As if the results in Marugame weren't enough, university runners played a major role in the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon too. Expectations were that last year's Osaka Marathon winner Kiyoto Hirabayashi, captain of this season's Izumo Ekiden and National University Ekiden winner Koku Gakuin University and who set the collegiate and debut marathon records of 2:06:18 in winning Osaka, was going to dominate the race and the massive lead pack keyed off him most of the way. By Beppu standards pacing was fast, skimming just under 3:00/km through a 1:03:17 first half and 1:29:48 at 30 km. The lead pack was still 9-deep at that point, with Kenyans Vincent Kipchumba and Dominic Nyairo, last year's winner Derese Workneh, and 6 Japanese men, 2 from Koku Gakuin, 2 from Hakone Ekiden winner Aoyama Gakuin University and 2 from the corporate leagues.
Hirabayashi was quick to attack after the pacers stopped at 30 km, shaking off everyone except Kipchumba, 2:06:57 man Shohei Otsuka, and debuting Hakone Fifth Stage CR breaker Hiroki Wakabayashi from Aoyama Gakuin. From 30 to 35 km they ran 14:48, the fastest split of the race, but a move from Kipchumba on a short climb onto a bridge near 37 km that only uphill specialist Wakabayashi could follow dropped both Otsuka and Hirabayashi. Wakabayashi made one move to the front with 2 km to go, but Kipchumba timed his response and surged again just before a sharp turn with 1 km to go and pulled away for the win.
Kipchumba set a new CR of 2:06:01, his first marathon finish since taking 2nd at the 2021 London Marathon in 2:04:28 and only his second finish in a road race of any distance since then. Now 34, he was very happy in post-race interviews and said he and his manager would be evaluating what comes next based on today's results.
Wakabayashi was right behind him in 2:06:07, taking both the collegiate and debut records away from Hirabayashi. Wakabayashi had said pre-race that he doesn't plan to keep running after graduating next month and that was a one-and-done shot at the marathon. Questioned on that after his brilliant performance he insisted that it's true, that this was it and that there wouldn't be another one. Yuya Yoshida, another Hakone stage record breaker while a 4th-year at Aoyama Gakuin, had said the same thing 5 years ago around his debut at Beppu-Oita, and he has gone on to win Fukuoka twice. We'll see if Wakabayashi really follows through.
Expected to be Hirabayashi's main domestic competition, Otsuka was solid with a 2:06:38 PB for 3rd, with Atsumi Ashiwa and Workneh running PBs of 2:07:11 and 2:07:46 for 4th and 5th. Wakabayashi's Aoyama Gakuin teammate Kosei Shiraishi took 6th in a 2:08:42 debut, with Hirabayashi's Koku Gakuin teammate Goki Takayama close behind in a 2:08:50 debut. Shaken off by Hirabayashi's big move, corporate leaguer Keijiro Mogi came back to run Hirabayashi down in the last km with a 2:09:06 PB. Hirabayashi shuffled in 7 seconds later in 2:09:13, having paid a heavy price for going on the attack and splitting 16:27 and 8:11 at 40 km and the finish.
So there you have it. A 2:06:07 collegiate record in the marathon and a 2:08:42 debut from members of the Hakone Ekiden winning team, a 2:08:50 debut from a member of the Izumo and National University Ekiden winning team, and a 59:30 half marathon collegiate record from a member of the team that was 2nd at all 3 ekidens. All in one day. Success in the university ekidens has a direct correlation with the level of Japanese men's marathoning going up, and with people like this coming down the pipeline, whatever Wakaybashi ultimately decides to do with his life, there's no sign at all of that slowing down.
73rd Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon
Oita, 2 Feb. 2025
Men
1. Vincent Kipchumba (Kenya) - 2:06:01 - CR
2. Hiroki Wakabayashi (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 2:06:07 - collegiate / debut NR
3. Shohei Otsuka (Kyudenko) - 2:06:38 - PB
4. Atsumi Ashiwa (Honda) - 2:07:11 - PB
5. Derese Workneh (Ethiopia) - 2:07:46 - PB
6. Kosei Shiraishi (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 2:08:42 - debut
7. Goki Takayama (Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 2:08:50 - debut
8. Keijiro Mogi (Asahi Kasei) - 2:09:06 - PB
9. Kiyoto Hirabayashi (Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 2:09:13
10. Dominic Nyairo (Kenya) - 2:11:21
11. Kota Murayama (Asahi Kasei) - 2:11:36 - debut
12. Yoshihiro Maeda (Kurosaki Harima) - 2:11:56
13. Yusei Tsutsumi (JFE Steel) - 2:12:08
14. Chihiro Ono (GMO) - 2:12:27
15. Yuki Muta (Logisteed) - 2:12:31
16. Madoka Takihara (Osaka Police) - 2:12:36
17. Ryu Takaku (Yakult0 - 2:14:19
18. Kazumoto Iwasa (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 2:14:23
19. Tesfahun Akalnew (Ethiopia) - 2:15:20
20. Ryota Ejima (Mitsubishi Juko) - 2:16:54
21. Kyosuke Mafune (Subaru) - 2:17:03
22. Taisei Kato (Asahi Kasei) - 2:17:18
23. Kaede Shinohara (Fujisan no Meisui) - 2:17:41
24. Ryan Gregson (Australia) - 2:17:55
25. Daiji Kawai (Toenec) - 2:18:05
Women
1. Rieko Koshi (Emoto Juku) - 2:42:20
2. Hodaka Shimizu (Nara-X) - 2:43:16
3. Ayana Yamazaki (PRC) - 2:43:26
4. Hisae Yoshimatsu (Shunan T&F Assoc.) - 2:46:15
5. Sonoka Nakayama (Uchida Chiryoin) - 2:47:28
© 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Comments
I'm partially shocked to see him retiring, like you say in the article let's see if he changes his mind. Wish him all the best.
Side note: Rakunan HS has added another record with one of his athletes across multiple distances.
Miura dominating 3000SC with his NRs, Sato on multiple distances (and likely more to come) and now Wakabayashi with the marathon collegiate and debut record.
Impressive.