Skip to main content

Arao and Hosoda 6th at TCS Sydney Marathon



Dark horse Masato Arao and Paris Olympics marathon team alternate Ai Hosoda took the top Japanese spots in the TCS Sydney Marathon's first edition as part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, both finishing 6th.

Ranked 20th in the field, Arao, who this time last year was working a full-time job after not getting a corporate team contract post-college, came to Sydney for his international debut with the A-goal of making top 10 off a 1:30:50 win at the hilly Ome 30 km in February and an almost 10-minute PB of 2:08:05 in his second marathon at Tokyo in February. After driving the course and seeing the major hills in the first 15 km he opted out of going with the lead group, deciding to stick with the 2nd group on 2:08 pace until things leveled out after 15 km and seeing how it went.

As it turned out the lead group with all the big names was a lot slower than planned, never more than a minute ahead of the 2nd group including Arao, Kento Kikutani, Kosei Machida and Australians Haftu Strintzos and Brett Robinson. Coming up to 30 km it was down to just Arao and pacer Isaac Heynes, working to reel the leaders back in with the back end of the lead group just seconds ahead.

Arao didn't quite there in time before the pacers stopped and eventual top 3 Hailemaryam Kiros, Addisu Gobena and Tebello Ramakongoana took off, but he spent the rest of the race picking them off one by one. In the end he worked all the way up to 6th, bettering his PB by 23 seconds with a negative split 2:07:42 and finishing just 4 seconds behind former NCAA king Edward Cheserek. Not bad for a guy who never made his college team's starting roster for any ekiden. "I couldn't believe it when I caught Eliud Kipchoge," Arao told JRN post-race. "A year ago I'd never have believed it."

Kikutani, a two-time 2:07 marathoner, ended up 11th in 2:09:34. "It was a hard course," he told JRN. "I've never run a course like this before. 2:07 here is pretty amazing." Arao's time bettered the fastest-ever by a Japanese man in Sydney by over a minute, with Kikutani coming in as all-time #4. Machida faded hard to finish 26th in 2:21:38 in the middle of a group of Japanese amateurs just behind the top two women.

The front end came down to a duel between Kiros and Gobena, with Kiros having the extra gear on the downhill finish to pull away for the win in a 2:06:06 Australian all-comers record and Gobena 2nd in 2:06:16. Ramakongoana was 3rd in 2:06:47.

The women's race ended up going head-to-head too, with Paris Olympics gold medalist Sifan Hassan dropping Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Brigid Kosgei for the win 2:18:22 to 2:18:56, outrunning Kosgei by 27 seconds between 40 km and the finish. Like the top tier in the men's race, both Hassan and Kosgei ran massive negative splits after going through halfway in 1:10-flat.

The only top-tier Japanese woman in the race, Hosoda dropped the 4th-fastest time of her career with a 2:23:27 for 6th, 14 seconds behind 5th-placer Eveline Chirchir after closing over 30 seconds on Chirchir after 40 km. By clearing 2:23:30 and making top 8 Hosoda became the first Japanese woman to score a place in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics marathon trials, something that escaped Arao who had to clear 2:06:30. Amateur Chisa Endo was 15th in 2:42:43.

