silver medallist Eunice Jepkirui will take on USA’s 2008 Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Shalane Flanagan at the IAAF Silver Label Road Race on Sunday (5).

Kirwa vs Flanagan the focus in Marugame

After breaking away from her competitors after just 5km at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon, Eunice Kirwa set a course record of 1:08:55 to successfully defend her title at the IAAF Silver Label Road Race on Sunday (14).
The world marathon bronze medallist took 42 seconds off the course record she set last year to achieve her fifth consecutive victory in Japan. Along with her back-to-back victories in Gifu, the Asian Games champion has twice won the Nagoya Marathon and earlier this year won the Marugame Half Marathon.
Kirwa and Rebecca Kangogo Chesir went out fast, passing 5km together in 15:49, 22 seconds quicker than Kirwa managed at the same checkpoint in last year&rsquo;s race when she set a course record. Just like last year, Kirwa then broke away from her final challenger and by 10km, reached in 32:03, she was 10 seconds ahead of Chesir.
Japan&rsquo;s Kayoko Fukushi, the Asian half marathon record-holder, was expected to challenge Kirwa, but such a clash never materialised. Fukushi was in third place at 10km, nearly a minute behind Kirwa.
Kirwa continued to pull away from her competitors. By 15km, Kirwa was nearly a minute ahead of second-placed Chesir, and by 20km her lead had grown to two minutes.
The 31-year-old went on to win by more than two minutes, clocking 1:08:55 for her sixth sub-69-minute performance.
Betelhem Moges, who moved into third place before 15km, caught Chesir just before the finish line to finish second in 1:11:09. Chesir in third was credited with the same time as Moges.
Visiline Jepkesho, the 2014 Gifu Seiryu champion, was fourth in 1:11:33, while Veronica Nyaruai Wanjiru finished fifth in a huge personal best of 1:11:59.
Fukushi not only continued to lose ground against Kirwa and Chesir, but she was also passed by Moges, Jepkesho and Wanjiru in the second half and finished sixth in 1:12:04. She was followed three seconds later by Yuka Ando, who recorded her first loss against a Japanese woman this year.
<h3>Fifth time lucky for Mwaka</h3>
Patrick Mwaka has competed at the past four editions of the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon, finishing third, sixth, fourth and fifth respectively between 2012 and 2015.
But on Sunday he produced a PB of 1:01:51 to out-kick compatriot Paul Kuira, winning by three seconds.
In the early stages of the race, Kenyan teenager Kenneth Keter tried to run away from his competitors by covering the first 5km in 14:25. Kuira was the only athlete who was able to stay with Keter, but he trailed the youngster by 10 seconds at 10km, which was reached in 28:49. A five-man chase pack, including Mwaka and two-time Gifu Seiryu winner Martin Mathathi, was another seven seconds behind.
Keter stayed ahead through 15km at 43:45, still more than ten seconds ahead of second-placed Kuira who by now had Mwaka for company. Kuira and Mwaka ran together and soon reeled in Keter and by 20km, reached in 58:41, they were more than 20 seconds ahead of Keter.
Nearing the finish line, Mwaka surged away from Kuira to win by three seconds in 1:01:51. Mathathi passed the faltering Keter for third place in 1:02:12, 14 seconds ahead of Keter. Michael Githae finished fifth and James Rungaru, the defending champion, could only manage sixth.
Yusei Nakao, who was fifth at the 2008 world half marathon championships, was the top Japanese finisher in 10th place. He clocked 1:03:38 to finish one second ahead of Yuki Kawauchi.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Patrick Mwaka (KEN) 1:01:51 2 Paul Kuira (KEN) 1:01:54 3 Martin Mathati (KEN) 1:02:12 4 Kenneth Keter (KEN) 1:02:26 5 Michael Gitahe (KEN) 1:02:52 6 James Rungaru (KEN) 1:03:04 7 Fabiano Joseph (TAN) 1:03:29 8 Dishon Maina Karukuwa (KEN) 1:03:35 9 Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (MGL) 1:03:37 10 Yusei Nakao (JPN) 1:03:38 11 Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) 1:03:39
Women 1 Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa (BRN) 1:08:55 2 Betelhem Moges (ETH) 1:11:09 3 Rebecca Kangogo Chesir (KEN) 1:11:09 4 Visiline Jepkesho (KEN) 1:11:33 5 Veronicah Nyaruai Wanjiru (KEN) 1:11:59 6 Kayoko Fukushi (JPN) 1:12:04 7 Yuka Ando (JPN) 1:12:07 8 Mao Kiyota 1:12:20 9 Bornes Jepkirui (KEN) 1:12:40 10 Sayo Nomura (JPN) 1:13:10

