Skip to main content

Chasing $250,000 - Nagoya Women's Marathon Elite Field


Last year the Nagoya Women's Marathon was the first major Japanese race to take a step toward trying to restart the domestic industry, going ahead with its elite race, a limited mass-participation field of 5000, and an accompanying mass-participation half marathon with thousands more. In the fall it announced a massive $250,000 USD payday for 1st place in its 2022 race. Even as other races announce cancelations amid Japan's ongoing omicron wave and the final fate of the Osaka and Tokyo Marathons remains to be seen, Nagoya today announced the elite field for its Mar. 13 race.

The international component is very small, but at least there is one, not an easy thing to put together given Japan's still in-place border restrictions even if the government is making noises that it'll relax them a bit come Mar. 1. At the top of the list are Kenyan-born 2020 Tokyo Marathon course record breaker Lonah Chemtai Salpeter running under the Israeli flag, and 2019 world champion Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya. Given the prize money for 1st it's not a major surprise Salpeter is opting to run here instead of defending in Tokyo. Chepngetich has run 2:17 to match Salpeter's best, but it was back at Dubai in early 2019, and despite her world title and a win in Chicago last fall she hasn't broken 2:22 since then.

That puts her in range of Yuka Ando (Wacoal), holder of the debut marathon NR of 2:21:36 in Nagoya 2017. Ando ran 2:22:41 in Nagoya two years ago and is fresh off a 1:08:13 half marathon PB last weekend at the National Corporate Half, where she said she plans to better teammate Mao Ichiyama's 2:20:29 women-only NR this time out.

Reia Iwade (Adidas), Sinead Diver (Australia) and Rie Kawauchi (Otsuka Seiyaku) make up the next tier, with another five women just behind at the 2:26~2:27 level. In Kawauchi's case, she's doubling back off a 2:25:35 PB in Osaka last month in order to try to seal up an early place in the 2024 Olympic trials. Her easiest route to getting there is to run at least 2:30:25, making the grade by having two races within the qualifying window averaging 2:28:00 or better.

The list of first-timers and people coming back to the marathon is deep in numbers and talent. Key people include 1:09:12 half marathoner Kaena Takeyama (Daihatsu), 2019 Napoli World University Games half marathon gold medalist Yuka Suzuki (Daito Bunka Univ.), sub-32 track 10000 m runner Minami Yamanouchi (Raffine), and shoeless Hiromi Katakai (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo).

Check back closer to race date for options on following Nagoya live from outside Japan.

Nagoya Women's Marathon

Elite Field Highlights
Nagoya, Aichi, 13 Mar. 2022
times listed are best within last three years except where noted

Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (Israel) - 2:17:45 (Tokyo 2020)
Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya) - 2:22:05 (London 2020)
Yuka Ando (Wacoal) - 2:22:41 (Nagoya 2020)
Reia Iwade (Adidas) - 2:23:52 (Nagoya 2019)
Sinead Diver (Australia) - 2:24:11 (London 2019)
Rie Kawauchi (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 2:25:35 (Osaka Int'l 2022)
Mirai Waku (Universal)- 2:26:30 (Nagoya 2021)
Ai Hosoda (Edion) - 2:26:34 (Nagoya 2020)
Haruka Yamaguchi (AC Kita) - 2:26:35 (Osaka Int'l 2020)
Hanae Tanaka (Daiichi Seimei) - 2:26:49 (Nagoya 2021)
Chiharu Ikeda (Hitachi) - 2:27:39 (Nagoya 2021)
Ayano Ikemitsu (Kagoshima Ginko) - 2:28:26 (Osaka Int'l 2021)
Ikumi Fukura (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 2:28:31 (Nagoya 2021)
Natsuki Omori (Daihatsu) - 2:28:38 (Nagoya 2021) - scratch
Kanako Takemoto (Daihatsu) - 2:28:40 (Nagoya 2021)
Yuma Adachi (Kyocera) - 2:29:00 (Nagoya 2021)
Eloise Wellings (Australia) - 2:29:42 (London 2021)
Anna Matsuda (Denso) - 2:29:52 (Osaka Int'l 2021)
Miharu Shimokado (SID Group) - 2:32:48 (Osaka Int'l 2020) - scratch
Madoka Nakano (Iwatani Sangyo) - 2:32:56 (Osaka Int'l 2021) - scratch
Mao Kiyota (Suzuki) - 2:33:04 (Tokyo 2019)
Nana Sato (Starts) - 2:33:42 (Hofu 2021)
Mariko Yugeta (age 63) - 2:52:13 (Osaka Int'l 2021)