TCS Sydney Marathon

31 Aug. 2025, Sydney, Australia

Men
1. Hailemaryam Kiros (Ethiopia) - 2:06:06 - ACR
2. Addisu Gobena (Ethiopia) - 2:06:16
3. Tebello Ramakongoana (Lesotho) - 2:06:47
4. Mustapha Houdadi (Morocco) - 2:07:17 - PB
5. Edward Cheserek (Kenya) - 2:07:38
6. Masato Arao (Japan/ND Software) - 2:07:42 - PB
7. Laban Korir (Kenya) - 2:08:06
8. Felix Kiptoo Kirwa (Kenya) - 2:08:18
9. Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) - 2:08:31
10. Victor Kipchirchir (Kenya) - 2:09:08
11. Kento Kikutani (Japan/Toyota Boshoku) - 2:09:34
12. Brian Shrader (U.S.A.) - 2:10:29
13. Samuel Fitwi (Germany) - 2:10:30
14. Haftu Strintzos (Australia) - 2:11:27 - debut
15. Cornelius Kibet Kiplagat (Kenya) - 2:12:09
16. Thomas Do Canto (Australia) - 2:13:25
17. Brett Robinson (Australia) - 2:15:00
18. Fraser Darcy (Australia) - 2:17:24 - PB
19. Martin Oleson (Denmark) - 2:18:01
20. Steven McKenna (Australia) - 2:18:26 - PB
-----
DNF - Dawit Wolde (Ethiopia)
DNF - Bernard Koech (Kenya) 
DNF - Birhanu Legese (Ethiopia)
DNF - Jemal Yimer (Ethiopia)
DNF - Enock Kinyamal (Kenya)
DNF - Eyob Faniel (Italy)
DNF - Shadrack Kimining (Kenya)
DNF - Liam Adams (Australia)
DNF - Afewerki Berhane (Eritrea)
DNF - Timonty Kosgei (Kenya

Women
1. Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) - 2:18:22 - ACR
2. Brigid Kosgei (Kenya) - 2:18:56
3. Workenesh Edesa (Ethiopia) - 2:22:15
4. Kumeshi Sinhala (Ethiopia) - 2:22:50
5. Evaline Chirchir (Kenya) - 2:23:13
6. Ai Hosoda (Japan/Edion) - 2:23:27
7. Leanne Pompeani (Australia) - 2:24:47
8. Jessica Stenson (Australia) - 2:28:56
9. Lisa Weightman (Australia) - 2:29:34
10. Abigail Nordberg (Australia) - 2:35:43
11. Danette Sheehan (Australia) - 2:36:56
12. Dominika Stelmach (Poland) - 2:38:04
13. Riine Ringi (Estonia) - 2:38:45
14. Kate Baker (Australia) - 2:42:00
15. Chisa Endo (Japan) - 2:42:43

text and photo © 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
I think Ai Hosoda's time and finish was very impressive on a tough course. To beat the Australian athletes is a good barometer as to how well she raced. She is having a great season at all distances and I'm pleased for her success. I look forward to seeing how the Edion team perform in the Queen's Ekiden later in the year. They have 3 outstanding athletes that come to mind quickly, Kana Mizumoto, Yada Mikuni and Ai Hosoda.

Hats off to Masato Arao too on his fine performance, excellent race result and PB.
September 1, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Anonymous said…
This Arao story is pretty amazing, kudos to him for not giving up in a very selective ekiden world and finding his way.

Will be looking forward to his future progress, would be fun seeing him on a fast circuit like Osaka or something.
September 1, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Hakone Ekiden

The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...
3 comments
Read more

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shikama and Njeri Win Sendai International Half Marathon

Shunsuke Shikama (Logisteed) and Tabitha Njeri Kamau (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) won the Sendai International Half Marathon Sunday in Sendai, Shikama in 1:01:31 and Njeri in 1:09:20. Mizuki Nishimura (Tenmaya) was the top Japanese woman at 2nd overall. The men's race went through 5 km in 14:34 and 10 km in 29:22. Shikama ran alongside top competition including Shoki Yamaguchi (Soka Univ.), who has been running well in half marathons this season, and Tokyo World Championships marathon team member Naoki Koyama (Honda). On a course with many small ups and downs, Shikama attacked on a downhill just after 15 km, quickly breaking free of the lead group of 7. 13 seconds up by 20 km, Shikama covered the last 1.0975 km in 3:06 to seal his first Sendai title. A graduate of Juntendo University , Shikama is in his 4th season with Logisteed. At the 2024 National Corporate Half Marathon he ran 1:00:41, and at last year's East Japan Corporate Ekiden he won the Third Stage. In his marathon d...
Post a Comment
Read more