After breaking away from her competitors after just 5km at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon, Eunice Kirwa set a course record of 1:08:55 to successfully defend her title at the IAAF Silver Label Road Race on Sunday (14).

Kirwa breaks her own course record at Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon

The winners of last year&rsquo;s Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon will return to the IAAF Silver Label Road Race on Sunday (15) looking to retain their titles.
Bahrain&rsquo;s Eunice Kirwa broke the course record when she won in Gifu last year, clocking 1:09:37. The world marathon bronze medallist improved her PB to 1:08:06 earlier this year when winning in Marugame. She also successfully defended her title at the Nagoya Marathon in March in 2:22:40.
Japan&rsquo;s Rio-bound marathon runner Kayoko Fukushi, the Asian record-holder for the half marathon, is considered to be a co-favourite. Her 1:07:26 PB makes her the fastest woman in the field, while her winning time of 2:22:17 at the Osaka Marathon in January is quicker than Kirwa&rsquo;s best this year.
Like Fukushi, Kenya&rsquo;s Visiline Jepkesho recently had her Olympic marathon team berth confirmed. And as a former winner in Gifu, Jepkesho can also relate to Kirwa. The 28-year-old won the Paris Marathon last month in 2:25:53, having set a half marathon PB of 1:09:43 at the start of the year.
Other contenders for the title include Rebecca Kangogo Chesir, Betelhem Moges and Yuka Ando. Chesir has a half marathon best of 1:08:21, while Beijing Marathon champion Moges has a PB of 1:09:23. Ando made her half-marathon debut in December last year, clocking 1:09:51, and went on to finish 10th at the recent IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff.
Veronica Nyaruai Wanjiru could be an underdog. The 26-year-old Kenyan won the 2005 world youth and 2006 world junior 3000m titles, but more recently has been carving out a new career on the roads. Having recently set PBs of 31:55 for 10km and 53:12 for 10 miles, Wanjiru's half marathon PB of 1:13:55 looks set for revision.
As is the case in the women&rsquo;s race, two former champions will line up against one another in the men&rsquo;s race as defending champion James Rungaru will take on 2011 and 2012 winner Martin Mathathi.
It will be their second clash in Gifu, as Mathathi finished third in last year&rsquo;s race, 19 seconds behind Rungaru. Rungaru won the highly competitive African cross-country title just two months ago, so if the conditions are good the 23-year-old looks capable of running much quicker than his 1:02:21 winning time from last year.
Mathathi&rsquo;s 58:56 PB from 2011 makes him the fastest athlete in the field, but he hasn&rsquo;t run faster than 60 minutes for the half marathon since that performance five years ago.
With two other men in the field with sub-60-minute PBs, Sunday&rsquo;s race is wide open.
Kenyan teenager Kenneth Keter clocked a PB of 59:48 in Venlo earlier this year, but was exactly two minutes slower than that when finishing 10th in Prague two weeks later.
Paul Kuira has contested just one half marathon to date, but it was a winning performance, clocking 59:47 to triumph in Marugame last year.
Another former Gifu winner, world half marathon silver medallist Bedan Karoki, was originally set to compete, but the Kenyan recently withdrew due to a calf injury. The Kenyan holds the course record of 1:00:02.
This year&rsquo;s race will be the sixth edition of the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon, which is also known as Naoko Takahashi Cup as it is held in the hometown of 2000 Olympic marathon champion Naoko Takahashi.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
<h3>Elite field</h3>
Men Martin Mathathi (KEN) 58:56 Paul Kuira (KEN) 59:47 Kenneth Keter (KEN) 59:48 James Rungaru (KEN) 1:00:12 Cutbert Nyasango (ZIM) 1:00:26 Fabiano Sulle (TAN) 1:01:19 Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (MGL) 1:02:10 Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) 1:02:18 Roman Fosti (EST) 1:04:42
Women Kayoko Fukushi (JPN) 1:07:26 Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa (BRN) 1:08:06 Rebecca Chesir Kangogo (KEN) 1:08:21 Moges Betelhem (ETH) 1:09:23 Visiline Jepkesho (KEN) 1:09:43 Yuka Ando (JPN) 1:09:51 Sayo Nomura (JPN) 1:10:03 Eri Hayakawa (JPN) 1:10:13 Lauren Kleppin (USA) 1:10:16 Mao Kiyota (JPN) 1:10:31 Bornes Jepkirui Kitur (KEN) 1:10:32 Yuko Mizuguchi (JPN) 1:11:03 Veronica Nyaruai Wanjiru (KEN) 1:13:55

