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Nakamori Wins Hofu Yomiuri Marathon (updated)

http://4ch.kry.co.jp/tv/marathon_2007/

by Brett Larner

*Updated 12/11/07 with links to photos and many more detailed articles in Japanese.

Kazuya Nakamori of Team Otsuka Seiyaku ran 2:15:40 to win the 2007 Hofu Yomiuri Marathon yesterday, coming from behind in the final kilometer to stage an upset over breakaway leader Mitsuru Irifune of Team Kanebo.

An early pack of 24 led by Team Toyota`s Kazuki Enoki went through 5 km in a solid time of 15:31. Enoki maintained both lead and pace, passing 10 km in 31:04, 15 km in 46:42, and 20 km in 1:02:20. By the halfway point, 1:05:47, the lead pack had dwindled to 8 runners including Korean elite Hyon Je Yon who ran his PB of 2:10:37 while finishing 2nd in the 1999 Hofu.

Shortly after the halfway point, Enoki and Nakamori broke away from the other contenders, hitting 25 km in 1:18:17 compared to the remaining 6 leaders` 1:18:37. The pack broke apart between 25 and 30 km as Irifune, the younger brother of 2005 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon winner and Helsinki World Championships runner Satoshi Irifune, charged to catch back up to the leaders. Enoki dropped away, leaving Irifune and Nakamori together at 30 km in 1:34:32. Irifune`s Kanebo teammate Akinori Shibutani and amateur runner Toyokazu Yoshimura of the Osaka Track and Field Club also narrowed the gap, passing 30 km 11 seconds back in 1:34:43. A third Team Kanebo runner, Ryuichi Enokida, was 5th in 1:34:57.

Irifune continued his charge and broke free of Nakamori, opening a sizeable lead and going through 35 km in 1:50:46 to Nakamori`s 1:51:25. Enokida caught up to teammate Shibutani, the two passing 35 km together in 1:51:42 with Yoshimura behind in 1:51:47. Irifune maintained the overall lead at 40 km but was beginning to flag as his lead over Nakamori narrowed to 26 seconds, 2:08:10 to 2:08:36. Yoshimura passed the two Team Kanebo runners, 3rd through the mark in 2:09:44 with Enokida close behind in 2:09:52. Shibutani was dead on his feet, passing 40 km in 2:10:33.

In the final stretch Nakamori executed a superb surge, covering the last 2.195 km in 7:04 to finish in 2:15:40. Irifune was struggling and could not respond when Nakamori caught him, finishing 2nd in 2:16:03, an improvement on his 6th place finish last year and just 13 seconds off his PB. Yoshimura, Enokida and Shibutani maintained their positions and finished in 2:17:51, 2:18:00 and 2:18:41 respectively, Enokida`s time a PB by exactly 1 minute. Hyon Je Yon was the only of the 3 invited foreign elites to finish in the top 10, coming in 8th in 2:21:34.


(c) 2007 Brett Larner
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