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Kipchoge to Run Tokyo Marathon If It Happens and He Can Get Into Country

On Jan. 19 it was learned that men's marathon world record holder and two-time Olympic marathon gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge, 37, may run the Mar. 6 Tokyo Marathon. Multiple sources involved in the situation said that the Tokyo Marathon organizers have extended an offer to Kipchoge for his participation. If he does run, there is a strong possibility that he will break both the course and all-comers' records of 2:03:58 set in 2017 by Wilson Kipsang by a wide margin.

At the same time, the Omicron coronavirus variant is likely to have a significant impact on the event's chances. The government has banned all non-resident foreigners from entering the country since Nov. 30 last year. Tokyo and other areas of the country are set to enter a partial state of emergency on Jan. 21. And the Tokyo Marathon organizers have established the policy that they will cancel the race if after Feb. 6 the government asks large-scale events to refrain from going forward and it meets the criteria. The Tokyo Marathon was originally scheduled for March last year. It was initially postponed to October due to rising coronavirus numbers, then postponed again to March, 2022.

As the Omicron variant continues to spread, road races across Japan have begun to cancel one after another. With a dark cloud hanging over the Tokyo Marathon's future it is not even clear whether Kipchoge would be able to enter the country. Organizers are waiting for the right opportunity to announce the elite field, and are still hopeful of making the best decision about the event. If the best runner in history is able to clear the hurdles set before him, a new chapter will be engraved in the history of Tokyo.

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translated by Brett Larner

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