The Association of Road Racing Statisticians has released its updated worldwide all-time road race rankings through 2010. The rankings score races by both depth and quality of fields throughout each race's history. Click here to see the complete rankings. Below are a summary of the #1-ranked race at each distance and listings of the top races for each individual distance. Click any image to enlarge. The listings below do not include international championship events held on varying courses in different locations.

*Although both the Tokyo International Marathon and Tokyo International Women's Marathon were held on the same course, the ARRS considers the Tokyo Marathon to be the continuation of the men's race and the Yokohama International Women's Marathon to be the continuation of the women's race.










30 km is an under-appreciated distance, and both of Japan's big races at that distance happened Sunday. At the Ome Road Race in western Tokyo's mountains, Sydney Marathon 6th-placer Masato Arao (ND Software) became the first man since the great Kunimitsu Ito in 1985-1986 to win back-to-back years. Arao, who finished 39th of 40 on his leg at the New Year Ekiden last month, stayed in the pack through 20 km before going on the attack, putting over a minute on New Year Ekiden Sixth Stage CR breaker Yudai Shimazu (GMO). Sub-1:31 winning times are rare on the tough and hilly Ome course, but Arao's 1:30:54 almost equaled his 1:30:50 from last year, making him the first Japanese man ever to do it twice and second only to CR holder Ezekiel Cheboitibin . Next up Arao races the Tokyo Marathon, where he is targeting sub-2:06. Shimazu was 2nd in 1:31:58 and Yuta Nakayama (JR Higashi Nihon) 3rd in 1:32:07. Cheboitibin was only 9th, running almost 8 minutes off his CR in 1:36:42. Shi...
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