Skip to main content

Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon Elite Field (updated)


With just over 2 weeks to go the Feb. 2 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon has finally announced its elite field. It looks pretty good at the front end at first glance, but #1-ranked Vincent Kipchumba hasn't finished a marathon since his 2:04:28 best in London 4 years ago and has only run one race, a 29:05 10 km in 2023. #2-ranked Kiyoto Hirabayashi of Koku Gakuin University, winner in Osaka last year in a collegiate and debut record 2:06:18, is very unlikely to actually start, and #3-ranked Yohanes Ghebregergis likewise hasn't run a marathon since his 2:06:28 best in 2021 and only a single half marathon, 1:02:15 last spring, since then.

So, that leaves a pretty tasty matchup between 2021 Tokyo Olympics alternate Shohei Otsuka, 2:06:57, last year's winner Derese Workneh, 2:07:58 in his Beppu-Oita victory, and Tesfahun Akalnew, 2:07:59. Another 5 people are at the 2:08 level, and then there are a truckload of 1:01 half marathoners taking a shot at the marathon distance. Runners from this year's Hakone Ekiden champion Aoyama Gakuin University have had a big impact at Beppu-Oita over the last few years, and on the entry list are 3 members of this year's lineup, Fifth Stage CR breaker Hiroki Wakabayashi, Eighth Stage winner Shota Shiode, and Seventh Stage runner Kosei Shiraishi.

Koku Gakuin's Fifth Stage runner Goki Takayama is also in the field. Also making a debut is former 10000 m NR holder Kota Murayama, who has said he will retire after the race no matter how well he runs. His twin brother Kenta Murayama, also a sub-61 half marathoner, will be running it with him.

Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon

Elite Field Highlights
Oita, 2 Feb. 2025
times listed are athletes' best in last 3 years except where noted

Vincent Kipchumba (Kenya) - 2:04:28 (London 2021)
Kiyoto Hirabayashi (Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 2:06:18 (Osaka 2024)
Yohanes Ghebregergis (Eritrea) - 2:06:28 (Siena 2021) - scratch
Shohei Otsuka (Kyudenko) - 2:06:57 (Osaka 2023)
Derese Workneh (Ethiopia/Hiramatsu Byoin) - 2:07:58 (Beppu-Oita 2024)
Tesfahun Akalnew (Ethiopia) - 2:07:59 (Sevilla 2023)
Dominic Nyairo (Kenya) - 2:08:13 (Tokyo 2023)
Ryo Osaki (Komori Corp.) - 2:08:30 (Osaka 2023)
Daiji Kawai (Toenec) - 2:08:31 (Tokyo 2022)
Atsumi Ashiwa (Honda) - 2:08:37 (Hofu 2023)
Hironori Kishimoto (GMO) - 2:08:38 (Beppu-Oita 2024) - scratch
Madoka Tanihara (Osaka Police) - 2:09:39 (Osaka 2024)
Chihiro Ono (GMO) - 2:10:15 (Osaka 2023)
Yuki Muta (Logisteed) - 2:10:28 (Beppu-Oita 2024)
Masaki Tsuda (Nishitetsu) - 2:10:40 (Beppu-Oita 2023)
Takashi Soma (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 2:10:46 (Nobeoka 2024)
Ryu Takaku (Yakult) - 2:10:52 (Osaka 2024)
Keijiro Mogi (Asahi Kasei) - 2:11:25 (Osaka 2024)
Kenta Murayama (Asahi Kasei) - 2:11:26 (Nobeoka 2023)
Ryota Ejima (Mitsubishi Juko) - 2:11:27 (Nobeoka 2023)
Yoshihiro Maeda (Kurosaki Harima) - 2:12:05 (Osaka 2024)
Ryan Gregson (Australia) - 2:13:31 (Melbourne 2024)

Debut
Kota Murayama (GMO) - 1:00:59 (National Corporate Half 2022)
Hiroki Wakabayashi (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:01:25 (Marugame Half 2023)
Evans Kipkemei (Kenya/JFE Steel) - 1:01:33 (Berlin Half 2022)
Goki Takayama (Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 1:01:42 (Marugame Half 2023)
Kyosuke Mafune (Subaru) - 1:01:53 (National Corporate Half 2024)
Shota Shiode (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:01:54 (Marugame Half 2024) - scratch
Kaede Shinohara (Fujisan no Meisui) - 1:02:17 (Marugame Half 2024)
Kazumoto Iwasa (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 1:02:30 (National Corporate Half 2024)
Takato Suzuki (GMO) - 1:02:58 (National Corporate Half 2024)
Kosei Shiraishi (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:05 (National University Half 2024)

© 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

World Marathon Majors Japanese Entries

We're back from a short summer break. A week and a half out from the first race of the season's four World Marathon Majors races, here's a look at Japanese athletes scheduled to run. Everything right now is about qualifying for the MGC Race, the official trials race for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to be held in the fall of 2027 in Nagoya. The JAAF makes no mistake about wanting to keep its top people racing domestically where it can get a share of revenue from the TV broadcast and race operations, so anyone who decides to race overseas has to do it in a WA platinum label race and hit either 2:06:30 or 2:23:30, regardless of place, course or weather if they want to make the trials. At the same time concessions are make for domestic races, like for example the late-August Hokkaido Marathon where up to 3 men and 3 women can qualify if they go 2:12:00 or 2:32:00. As a result, you get things like last year where amateur runner Yudai Fukuda made the trials by finishing 3rd Jap...
1 comment
Read more

Nakajima Breaks 100 mH NR Twice, Kitaguchi Returns - August Track Roundup

Catching up on what's been happening in track and field this month during our summer break: Men's 3000 m NR holder Nagiya Mori was just off his 5000 m PB at the IFAM Oordegem meet in Belgium on Aug. 1, taking 16th in 13:15.01. Shota Nakano was 26th of 28 in 13:35.02. This year's national champion Ryoma Aoki ran the 3000 mSC but didn't finish. Naoto Hasegawa was the only Japanese athlete at Mutaz Essa Barshim 's What Gravity Tour stop at the Monaco Athletics Festival meet on Aug. 5. Having cleared 2.30 m for the first time earlier this year Hasegawa only managed 2.18 m in Monaco, taking 7th of 10. There were a lot of good performances at the Fuji Hokuriku World Trial meet in Fujiyoshida on Aug. 9, but the one that got the headlines was a 12.62 (-0.2) NR in the women's 100 mH by Hitomi Nakajima . Nakajima actually did it twice, running 12.62 (+2.0) in the heats before repeating in the final. Masumi Aoki also ran big in the heats, with a 12.68 (+2.0) for al...
1 comment
Read more

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