The winners of last year’s Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon will return to the IAAF Silver Label Road Race on Sunday (15) looking to retain their titles.

Kirwa and Rungaru aiming for repeat wins at Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon

Bahrain&rsquo;s Eunice Kirwa successfully defended her Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon title on Sunday (13) with 2:22:40, the third-fastest time in the history of the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.
Meanwhile there was a fierce battle to be the top Japanese finisher &ndash; in what was the final opportunity to impress the selectors for the Olympic team &ndash; with the winner only prevailing in the final few metres.
The pace makers were asked to run each 5km between 16:55 and 17:00, but the race preceded little on the slow side, passing 5km in 17:03 and 10km in 34:07.
Japan&rsquo;s 2004 Olympic champion Mizuki Noguchi, in a final bid to make another Olympic marathon team, started to drift off the rear of the lead pack just after 5km. The 37-year-old would eventually finished 23rd in 2:33:54 in what was her first marathon since 2013.
The race of attrition continued, passing 15km in 51:04. At that point, Asami Kato, one of the main contenders for the Olympic marathon team, started to fall behind. By 20km (1:08:06) only 13 runners were left in the lead pack.
After passing 25km in 1:25:06 and 30km in 1:42:15, the pace makers left the race and real racing started. Kirwa then surged, covering the next kilometre in 3:13, and only Tomomi Tanaka was able to cover Kirwa&rsquo;s move.
Although Tanaka won the 2014 Yokohama Women&rsquo;s Marathon, one of the qualifying races for last year&rsquo;s World Championships, she was overlooked for the team as the selectors claimed that her race tactics were not aggressive enough. With that in mind, Tanaka was determined not to suffer a similar fate in Nagoya.
Tanaka was followed by Rei Ohara and a group consisting of Ryoko Kizaki, Reia Iwade and debutante Mao Kiyota.
With kilometre splits of 3:13 and 3:11, Kirwa extended her margin over Tanaka between 31km and 33km. After 35km, Ohara started to reel in Tanaka, finally catching her opponent just before 37km.
Kirwa passed 40km in 2:15:25, while Ohara and Tanaka passed the same point in 2:16:09. It was now impossible for the leading Japanese women to run faster than Kayoko Fukushi&rsquo;s 2:22:17 winning time from the Osaka Marathon, making Tanaka and Ohara&rsquo;s battle for the top Japanese spot all the more crucial.
Kirwa continued to lead, crossing the line in 2:22:40. The world bronze medallist became the second runner in history to win back-to-back titles at the Nagoya Marathon. The only other woman to achieve that feat is China&rsquo;s 1988 and 1989 winner Zhao Youfeng. Two other women, Poland&rsquo;s Kamila Gradus and Japan&rsquo;s Naoko Takahashi, have won twice in Nagoya, albeit not in consecutive years.
&ldquo;It was a good race,&rdquo; said Kirwa, whose time was just 32 seconds shy of the course record she set last year. &ldquo;The pace was little slower than last year, so I planned to push the pace after 30km.&rdquo;
Tanaka and Ohara entered the Nagoya Dorm side by side. Both running with gritted teeth, Tanaka managed to edge ahead of her opponent in the final few meters and crossed the line in 2:23:19, one second ahead of Ohara.
Ohara fell to the ground just as she crossed the finish line, while Tanaka jumped up and down in celebration with her coach Sachiko Yamashita, the 1991 world silver medallist.
&ldquo;Since winning the 2014 Yokohama Women&rsquo;s Marathon, I was confident about my finishing speed,&rdquo; said Tanaka, who will now eagerly await the Olympic marathon team announcement on 17 March. &ldquo;I am happy to run faster than the personal best of (her former team-mate) Yoshimi Ozaki (which was 2:23:30). It was one of my long-term goals.&rdquo;
Tenmaya track team has had athletes on every Olympic marathon team since 2000. But by being the second Japanese finisher in Nagoya, Ohara is unlikely to be able to continue Tenmaya&rsquo;s legacy in Rio.
Behind them, Kiyota finished fourth in 2:24:32, the fifth-fastest marathon debut in history by a Japanese woman. She was followed by Iwade and then another debutante Sayaka Kuwahara, who finished sixth in 2:25:09.
Aside from Kirwa, all other finishers in the top seven set personal bests.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
1 Eunice Kirwa (BRN) 2:22:40 2 Tomomi Tanaka (JPN) 2:23:19 3 Rei Ohara (JPN) 2:23:20 4 Mao Kiyota (JPN) 2:24:32 5 Reia Iwade (JPN) 2:24:38 6 Sayaka Kuwahara (JPN) 2:25:09 7 Shiho Takechi (JPN) 2:25:29 8 Betlehem Moges (ETH) 2:26:36 9 Michi Numata (JPN) 2:27:27 10 Ryoko Kizaki (JPN) 2:28:49 11 Asami Kato (JPN) 2:29:33 12 Bekelech Daba (ETH) 2:29:50 13 Iwona Lewandowska (POL) 2:30:15 14 Kaoru Nagao (JPN) 2:30:54

