On one of many first days of true spring heat, Hirabayashi shouted in pleasure as he crossed the end line. When Nakanishi got here in seconds later Hirabayashi hugged him, laughing. “This was my first half marathon, and I carried out,” Hirabayashi mentioned. “It was 21 km of pure enjoyable. So enjoyable that I needed to scream. I’ve nonetheless acquired a number of room to get higher so I wish to have an excellent monitor season after which carry that to ekiden season this fall.”
Of his assault at 14 km Hirabayashi mentioned, “Once I appeared on the faces of the opposite guys round me all of them appeared like they had been working onerous, so I believed it was time to go.” When he did, no one may go along with him and he rode the momentum all the best way to the end line. Hirabayashi was motived by the success of his fellow KGU 1st-year Ayumu Yamamoto, who ran 1:00:43 for eighth at February’s Nationwide Company Half Marathon, the quickest time ever by a Japanese-born collegiate runner. “Ayumu’s race and time had been extremely inspiring,” he mentioned post-race.
Along with his win Hirabayashi has made his first nationwide workforce. “I’ve by no means raced internationally, so I actually wish to deal with this one and hit it onerous,” he mentioned. “Japan has owned the rostrum on the World College Video games half marathon for a very long time, so I will be going there to medal too.”
For head coach Yasuhiro Maeda, who took over at KGU in 2009, this was the primary time to have athletes make a World College Video games workforce. “That was precisely what I used to be planning,” he mentioned fortunately. “Each Hirabayashi and Nakanishi had glorious coaching. Going 1-2 to make the World College Video games workforce is a giant deal. I instructed them, ‘When you do not make a nationwide workforce, you will not make it to the following degree.'”
Maeda revealed he additionally has large plans for Hirabayashi and 2nd-year Kenzo Ijichi, who was eighth behind his teammates. “We’re speaking about them making an attempt to qualify for the MGC 2024 Olympic marathon trials subsequent yr. No one has run the MGC whereas they had been nonetheless a pupil but, so that they wish to go for it at both the Tokyo or Osaka Marathon subsequent yr. In the event that they make it then it’s going to harm us on the 2023 Izumo Ekiden, however I nonetheless need them to go for it severely. Hirabayashi is well-suited to the marathon, motivated, and hard-working. I can not wait to see how he does.”
Hirabayashi added, “Subsequent yr I am going for the MGC. Coach Maeda and I’ve been speaking about it since final yr. However I am solely midway there proper now, so I am going to want to actually up my coaching load. I wish to construct on what I did this yr and never get injured.”
2nd-placer Nakanishi, who will be a part of Hirabayashi on the World College Video games, mentioned his run on the Nationwide College Half Marathon was a giant confidence-builder. “My objective at present was to make prime three so I might get a spot on the nationwide workforce. I did lose to a youthful teammate, however I am glad I ran effectively in my first race since being elected captain. I feel having two of us make the nationwide workforce will encourage all the opposite KGU runners. As captain this yr I wish to lead by instance. Ijichi, Ayumu, Hirabayashi and I would be the core round which I wish to assist make a workforce that may be aggressive on the Hakone Ekiden. Personally I feel we are able to make prime three there subsequent yr.”
Third-placer Matsuyama follows Akira Aizawa, gold medalist within the final World College Video games half marathon and present 10000 m nationwide document holder, to make it two-straight nationwide groups for Toyo athletes. “I used to be going for the win, so it is fairly disappointing to solely take Third,” he mentioned. “However my minimal objective was making the nationwide workforce, so no less than that occurred. That’ll repay later.”
Finally month’s Nationwide Company Half Marathon Matsuyama additionally misplaced out in a photograph end with a KGU runner, ending in the identical 1:00:43 as Yamamoto. Having run effectively there, he discovered it onerous to peak once more simply 4 weeks later. “I might give this a few 60%,” he mentioned post-race. For the upcoming season he mentioned, “I am aiming for 27-something within the 10000 m. After that, the World College Video games shall be my first worldwide race. I wish to run it aggressively and make it to the highest.”
twenty fifth Nationwide College Males’s Half Marathon
Showa Kinen Park, Tachikawa, Tokyo, 13 Mar. 2022
1. Kiyoto Hirabayashi (Koku Gakuin Univ.) – 1:01:50 – debut
2. Taiga Nakanishi (Koku Gakuin Univ.) – 1:02:02 – PB
3. Kazuki Matsuyama (Toyo Univ.) – 1:02:02
4. Shunpei Tomita (Meiji Univ.) – 1:02:10 – PB
5. Yoshiteru Takatsuki (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) – 1:02:19 – PB
6. Reishi Yoshida (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) – 1:02:21 – PB
7. Daiki Ozawa (Meiji Univ.) – 1:02:22 – PB
8. Kenzo Ijichi (Koku Gakuin Univ.) – 1:02:22 – PB
9. Shota Nishiwaki (Teikyo Univ.) – 1:02:25 – PB
10. Masahiro Mekata (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) – 1:02:36 – PB
translated and edited by Brett Larner
