Elite Race

Elite Race Preview

Race Director
Yasuhiro Oshima

　I would like to express my profound gratitude to all of those who have worked so hard to make this event possible.

　Last year, I took on the title of the Race Director from Chairman/CEO Tadaaki Hayano, along with the great responsibilities it entails. It is my great hope that a new world record will one day be made on the Tokyo Marathon course. I don't just want to focus on higher speeds. I also want to heighten the performance of Japanese runners and assist with setting paces, so that they can achieve their targets.

　This year, we will be holding our 18th Tokyo Marathon. In 2027, we will hold our 20th marathon. The Paris 2024 Olympics ended last year, and athletes around the world will be entering their next term of preparations, looking four years into the future, and we have invited athletes to compete in the Tokyo Marathon 2025 in order to lay the 20th anniversary race.

　Let's begin with the men. KIPRUTO, Benson (Kenya), winner of last year, will be competing again. Last year, he kept up a high pace from the early stages of the race, finishing in 2:02:16, a new record in Japan. He then went on to take 3rd place in the Paris 2024 Olympics. This year, he will be competing in Tokyo to try to take a second consecutive victory.

　Another runner to watch this year will be CHEPTEGEI, Joshua (Uganda). He may need no introduction, as he is the world's record holder for the 5000 m and the 10000 m, the gold medalist in the 5000 m at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and the gold medalist in the 10000 m at the Paris 2024 Olympics. To check his suitability for marathon racing, in December 2023, he ran 42.195 km in Valencia. However, this year's Tokyo Marathon will be his first full-fledged marathon. This race could therefore be called his "debut marathon." I have heard that he is aiming to finish in under 2:02:00, and I'm very excited to see what kind of running he does.

　Another athlete I'm looking forward to seeing is GELETA, Deresa(Ethiopia), who has a personal best time of just over 2 hours and 2 minutes. In the Valencia Marathon, last December, he finished in 2nd place with a time of 2:02:38, making him a very promising runner.

　NGETICH, Vincent Kipkemoi(Kenya), who took 3rd place last year, and KIPRUTO, Titus (Kenya), who took 4th place in Tokyo Marathon 2023, know the marathon course well.

　The top group pacemaker will probably be coming in at under 2:02:00. I believe the next group will be aiming for between 2:03:00 and 2:04:00. The third group will likely aim for 2:05:00 or under, with the Japanese contingent going for the Japanese record of 2:04:56 as they set their eyes on the World Athletics Championships TOKYO 2025.

　Japanese runners will include AKASAKI,Akira (Kyudenko), who came in 6th place in the Paris 2024 Olympics, IKEDA, Yohei (Kao), who recorded the second best time ever for a Japanese runner in the 2024 BMW Berlin Marathon with an excellent time of 2:05:12, and the highly experienced OSAKO, Suguru (Nike), who has represented Japan in two consecutive Olympic Games. The marathon is likely to become a race for a new Japanese record. If the weather and other conditions are good, I think we can expect to see times of under 2:05:00, either in the lower or middle range of the 4 minute range. I'm also looking forward to seeing Japanese runners keeping up with the second group, which is going for a 2 hour, 3 minute finish, or trying to shrink the gap between them.

　This marathon, there will also be first-time competitors. What kind of running will we see from OTA, Aoi (Aoyama Gakuin University), who performed so well at the Hakone Ekiden, or Kenyan runner KOECHI, Benard (Kyudenko), who took 5th place in the 10000 m at the Paris 2024 Olympics?

　We need to keep a close eye on the female runners, too. There will be the winners of the last three marathons: KEBEDE, Sutume Asefa (Ethiopia), who finished last year's marathon with a Japanese record time of 2:15:55, WANJIRU, Rosemary (Kenya), winner of the 2023 marathon, and former world record holder KOSGEI, Brigid (Kenya), who won the 2022 race. These athletes are all highly familiar with the Tokyo course, so I look forward to seeing great racing from them.

　In addition to these three past champions, KETEMA, Tigist (Ethiopia), who won last year's BMW Berlin Marathon, and FEYSA, Hawi (Ethiopia), who won the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon, are also certain to be leading the race.

　Women's world records are improving by leaps and bounds, with the previous record being broken in 2023 with a new record of 2:11:53, over two minutes faster than the previous record. And then last year, the record improved dramatically yet again, with a time of 2:09:56. It's hard to predict just which runner will come in a top position and who will take the lead.

　I expect the top pacemaker will aim for a time of 2:15:00, followed by paces of 2:17:00 to 2:18:00. The third pack will likely aim for a pace of 2:20:00 or less, with the Japanese athletes setting their sights on World Athletics Championships TOKYO 2025. If any runners are shooting for a world record, we would be willing to set an ultra-fast pace in the 2 hour and 9 minute range.

　The Japanese representatives will include HOSODA, Ai (EDION), who had an excellent finishing time of 2:20:31 in the 2024 BMW Berlin Marathon, ANDO, Yuka (Shimamura), victor of last year's Nagoya Women's Marathon. They will probably set a pace aiming for a finishing time of 2 hours and 20 minutes, but I hope they gain some ground on the group before them.

　We will be seeing world-class racing from men's runners KIPRUTO, who will be trying for a second consecutive win, and CHEPTEGEI, who will be trying his hand at the marathon, and from the three women's runners with victories under their belts. For the Japanese runners, qualification for the World Athletics Championships TOKYO 2025 hangs in the balance, so the competition will remain heated to the very end. Let's enjoy every minute of the exciting Tokyo Marathon 2025, a gateway to the future of running.

All Invited Athletes (As of January 23, 2025)：
DOMESTIC-MEN (4 Athletes)
INTERNATIONAL–MEN (16 Athletes)
DOMESTIC-WOMEN (2 Athletes)
INTERNATIONAL-WOMEN (13 Athletes)
All Invited Athletes (As of January 23, 2025)：MEN　 WOMEN

Race Director, Yasuhiro Oshima

Born in Fukui, Japan in 1969.

After serving as Director of Overseas Business at Nishi Sports Corporation, Director of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations Business Department, Member of the Marketing Committee of the Japan Olympic Committee, and Professor at the Department of Athletic Sports, College of Sports Science, Nihon University, Oshima was appointed Assistant Race Director of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation in September 2023. He has served as Race Director since April 2024. Director since April 2024.