Bahrain’s Eunice Kirwa successfully defended her Nagoya Women’s Marathon title on Sunday (13) with 2:22:40, the third-fastest time in the history of the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.

Kirwa retains Nagoya title while Tanaka wins Olympic qualifying race

Of Japan&rsquo;s Olympic qualifying marathons for women, the best has been saved for last as the Nagoya Marathon boasts the deepest field of the three races. But there is still no guarantee of a Japanese victory at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on Sunday (13).
With Mai Ito already confirmed for Japan&rsquo;s Olympic team after finishing seventh at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015, only two slots are left.
Kayoko Fukushi won the recent Osaka Women&rsquo;s Marathon with a big PB of 2:22:17, but because the Japanese federation would not confirm her selection, she was prepared to run again in Nagoya. Eventually, though, the 2013 world bronze medallist withdrew from this weekend&rsquo;s race and will instead await the team announcement on 17 March.
If Fukushi is granted a spot, it leaves just one available slot on the Japanese Olympic team &ndash; unless, of course, two runners run faster than 2:22 on Sunday.
Defending champion Eunice Kirwa of Bahrain will start as the favourite. The world bronze medallist set a course record of 2:22:08 last year, and before that she beat Japan&rsquo;s Ryoko Kizaki and Eri Hayakawa &ndash; both of whom are racing this weekend &ndash; to win the 2014 Asian Games title.
Betelhem Moges, Monica Jepkoech and Iwona Lewandowska are also in the field. Former Denso track team runner Moges has bettered 2:29 in all five of her marathons to date, while Jepkoech recorded a huge personal best of 2:27:26 at the 2015 Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
<h3>Race to Rio</h3>
The competition for Olympic team spots will be fierce. Although 2004 Olympic champion Mizuki Noguchi is the fastest runner in the field, her 2:19:12 personal best was set more than 10 years ago at the 2005 Berlin Marathon. The last time she completed a marathon was in 2013 in Nagoya, where she finished third in 2:24:05, while her last race of any distance was the Osaka Half Marathon in January, when she was sixth in 1:13:28.
&ldquo;I have completed one 40km run and two 30km runs,&rdquo; the 37-year-old said at the pre-race press conference. &ldquo;I have no time goal in mind.&rdquo;
Kizaki, who represented Japan at the 2012 Olympics, will be the favourite to clinch Olympic selection in Nagoya. The 30-year-old won the 2013 Nagoya Marathon in a PB of 2:23:34 and then went on to finish fourth at that year&rsquo;s World Championships. She also finished second at the 2014 Nagoya Marathon, so is familiar with the course.
&ldquo;I concentrated on both over-distance work and speed work for seven weeks in Albuquerque,&rdquo; said the Asian Games silver medallist. &ldquo;I feel that my speed is back because I ran my final 1000m repetition under three minutes at altitude.&rdquo;
Hayakawa, whose PB of 2:25:31 was set at the 2014 Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon, is the next fastest among the Japanese. But it is perhaps unrealistic to expect the 34-year-old to improve to 2:22.
There are, however, some runners who might make a big breakthrough in Nagoya: Tomomi Tanaka, Asami Kato and Reia Iwade.
After winning the 2014 Yokohama Women&rsquo;s Marathon, Tanaka expected to be selected for the 2015 World Championships team. She was overlooked by selectors, though, so she will be seeking redemption in this weekend&rsquo;s race.
Tanaka knows the Nagoya Marathon course, for she recorded her personal best of 2:26:05 in 2014.
&ldquo;I received a lot of encouragement when I was left out of the World Championships team, so I want to show my fans that I am running well,&rdquo; said Tanaka, who set her PB of 2:26:04 in Nagoya in 2014. &ldquo;I have run three marathons in my career, but I have completed my best training for this race. I really want to win, but the time depends a lot on pace makers and how the race unfolds.&rdquo;
Asami Kato has also run three marathons to date. She has improved her PB on each occasion, going from 2:30:26 at the 2013 Nagoya Marathon, to 2:28:51 at the 2014 Gold Coast Marathon and then 2:26:30 at the 2015 Rotterdam Marathon.
&ldquo;If I chase fast time, I might tighten up in the race,&rdquo; said the 25-year-old. &ldquo;So I will concentrate on transferring results of my training to the race.&rdquo;
Reia Iwade was third at the 2014 Yokohama Marathon in 2:27:21, the fastest time ever by a Japanese teenager.
&ldquo;I want to run 2:24 or faster,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;But I might tighten up if I think too much about cracking 2:25, so I will just try to improve my personal best.&rdquo;
All three runners have previously run well at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. Tanaka was eighth and Kato was 12th in 2012, while Iwade was 19th in 2014.
Rei Ohara, Michi Numata and Mao Kiyota round up the invited domestic runners. Numata and Kiyota are making their marathon debuts, while Ohara has one slow marathon to her credit.
Although not classed as invited runners, several other women have a chance of making the team by being the top Japanese finisher. Yuko Watanabe, Azusa Nojiri, Kaoru Nagao and Yoko Miyauchi all have PBs between 2:24 and 2:27, but they have not run faster than 2:30 in recent years.
Since 2000, the Tenmaya track team has had at least one runner in the Olympic marathon. Their best hopes of keeping that streak alive this year rests with Rei Ohara and Aki Otagiri.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF

Of Japan’s Olympic qualifying marathons for women, the best has been saved for last as the Nagoya Marathon boasts the deepest field of the three races. But there is still no guarantee of a Japanese victory at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on Sunday (13).

