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Tokyo Legacy Half Streaming and Preview


One of the three big races happening this weekend in Japan, the Tokyo Legacy Half is a preview of the course for next year's Tokyo World Championships marathon, starting at the National Stadium, downhill in the first 5 km, flat in the middle, and then back up to the stadium for the finish. TBS-BS is broadcasting the race live starting at 8:00 a.m., with streaming of the finish line on YouTube and a tape delayed regular TV broadcast at 1:35 a.m. on Oct. 30.

Fresh off a 30:13 road 10 km and with a 1:05:58 best Loice Chemnung is the heavy-duty favorite in the women's race, 4:34 up on her nearest competition, Mongolian NR holder Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh. The Tokyo Legacy Half reduces appearance fees by 20% for anyone who finishes over 5 minutes behind the winner, so for Galbadrakh and sub-1:11 Japanese women Yuki Nakamura and Mao Kiyota it's not just a race for 2nd but against whatever Chemnung brings to Tokyo.

Amos Kurgat is the top man in the field at 58:47, and he's got tough competition from sub-60 men Cleophas Kandie and Andrew Lorot and last year's top three Evans Keitany, Benard Kimeli and Bedan Karoki. The fastest Japanese man in the race at 1:00:08 and one of the best candidates to deliver Japan's first sub-60, although maybe not on this course, is Tomoki Ota, with veteran Yuki Sato the only other Japanese man with a sub-61 in the last three years with a 1:00:35 at last year's National Corporate Championships.

Straight from Paris, Paralympians Misato Michishita, Tsubasa Kina, Tomoki Suzuki, Kenya Karasawa and more lead the para half field. JRN will be on-site at the National Stadium to cover the races live.

Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon

Elite Field Highlights
Tokyo, 20 Oct. 2024
times listed are athletes' best in last 3 years except where noted

Women
Loice Chemnung (Kenya) - 1:05:58 (2024 Malaga Half)
Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh (Mongolia) - 1:10:32 (2023 Ageo City Half)
Yuki Nakamura (Panasonic) - 1:10:48 (2023 Matsue Ladies Half)
Mao Kiyota (Suzuki) - 1:10:56 (2024 Osaka Half)
Sairi Maeda (Daihatsu) - 1:11:56 (2023 Osaka Int'l Marathon halfway)
Kanako Takemoto (Daihatsu) - 1:12:33 (2023 National Corporate Half)
Sasha Gollish (Canada) - 1:12:51 (2023 Vancouver Half)
Ayaka Murao (Daihatsu) - 1:13:15 (2022 Sanyo Ladies Half)
Arisa Nakao (Nihon Wellness Sports Univ.) - 1:14:33 (2022 Sanyo Ladies Half)
Natsuki Ogawa (Suzuki) - 1:14:34 (2023 Tokyo Legacy Half)
Shiho Kaneshige (GRlab Yamaguchi) - 1:14:47 (2024 National Corporate Half)
Yuki Shibata (Daihatsu) - 1:14:58 (2024 Hakodate Half)

Men
Amos Kurgat (Kenya/Chudenko) - 58:47 (2024 Copenhagen Half)
Cleophas Kandie (Kenya/Mitsubishi Juko) - 59:18 (2023 Marugame Half)
Bedan Karoki (Kenya/Toyota) - 59:37 (2023 Buenos Aires Half)
Andrew Lorot (Kenya/YKK) - 59:54 (2023 Marugame Half)
Tomoki Ota (Toyota) - 1:00:08 (2023 Marugame Half)
Yuki Sato (SG Holdings) - 1:00:35 (2023 National Corporate Half)
Benard Kimeli (Kenya/Fujitsu) - 1:00:36 (2022 Tokyo Legacy Half)
Paul Kuira (Kenya/JR Higashi Nihon) - 1:00:47 (2023 Ageo City Half)
Vincent Raimoi (Kenya/Suzuki) - 1:00:56 (2022 Tokyo Legacy Half)
Daisuke Hosomori (YKK) - 1:01:01 (2024 National Corporate Half)
Evans Keitany (Kenya/Toyota Boshoku) - 1:01:10 (2023 Tokyo Legacy Half)
Boniface Mulwa (Kenya/ND Software) - 1:01:17 (2022 Ageo City Half)
Vincent Yegon (Kenya/Honda) - 1:01:18 (2022 Paris Half)
Kotaro Kondo (SG Holdings) - 1:01:26 (2023 Tokyo Legacy Half)
Ryu Takaku (Yakult) - 1:01:39 (2023 Marugame Half)
Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) - 1:01:41 (2022 National Corporate Half)
Simon Kariuki (Kenya/Togami Denki) - 1:01:43 (2023 Osaka Half)
Kento Otsu (Chuo Hatsujo) - 1:01:43 (2024 Marugame Half)
Daniel Muiva Kitonyi (Kenya/Track Tokyo) - 1:01:56 (2022 Ageo City Half)
Yusuke Nishiyama (Toyota) - 1:01:56 (2023 Marugame Half)

Women's Para Half
Wakako Tsuchida (T54) - 47:55 (2022 Oita)
Tsubasa Kina (T54) - 47:55 (2022 Oita)
Kazumi Takimura (T53) - 1:01:34 (2024 Nagano)
Misato Michishita (T12) - 1:24:48 (2023 Tokyo Legacy Half
Natsumi Inouchi (T11) - 1:31:41 (2022 Tokyo Legacy Half

Men's Para Half
Tomoki Suzuki (T54) - 38:32 (2021 Oita)
Ryota Yoshida (T54) - 41:03 (2015 Hamanasu)
Tadashi Horikoshi (T12) - 1:08:19 (2013 National Corporate Half)
Kenya Karasawa (T11) - 1:08:30 (2022 Tokyo Legacy Half)
Yutaka Kumagai (T12) - 1:11:09 (2019 Chiba)

© 2024 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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Comments

Stefan said…
It would continue a wonderful year for Yuki Nakamura if she can podium here and, as you pointed out, stay within 5 min to the likely winner Loice Chemnung to get her full appearance fee. She has raced well this year so I'm hoping she can post a good time here. Also very interested to see how Sairi Maeda performs. Daihatsu have a lot of entrants! Both will no doubt play a big role for their respective teams in the Queens Ekiden in late November. It is shaping up to be an exciting Sunday with this and the Princess Ekiden!
October 18, 2024 at 2:22 PM
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