Just over three weeks out from the race the Hokkaido Marathon organizers have released the elite field for this year's edition. Scheduled for Aug. 25, Hokkaido was in a tough position this year, just three weeks out from the MGC Race 2020 Olympic marathon trials and a few more from the Doha World Championships. Only three women answered the call, but despite the two higher priority races just around the corner the men's field is decent quality.
On the women's side, 38-year-old Kaori Yoshida (Team RxL), a past Hokkaido winner, is the top seed with a 2:28:24 best in Nagoya two years ago. Alongside her are relative newcomers Chika Ihara (Higo Ginko) and Mirai Waku (Univ. Ent.) both with times in the low-2:30 range earlier this year.
On the men's side, Japan-based Kenyan Michael Githae (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) leads the way with a 2:09:21 for 4th at Lake Biwa last year. Top-ranked Japanese man Shogo Kanezane (Chugoku Denryoku) was one of the people who came closest to qualifying for the MGC Race without making it, running 2:10:19 at Beppu-Oita in February. Amateur Tatsunori Hamasaki (Nanji AC) ran 2:11:26 two years ago in Hofu but has struggled to get back to that kind of form since then. The rest of the field comes in at the 2:12 level, led by two past winners of the Nobeoka Nishi Nihon Marathon, Shota Yamazaki (Yakult) and Ryoichi Matsuo (Asahi Kasei).
2019 Hokkaido Marathon Elite Field Highlights
Sapporo, Hokkaido, 8/25/19complete elite field listing
times listed are best within last three years except where noted
Women
Kaori Yoshida (Team RxL) - 2:28:24 (Nagoya Women's 2017)
Chika Ihara (Higo Ginko) - 2:31:32 (Osaka Women's 2019)
Mirai Waku (Univ. Ent.) - 2:33:37 (Nagoya Women's 2019)
Men
Michael Githae (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 2:09:21 (Lake Biwa 2018)
Shogo Kanezane (Chugoku Denryoku) - 2:10:19 (Bappu-Oita 2019)
Tatsunori Hamasaki (Nanji AC) - 2:11:26 (Hofu 2017)
Yukio Fujimura (Sumitomo Denko) - 2:12:13 (Lake Biwa 2019)
Shota Yamazaki (Yakult) - 2:12:15 (Nobeoka 2018)
Ryoichi Matsuo (Asahi Kasei) - 2:12:19 (Nobeoka 2018)
Shinichi Yamashita (Takigahara SDF Base) - 2:12:28 (Hofu 2018)
Ayumu Sato (MHPS) - 2:12:37 (Beppu-Oita 2018)
© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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