Japan’s Olympic hopefuls take on defending champion Kirwa in Nagoya

One year after breaking the Nagoya Marathon course record, Bahrain&rsquo;s Eunice Kirwa will return to the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on 13 March.Kirwa clocked a national record of 2:22:08 to win in the Japanese city last year. Five months later, she took the bronze medal at that distance at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015. The Asian Games champion got her 2016 campaign off to a strong start, winning the Marugame Half Marathon in a PB of 1:08:06.She will be up against a fellow global medallist in the form of Valeria Straneo. The 39-year-old Italian took silver at the 2013 World Championships and 2014 European Championships. Despite having a best of 2:23:44, an Italian record, Straneo is yet to win a marathon.Like Straneo, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Betelhem Moges will be competing at the Nagoya Marathon for the first time. The 24-year-old has a PB of 2:24:29, set in Dubai last year, and she was victorious at the Beijing Marathon last September.As with most Japanese road races, there will be considerable local interest, but even more so this year because the race is the final Olympic selection event for Japanese women.Ryoko Kizaki is among the top domestic entrants. She won in Nagoya in 2013 and went on to finish fourth at that year&rsquo;s World Championships. She then finished second in Nagoya one year later and took the silver behind Kirwa at the Asian Games. Having finished 15th at the 2012 Olympics, Kizaki will be aiming to qualify for her second Games.Eri Hayakawa will be making her sixth appearance in Nagoya. Her best performance to date in the Japanese city was her third-place finish in 2014 in a PB of 2:25:31.Mizuki Noguchi, the 2004 Olympic champion, will also be competing in Nagoya. The last marathon she completed was the 2013 Nagoya Marathon, where she finished fourth to book her place on the team at that year&rsquo;s World Championships. She failed to finish in Moscow and has only contested two half marathons since then.<h3>Elite field</h3>Mizuki Noguchi (JPN) 2:19:12 Eunice Kirwa (BRN) 2:21:41 Ryoko Kizaki (JPN) 2:23:34 Valeria Straneo (ITA) 2:23:44 Betelhem Moges (ETH) 2:24:29 Azusa Nojiri (JPN) 2:24:57 Marisa Barros (POR) 2:25:04 Eri Hayakawa (JPN) 2:25:31 Mizuho Nasukawa (JPN) 2:25:38 Yuko Watanabe (JPN) 2:25:56 Tomomi Tanaka (JPN) 2:26:05 Yoko Miyauchi (JPN) 2:26:23 Asami Kato (JPN) 2:26:30 Reia Iwade (JPN) 2:27:21 Monica Jepkoech (KEN) 2:27:26 Iwona Lewandowska (POL) 2:27:47 Kaori Yoshida (JPN) 2:28:43 Aki Otagiri (JPN) 2:30:24 Shiho Takechi (JPN) 2:31:18 Bekelech Daba (ETH) 2:32:11 Ayumi Hagiwara (JPN) debut Mao Kiyota (JPN) debut Michi Numata (JPN) debut Rei Ohara (JPN) debut

One year after breaking the Nagoya Marathon course record, Bahrain’s Eunice Kirwa will return to the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on 13 March.

