One of the three big races happening this weekend in Japan, the Tokyo Legacy Half is a preview of the course for next year's Tokyo World Championships marathon, starting at the National Stadium, downhill in the first 5 km, flat in the middle, and then back up to the stadium for the finish. TBS-BS is broadcasting the race live starting at 8:00 a.m., with streaming of the finish line on YouTube and a tape delayed regular TV broadcast at 1:35 a.m. on Oct. 30.
Fresh off a 30:13 road 10 km and with a 1:05:58 best Loice Chemnung is the heavy-duty favorite in the women's race, 4:34 up on her nearest competition, Mongolian NR holder Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh. The Tokyo Legacy Half reduces appearance fees by 20% for anyone who finishes over 5 minutes behind the winner, so for Galbadrakh and sub-1:11 Japanese women Yuki Nakamura and Mao Kiyota it's not just a race for 2nd but against whatever Chemnung brings to Tokyo.
Amos Kurgat is the top man in the field at 58:47, and he's got tough competition from sub-60 men Cleophas Kandie and Andrew Lorot and last year's top three Evans Keitany, Benard Kimeli and Bedan Karoki. The fastest Japanese man in the race at 1:00:08 and one of the best candidates to deliver Japan's first sub-60, although maybe not on this course, is Tomoki Ota, with veteran Yuki Sato the only other Japanese man with a sub-61 in the last three years with a 1:00:35 at last year's National Corporate Championships.
Straight from Paris, Paralympians Misato Michishita, Tsubasa Kina, Tomoki Suzuki, Kenya Karasawa and more lead the para half field. JRN will be on-site at the National Stadium to cover the races live.
Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon
Elite Field Highlights
Tokyo, 20 Oct. 2024
times listed are athletes' best in last 3 years except where noted
Women
Loice Chemnung (Kenya) - 1:05:58 (2024 Malaga Half)
Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh (Mongolia) - 1:10:32 (2023 Ageo City Half)
Yuki Nakamura (Panasonic) - 1:10:48 (2023 Matsue Ladies Half)
Mao Kiyota (Suzuki) - 1:10:56 (2024 Osaka Half)
Sairi Maeda (Daihatsu) - 1:11:56 (2023 Osaka Int'l Marathon halfway)
Kanako Takemoto (Daihatsu) - 1:12:33 (2023 National Corporate Half)
Sasha Gollish (Canada) - 1:12:51 (2023 Vancouver Half)
Ayaka Murao (Daihatsu) - 1:13:15 (2022 Sanyo Ladies Half)
Arisa Nakao (Nihon Wellness Sports Univ.) - 1:14:33 (2022 Sanyo Ladies Half)
Natsuki Ogawa (Suzuki) - 1:14:34 (2023 Tokyo Legacy Half)
Shiho Kaneshige (GRlab Yamaguchi) - 1:14:47 (2024 National Corporate Half)
Yuki Shibata (Daihatsu) - 1:14:58 (2024 Hakodate Half)
Men
Amos Kurgat (Kenya/Chudenko) - 58:47 (2024 Copenhagen Half)
Cleophas Kandie (Kenya/Mitsubishi Juko) - 59:18 (2023 Marugame Half)
Bedan Karoki (Kenya/Toyota) - 59:37 (2023 Buenos Aires Half)
Andrew Lorot (Kenya/YKK) - 59:54 (2023 Marugame Half)
Tomoki Ota (Toyota) - 1:00:08 (2023 Marugame Half)
Yuki Sato (SG Holdings) - 1:00:35 (2023 National Corporate Half)
Benard Kimeli (Kenya/Fujitsu) - 1:00:36 (2022 Tokyo Legacy Half)
Paul Kuira (Kenya/JR Higashi Nihon) - 1:00:47 (2023 Ageo City Half)
Vincent Raimoi (Kenya/Suzuki) - 1:00:56 (2022 Tokyo Legacy Half)
Daisuke Hosomori (YKK) - 1:01:01 (2024 National Corporate Half)
Evans Keitany (Kenya/Toyota Boshoku) - 1:01:10 (2023 Tokyo Legacy Half)
Boniface Mulwa (Kenya/ND Software) - 1:01:17 (2022 Ageo City Half)
Vincent Yegon (Kenya/Honda) - 1:01:18 (2022 Paris Half)
Kotaro Kondo (SG Holdings) - 1:01:26 (2023 Tokyo Legacy Half)
Ryu Takaku (Yakult) - 1:01:39 (2023 Marugame Half)
Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) - 1:01:41 (2022 National Corporate Half)
Simon Kariuki (Kenya/Togami Denki) - 1:01:43 (2023 Osaka Half)
Kento Otsu (Chuo Hatsujo) - 1:01:43 (2024 Marugame Half)
Daniel Muiva Kitonyi (Kenya/Track Tokyo) - 1:01:56 (2022 Ageo City Half)
Yusuke Nishiyama (Toyota) - 1:01:56 (2023 Marugame Half)
Women's Para Half
Wakako Tsuchida (T54) - 47:55 (2022 Oita)
Tsubasa Kina (T54) - 47:55 (2022 Oita)
Kazumi Takimura (T53) - 1:01:34 (2024 Nagano)
Misato Michishita (T12) - 1:24:48 (2023 Tokyo Legacy Half
Natsumi Inouchi (T11) - 1:31:41 (2022 Tokyo Legacy Half
Men's Para Half
Tomoki Suzuki (T54) - 38:32 (2021 Oita)
Ryota Yoshida (T54) - 41:03 (2015 Hamanasu)
Tadashi Horikoshi (T12) - 1:08:19 (2013 National Corporate Half)
Kenya Karasawa (T11) - 1:08:30 (2022 Tokyo Legacy Half)
Yutaka Kumagai (T12) - 1:11:09 (2019 Chiba)
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