Debut / Do-Over
Kaena Takeyama (Daihatsu) - 1:09:12 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2020)
Momoko Watanabe (Tenmaya) - 1:10:43 (Sanyo Ladies Half 2021)
Minami Yamanouchi (Raffine) - 1:10:44 (Sanyo Ladies Half 2018) - scratch
Kotomi Tsubokura (Wacoal) - 1:11:02 (Sanyo Ladies Half 2021) - scratch
Mayu Hirata (Wacoal) - 1:11:15 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2021)
Yuko Kikuchi (Hokuren) - 1:11:32 (Sanyo 2019)
Hikari Onishi (Japan Post) - 1:11:48 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2021)
Hiromi Katakai (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 1:12:00 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2022) - scratch
Yuka Suzuki (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 31:37.88 (Yamaguchi Time Trials 2019)
Kotona Ota (Japan Post) - 32:42.63 (Kyoto Time Trials 2021)

© 2022 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee
Labels:

Comments

Andrew Armiger said…
So cool to see such a large prize purse in a women's-only race.
February 18, 2022 at 10:56 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

10000 m National Championships Preview

  Less than five months since the 2023 10000 m National Championships went down at the 2021 Olympic stadium in Tokyo, the 2024 edition happens Friday at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium, with NHK broadcasting it live starting at 19:25 local time. Doubling up on Nationals like this lets Japanese athletes double dip on placing points to try to get into the Paris Olympics on rankings. But between the number of people who've hit the 30:40.00 women's standard and 27:00.00 men's standard and the lopsided eight spots given away to top placers at World XC, there are only four women's spots and three men's available via rankings. Of those, three of the four women's spots and two of the three men's spots are currently occupied by top placers at December's 2023 Nationals, Ririka Hironaka , Haruka Kokai and Rino Goshima for women and Ren Tazawa and Tomoki Ota for men. The 2023 Nationals did get close to the standards, with Hironaka leading the top four women under
3 comments
Read more

Chesang and Kipkoech Win Hot Gifu Half

Hot conditions held back fast times at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon Sunday, where Ugandan Stella Chesang and Kenya Hillary Kipkoech took the top spots over last year's winners Dolphine Nyaboke Omare and Amos Kurgat . In the women's race Chesang, Omare and Kenyan-born Bahraini Eunice Chebichii Chumba went out as a trio, Japan-based Hellen Ekarare with them initially but eventually dropping out. After a 15:39 opening 5 km Chumba started to slip off, and by 15 km Chesang was on her own. Chesang won in 1:07:59, solid given the conditions, with Omare 2nd in 1:08:31 and Chumba 3rd in 1:09:10. Rinka Hida was the first Japanese woman, 5th overall in 1:12:06 behind Australian Genevieve Gregson . A lead men's pack of 11 went through 5 km in 14:31, but by 10 km it was down to Kipkoech, Kurgat, , Timothy Kiplagat , Ugandan Stephen Kissa and Japan-based Kenyans Patrick Mathenge Wambui and Anthony Maina . At 15 km in 43:40 only Kurgat and Kipkoech were left, and over the last 5
1 comment
Read more

Drury and Mashiko Lead Four Japanese Golds - U20 Asian Championships Day 4

The closing day of the Dubai U20 Asian Athletics Championships saw Japan go out big, with four gold medals led by dominant runs by Sherry Drury (Tsuyama H.S.) and Yota Mashiko (Gakuho Ishikawa H.S.). Making her international debut, the 16-year-old Drury led start to finish in the women's 1500 m final, grinding down the rest of the field and putting over 4 seconds on runner-up Sandilea Vinod of India over the last 300 m to win in 4:21.41. Drury's splits: 1:11-2:24-(3:19)-3:35-4:21. There's still a long way for Drury to go, but in terms of form and confidence this was the best she has looked since her legendary breakthrough CR at last year's National Women's Ekiden, and you could see more than a glimmer of what everyone is hoping is really there. Mashiko was even more dominant in the men's 3000 m. Coming out on the front end of some pushing and shoving in the first 50 m, Mashiko led the entire way. By 300 m he had a measurable gap that never got smaller, and af
1 comment
Read more