Course record-holder Kirwa will defend Nagoya Marathon title

Eritrea&rsquo;s Goitom Kifle and Bahrain&rsquo;s Eunice Kirwa were victorious at the Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, on Sunday (7). The men&rsquo;s race started relatively slow with the first 5km covered in about 14:27. The pace then gradually picked up and the 10km mark was reached in 28:50. At that point the lead pack contained 11 runners, including Kifle, Kenya&rsquo;s Dominic Nyairo, Tanzania&rsquo;s Fabiano Sulle and Japan&rsquo;s Keijiro Mogi.The pace continued to pick up and 15km was passed in about 43:05. By this point the lead pack had been reduced to four runners: Kifle, Sulle, Nyairo and Mogi. Sulle fell behind over the course of the next few kilometres, and at 20km Kifle led Mogi and Nyairo by four seconds.Although Mogi and Nyairo tried valiantly to close the gap on Kifle, the Eritrean held on for the win in 1:00:49, one second ahead of Nyairo. &ldquo;It was nice to see lots of fans and supporter along the course,&rdquo; said Kifle after recording the second-fastest time of his career.Technically speaking, 18-year-old Nyairo was making his half-marathon debut, but the Japan-based Kenyan ran the 23.1km stage at last month&rsquo;s Hakone Ekiden, passing eight runners en route to clocking 1:07:20 (1:01:30 half marathon pace).Perhaps the most surprising performance in the race came from third-placed Mogi. His best before today was a modest 1:03:11, but the 20-year-old reduced that to 1:00:54 to move to sixth on the Japanese all-time list.One of the fastest-improving runners in Japan, Mogi showed a hint of what was to come late last year when he finished third at the Kosa 10-mile race in November in 46:08.The men&rsquo;s event in Marugame doubled as the qualifying race for the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff, and since Mogi was first Japanese finisher, he is expected to be selected for the Japanese team.&ldquo;I am happy that I was able to run with the leaders all the way, but disappointed that I could not win,&rdquo; said Mogi. He later added on Twitter: &ldquo;Third in Marugame Half. Japanese team for World Half. Britain here I come!&rdquo;Sulle finished fourth in a PB of 1:01:19 and debutant Keisuke Nakatani was fifth in 1:01:21, becoming the third-fastest Japanese collegiate runner in history.Two runners who are aiming to qualify for the Japanese Olympic marathon team at the upcoming Tokyo Marathon ran the Marugame Half Marathon as a tune-up race. Tsuyoshi Ugachi was 23rd in 1:02:41, while Arata Fujiwara was 36th in 1:02:57.Australia&rsquo;s 2013 Marugame winner Collis Birmingham was 11th in 1:02:01 while Masato Kikuchi, the third-fastest Japanese runner ever, was a disappointing 16th in 1:02:18, nearly two minutes slower than his best. World marathon silver medallist Yemane Tsegay was 31st in 1:02:53.