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Karemi Wins Third-Straight Kumamoto Kosa 10-Miler, Kamino Over Imai and Kashiwabara for 2nd

http://www.daily.co.jp/general/2016/11/28/0009704327.shtml

translated and edited by Brett Larner


The 41st running of the Kumamoto Kosa 10 Mile Road Race took place Nov. 27 on a course starting and finishing in front of Kosa Town Hall.  Two-time winner Jeremiah Karemi Thuku (Team Toyota Kyushu) made it three-straight wins as he braved cold and rainy conditions to break the tape in 46:19.

All three of the Hakone Ekiden uphill Fifth Stage's superstar "Gods of the Mountain" raced, with the most recent of the troika, 2016 Aoyama Gakuin University graduate Daichi Kamino (Team Konica Minolta) outrunning the first runner to bear that title, Masato Imai (Team Toyota Kyushu), by 8 seconds for 2nd.  Toyo University graduate Ryuji Kashiwabara (Team Fujitsu) dropped out partway.

The showdown went to the youngest of the three.  In just his first pro season, Kamino was elated to have beaten the original God of the Mountain Imai, who has gone on to great success in the marathon with a 2:07:39 at last year's Tokyo Marathon.  "Beating Imai is a major confidence booster," Kamino smiled in obvious happiness.

Before the race Kamino had relaxed goals, aiming "just to make top three."  But once he was on the starting line he was itching to race, and what he delivered was unchanged from the aggression he showed in his Hakone uphill heroics in university.  Kamino dueled with Japan-based Kenyans Karemi and Edward Waweru (Team NTN), ultimately taking 2nd.

The day before the race Kamino did his final tuneups near Kumamoto Castle.  "I got a feeling for how much damage there really was in the Kumamoto Earthquake," he said.  "I hope that the affected people can find some inspiration and courage in my running."

Following the Jan. 1 New Year Ekiden national corporate men's championships he will run February's Ome 30 km Road Race with his marathon debut planned next season.  "I'm aiming to be ready to go for the Japanese national record my first time out," he said.

41st Kumamoto Kosa 10 Mile Road Race
Kosa, Kumamoto, 11/27/16
click here for complete results

Men's 10 Miles
1. Jeremiah Karemi Thuku (Toyota Kyushu) - 46:19
2. Daichi Kamino (Konica Minolta) - 46:38
3. Edward Waweru (NTN) - 46:44
4. Masato Imai (Toyota Kyushu) - 46:46
5. Ryo Kiname (Mitsubishi HPS) - 46:47
6. Yuki Oshikawa (Toyota Kyushu) - 46:50
7. Hiroto Inoue (Mitsubishi HPS) - 46:51
8. Kiyoshi Koga (Yasukawa Denki) - 46:51
9. Kazuya Shiojiri (Juntendo Univ.) - 46:55
10. Masaya Taguchi (Honda) - 46:57
-----
25. Yuma Eda (Toyota Kyushu) - 47:21
50. Shuhei Yamaguchi (Asahi Kasei) - 47:56
75. Toshiaki NIshizawa (SGH Group) - 48:43
100. Masahiro Uchida (Press Kogyo) - 49:41
-----
DNF - Ryuji Kashiwabara (Fujitsu)

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