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MGC Race Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier - Ryo Hashimoto

Ryo Hashimoto

age: 25
sponsor: GMO
graduated from: Oita Nishi H.S., Aoyama Gakuin University

best time inside MGC window:
2:09:29, 5th, 2019 Beppu-Oita Marathon

PB: 2:09:29, 5th, 2019 Beppu-Oita Marathon

other PBs:
5000 m: 13:57.91 (2016) 10000 m: 28:35.37 (2019) half marathon: 1:02:55 (2019)

marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019)
5th, 2019 Beppu-Oita Marathon, 2:09:29 – PB
9th, 2018 Fukuoka International Marathon, 2:11:40

other major results:
7th, 2019 HDC Fukagawa Meet 10000 m B-Race, 28:35.37 – PB
4th, 2019 Sendai International Half Marathon, 1:02:55 – PB
4th, 2018 Year-End Half Marathon, 1:03:31
4th, 2017 Gold Coast Marathon, 2:10:19
20th, 2017 Tokyo Marathon, 2:13:29
1st, 2016 Hofu Marathon, 2:11:20
23rd, 2016 Tokyo Marathon, 2:14:38

Hashimoto is totally unique in the MGC men’s field, someone who went to a Hakone Ekiden champion university but never made its starting roster for Japan’s biggest race. A benchwarmer for four-time Hakone winner Aoyama Gakuin University, he watched from the sidelines as AGU won its first two titles his third and fourth years. As a substitute, he ran his first marathon just before graduating, running a decent 2:14:38 at the Tokyo Marathon.

Hashimoto joined other AGU runners at the new GMO corporate team post-graduation, and something unusual started to happen. In his second marathon he won Hofu in 2:11:20. Seven months later, a 2:10:19 for 4th at the Gold Coast Marathon. This spring, a 2:09:29 for 5th on home ground at the Beppu-Oita Marathon that made him the fastest AGU grad ever.

That was enough to get him into the MGC Race, and, notably, of the four AGU runners to qualify, including Hakone stage winners Daichi Kamino and Takuya Fujikawa and National University Half Marathon champ Tadashi Isshiki, it made him the only one to qualify outright instead of through the two-race sub-2:11 average option. Since then he’s run 10000 m and half marathon PBs. With the MGC entry list above him paved with bigtime Hakone stars it’s hard to imagine him really competing in the front end of the race, but who knows? Who could’ve imagined he’d come this far?

Next profile: Daisuke Uekado (Otsuka Seiyaku).

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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