<h3>Kirwa lives up to expectation</h3>World marathon bronze medallist Eunice Kirwa ran aggressively in the women&rsquo;s race.She covered the first 5km in 15:45, well inside the pace required to beat the 1:07:26 course record. Although her pace dropped slightly over the next 5km segment, covering it in 16:06, she stretched her lead over Diane Nukuri from seven to 32 seconds and was still on course-record pace.But with no one to push her, Kirwa could not maintain her momentum and she passed 15km in 48:09, making a course record unlikely. She was, however, comfortably ahead of her opponents as Nukuri and defending champion Eloise Wellings were 49 seconds adrift.After covering the next 5km section in 16:23, Kirwa&rsquo;s victory was assured and she crossed the line in a Bahraini record of 1:08:06, winning by one minute and 17 seconds.&ldquo;I feel very happy with the win,&rdquo; said Kirwa. &ldquo;I also feel very happy because I set a personal best.&rdquo;Nukuri finished second in 1:09:23, the second-fastest time of her career and just 11 seconds shy of her PB. Despite setting a PB of 1:09:29 and running more than a minute quicker than her winning time from last year, Wellings&rsquo; performance today was only good enough for third place.Japan&rsquo;s 21-year-old Yuka Ando was fourth in 1:10:10, just missing out on her PB by 19 seconds. &ldquo;I wanted to see if I can challenge fast runners from abroad but I was not able to stay with them,&rdquo; said Ando.She was followed by Rei Ohara in 1:10:42, reversing their positions from the Sanyo Road Race Half Marathon in Okayama last December.For the Japanese women, the Sanyo Road Race &ndash; not the Marugame Half Marathon &ndash; is the qualifying race for the World Half Marathon Championships, so Ohara is currently in a better position to make the team for Cardiff.One more race &ndash; the All Japan Corporate Team Half Marathon Championships in Yamaguchi next Sunday &ndash; is left for both men and women to qualify for the World Half Marathon Championships.Ken Nakamura for the IAAF<h3>Leading results</h3>Men 1 Goitom Kifle (ERI) 1:00:49 2 Dominic Nyairo (KEN) 1:00:50 3 Keijiro Mogi (JPN) 1:00:54 4 Fabiano Sulle (TAN) 1:01:19 5 Keisuke Nakatani (JPN) 1:01:21 6 Naoki Kudo (JPN) 1:01:25 7 Shuho Dairokuno (JPN) 1:01:32 8 Taku Fujimoto (JPN) 1:01:51 9 Keita Shitara (JPN) 1:01:54 10 Kaoru Hirosue (JPN) 1:01:58 11 Collis Birmingham (AUS) 1:02:01 12 Kento Otsu (JPN) 1:02:09 13 Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (MGL) 1:02:10 14 Keita Shioya (JPN) 1:02:11 15 Takuya Suzuki (JPN) 1:02:15Women 1 Eunice Kirwa (BRN) 1:08:06 2 Diane Nukuri (BDI) 1:09:23 3 Eloise Wellings (AUS) 1:09:29 4 Yuka Ando (JPN) 1:10:10 5 Rei Ohara (JPN) 1:10:42 6 Kotomi Takayama (JPN) 1:11:14 7 Akane Sekino (JPN) 1:11:17 8 Moeno Nakamura (JPN) 1:11:33 9 Yomogi Akasaka (JPN) 1:11:41 10 Mami Onuki (JPN) 1:12:03

Eritrea’s Goitom Kifle and Bahrain’s Eunice Kirwa were victorious at the Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, on Sunday (7). 