Hokkaido Marathon Elite Field

Next weekend's Hokkaido Marathon has a good men's field lined up, with five sub-2:10 men and some interesting matchups. At the front is 2024 Osaka Marathon winner Kiyoto Hirabayashi, the winners of the 2024 and 2022 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon Derese Workneh and Yuki Nakamura, and 2023 Beppu-Oita runner-up Atsumi Ashiwa, with threats from two other race winners, 2022 Hokkaido champ Luka Musembi and Tokyo Olympics marathon trials winner Shogo Nakamura. Sub-61 half marathoner Kazuki Matsuyama is scheduled to debut, and if he or Hirabayashi actually start it will give the race a very different dynamic.

The women's field is thinner, but 2018 World Half Marathon Championships bronze medalist Pauline Kamulu is on the list to make her debut. If she's for real nobody else in the field can touch her. If not, it'll probably be a head-to-head between the only sub-2:30 woman in the race, Yuri Mitsune, and Nanami Aoki, 2:30:01 on Osaka last year. Shiho Tachizako is another high-potential first-timer from the Tenmaya corporate team, coming in off a 1:11:16 at February's National Corporate Half Marathon.

BS Fuji's broadcast of the race starts at 8:28 a.m. local time Sunday and is scheduled to be streamed online. Details on streaming TBA.

Times listed are athletes' best in last 3 years except where noted.

Men

Kiyoto Hirabayashi (Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 2:06:18 (1st, Osaka 2024)

Derese Workneh (Hiramatsu Byoin) - 2:07:58 (1st, Beppu-Oita 2024)

Yuki Nakamura (Sumitomo Denko) - 2:08:29 (1st, Beppu-Oita 2022)

Atsumi Ashiwa (Honda) - 2:08:37 (2nd, Beppu-Oita 2023)

Yuma Morii (Kyoto T&F Assoc.) - 2:09:59 (8th, Boston 2024)

Masaru Aoki (Kao) - 2:10:01 (15th, Osaka 2022)

Shogo Kanezane (Chugoku Denryoku) - 2:10:02 (9th, Beppu-Oita 2022)

Chihiro Ono (GMO) - 2:10:15 (36th, Osaka 2023)

Ren Umezaki (Toyo Univ.) - 2:10:19 (2nd, Nobeoka 2024)

Hiromasa Kumahashi (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 2:10:38 (25th, Tokyo 2024)

Daisuke Hosomori (YKK) - 2:10:40 (28th, Osaka 2024)

Takashi Soma (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 2:10:46 (3rd, Nobeoka 2024)

Luka Musembi (Tokyo T&F Assoc.) - 2:10:49 (1st, Hokkaido 2022)

Haruka Kawamura (SDF Academy) - 2:10:57 (7th, Hofu 2023)

Shogo Nakamura (Fujitsu) - 2:12:10 (36th, Tokyo 2023)

Kazuki Matsuyama (Toyo Univ.) - debut - 1:00:43 (Corporate Half 2022)

Women

Yuri Mitsune (18 Ginko) - 2:29:49 (13th, Nagoya 2024)

Nanami Aoki (Iwatani Sangyo) - 2:30:01 (8th, Osaka 2023)

Yuko Kikuchi (Shimamura) - 2:32:08 (23rd, Nagoya 2022)

Ayano Ikeuchi (Denso) - 2:32:26 (11th, Seoul 2024)

Ai Ikemoto (Tokyo T&F Assoc.) - 2:34:17 (3rd, Hofu 2022)

Asuka Yamamoto (Universal Ent.) - 2:34:36 (9th, Osaka 2024)

Tomomi Sawahata (Sawahatters) - 2:34:46 (27th, Nagoya 2022)

Pauline Kamulu Kaveke (Route Inn Hotels) - debut - 1:07:22 (Marugame Half 2023)

Shiho Tachizako (Tenmaya) - debut - 1:11:16 (Corporate Half 2024)

Keita Sato Joins Swoosh TC

After appearing at a Nike event on Apr. 3, U20 1500 m NR and indoor 3000 m and 5000 m NR holder Keita Sato , 22, updated his Instagram profile to announce that he is joining Nike's Swoosh TC . At the Nike event Sato said that he plans to run the 1500 m at the Apr. 11 Kanaguri Memorial Meet, then will move to the U.S. "To be successful at the global level I need to train and grow alongside world-class athletes," he said. "I have to take every day seriously in order to achieve that dream of being internationally competitive." Swoosh TC was founded last year. Its coach Mike Smith has guided many athletes to international championships, including prior to Swoosh TC's launch, with some earning medals and podium finishes under his leadership. photo © 2026 Brett Larner, all rights reserved source article: https://www.rikujyokyogi.co.jp/archives/204241/2 translated by Brett Larner

Updates on Transfers

April 1 is the start of Japan's new academic and fiscal year, and there's always a wave of transfer announcements to go with it. Some notable ones yesterday: 800 m NR holder Rin Kubo skipped university to go straight to 2023 Queens Ekiden national champion Sekisui Kagaku after her graduation from Higashi Osaka Keiai H.S. Multiple NR holder Nozomi Tanaka rejoined the Toyota Jidoshokki women's team after having left it to pursue a solo pro career as a New Balance athlete. Already on the team for this fall's Nagoya Asian Games in the 10000 m, Ririka Hironaka announced a switch from her longtime home at Japan Post to the Uniqlo women's team. Collegiate marathon record holder Asahi Kuroda joined the 2026 national champion GMO corporate team after graduating from 2026 Hakone Ekiden champ Aoyama Gakuin University last week. Hakone Ekdien First Stage CR holder Rui Aoki joins the Sumitomo Denko corporate team after running his final race for 2025 Izumo Ekiden w...

Weekend Track Roundup

There were 2 decently competitive meets in the Tokyo area this weekend. Saturday saw the new year's first edition of the Setagaya Time Trials meet. Takuma Akiyoshi took the men's 3000 m A-heat over his MABP Maverick teammate Festus Kiprono Cheruiyot with a 7:58.32 PB. Cheruiyot just held off 3rd-placer Nao Kurihara 7:59.92 to 8:00.02, with MABP runners taking the top 5 spots. The top 7 in the men's 5000 m A-heat all cleared 14 minutes. Still a 6-way race with 400 m to go, Tatsuya Maruyama of Komori Corp. came out on top in 13:48.49, with 5th-placer Kazuki Ishii of Yakult just over a second behind in 13:49.63. Lacking the gear to stay with them, new American marathon sensation Ethan Shuley fell back to 6th in 13:57.12 in his first-ever track 5000 m, holding off 7th-placer Daiki Nomimura of NTT Nishi Nihon who came up from behind to finish in 13:58.30. Sunday was the 59th edition of the Tokyo Big 6 meet between Waseda University , Meiji University , Hosei Univers...

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