Jason Lehmkuhle was the winner of the Ohme 30 km Road Race in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 20. His time in the international race was 1:32:08 with second place coming across the line in 1:32:09. This was the first time an American has won the Ohme 30 km since 1983. Some 15,000 runners ran in the 30 km and another 5,000 participated in the accompanying 10 km.
"The course was definitely difficult, more so than I had expected," said Lehmkuhle. "It's an out-and-back that rises about 250 feet from the start to the turnaround point, and there are a couple of big hills through the middle. It was a very nice day for running, about 50 degrees, and cloudy with a little breeze. The crowd was tremendous and lined the street the whole way.
"I was with the lead pack from the beginning, occasionally leading. I was wary of the course though, and I didn't want to press early on. I made a little move at the turnaround, then another at around 22 km up a big hill that broke up the remaining pack of five. I had a little gap by 23 or 24 km, but Toyoyuki Abe (second place finisher) caught me at the 25 km and we ran the rest of the way in together. I had just enough left to get him by a second at the line.
"I was very excited to get to race in Ohme and they treated me incredibly well during my first trip to Japan. I think the race displayed that the London preparations are going well." Next up for Lehmkuhle will be the New York City Half Marathon on March 20 followed by the London Marathon on April 17. [photo: organizer]
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