Skip to main content

Olympic Team Members Ichiyama and Maeda Lead Osaka International Women's Marathon Field


On Dec. 22 the Osaka International Women's Marathon announced the elite field for its 40th running on Jan. 31, 2021 at a live streamed press conference. Like Fukuoka, Osaka is going ahead with a reduced domestic field of just 99 entrants and no international athletes. Tokyo Olympics marathon team members Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal), winner of this year's Nagoya Women's Marathon in a women-only national record of 2:20:29, and trials winner and 30 km national record holder Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) lead the entry list. With none of Osaka's usual international pacers, Osaka will use male pacers to try to set things up for a shot at Mizuki Noguchi's 2:19:12 national record.

The unsponsored Reia Iwade is the only other athlete who could realistically try to go with them, and for the rest of the field, which includes last year's 2nd-place Japanese woman Haruka Yamaguchi (AC Kita), there will be other men to pace at around 2:25. With ten women from 2:25 to 2:29 on the list and debuts from quality half marathoners Ayumi Hagiwara (Toyota Jidoshokki) and Moeno Shimizu (Panasonic) that should be a pretty solid group.

One other interesting name in the field is 62-year-old Mariko Yugeta, who in November last year became the first woman over age 60 to ever break 3 hours in the marathon with a 2:59:15 at the Shimonoseki Kaikyo Marathon. Yugeta qualified for Osaka earlier this month at the Osaka 30 km Road Race and will be the oldest woman ever to run it.

The Osaka International Women's Marathon will be broadcast live on Jan. 31. Check back closer to race day for more info on broadcast and streaming options.

40th Osaka International Women's Marathon

Elite Field Highlights
Osaka, 31 Jan. 2021
times listed are best within last three years except where noted

Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal) - 2:20:29 (Nagoya 2020)
Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) - 2:23:48 (Osaka Int'l 2018)
Reia Iwade (Chiba T&F Assoc.) - 2:23:52 (Nagoya 2019)
Mizuki Tanimoto (Tenmaya) - 2:25:28 (Nagoya 2019)
Ayano Ikemitsu (Kagoshima Ginko) - 2:26:07 (Nagoya 2019)
Haruka Yamaguchi (AC Kita) - 2:26:45 (Osaka Int'l 2020)
Madoka Nakano (Iwatani Sangyo) - 2:27:39 (Osaka Int'l 2019)
Yukari Abe (Shimamura) - 2:28:02 (Osaka Int'l 2019)
Mao Uesugi (Starts) - 2:28:02 (Nagoya 2019)
Shiho Kaneshige (GRlab Kanto) - 2:28:51 (Osaka Int'l 2020)
Shiho Takechi (Yamada Holdings) - 2:29:12 (Nagoya 2019)
Marie Imada (GRlab) - 2:29:35 (Saitama 2018)
Miharu Shimokado (Saitama T&F Assoc.) - 2:29:38 (Gold Coast 2018)
Hiroko Baino (Memolead) - 2:30:09 (Fukuoka 2019)
Anna Matsuda (Kyocera) - 2:30:35 (Nagoya 2020)
Mirai Waku (Univ. Ent.) - 2:33:03 (Asian Championships 2019)
Yuko Kawauchi (Nissei) - 2:33:57 (Nagoya 2019)
Yumiko Kinoshita (Tokyo T&F Assoc.) - 2:34:19 (Osaka Int'l 2019)
Tomomi Sawahata (Saitama T&F Assoc.) - 2:35:58 (Saitama 2018)
Kaoru Nagao (Sunfield AC) - 2:36:09 (Nagoya 2019)
Nao Isaka (Runs) - 2:36:48 (Katsuta 2019)
Hiroko Miyauchi (Hokuren) - 2:37:05 (Nagoya 2018)
Ruka Nakamura (Kojima Press) - 2:38:32 (Nagoya 2018)
Nozomi Kawato (JC Group) - 2:38:43 (Tokyo 2019)

Debut
Ayumi Hagiwara (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 1:10:16 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2019)
Moeno Shimizu (Panasonic) - 1:12:45 (Matsue Ladies Half 2018)
Rui Nishida (Sysmex) - 1:13:34 (Osaka Half 2018)
Yumika Nagahama (Osaka Geijutsu Univ.) - 1:13:37 (Nat'l Univ. Half 2019)
Mitsuki Furuta (Hagoromo Kokusai Univ.) - 1:13:52 (Kansai Univ. Half 2020)
Mariko Ueno (Bukkyo Univ.) - 1:13:59 (Kansai Univ. Half 2020)

© 2020 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee
Labels:

Comments

Stefan said…
I am very much looking forward to this event. I hope they have it live streamed. I was a bit surprised at the somewhat disappointing times on the weekend in the Sanyo Road Race Half Marathon so I'm hoping Ichiyama and Maeda and Iwade can give a great showing here. This will be the first marathon for Maeda since the MGC event if I'm not mistaken. I have a feeling the national record will not be broken but I hope I'm proved wrong.
December 23, 2020 at 3:49 AM
Eric in Seattle said…
Eric in Seattle. I think Ichiyama and Maeda are running well; did not how Iwade was unsponsored, but if she runs well she may get some support. I have some relatives in Tokyo, but none of us are allowed to travel from the US; but someday I will travel to Japan. Oh, I bought you another 10 coffees. Appreciate the website.
December 27, 2020 at 1:09 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...
Post a Comment
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

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