When the pacers stopped at 30 km Chepkirui made a move that dropped Kaseda and strung out Chumba and Sato behind her, but all four came back together once before another surge put Kaseda away for good. As Chepkirui inched away Sato and Chumba passed each other repeatedly, and Chumba could only watch as the top Japanese runner got away from her again this year.
Sato couldn't close the gap to Chepkirui but hung for a negative split to crack 2:21 with an all-time Japanese #9 2:20:59 PB for 2nd, enough to put her ahead of the top Japanese woman at January's Osaka International Women's Marathon, Kana Kobayashi, in priority order for the Tokyo World Championships team. Chumba took 3rd in 2:21:35, with Uesugi hanging on to retake Kaseda for 4th in a PB 2:22:11 to Kaseda's 2:23:05.
International runners took the next 3 spots, Australian Isobel Batt-Doyle 6th in 2:23:29, American Natosha Rogers running a massive PB of 2:23:51 for 8th, and Australian Leanne Pompeani 8th in 2:24:53 in her debut. Kaseda's teammate Natsuki Omori was 9th with a PB 2:25:36, with women-only half-marathon NR holder Rino Goshima struggling in her debut and taking 10th in 2:26:08. Further down the field, 65-69 age group world record holder Mariko Yugeta ran a season best 3:09:16 for 140th, bettering her time from Osaka in January by 13 seconds.
Sato, Kobayashi and Japan's other top men and women will have to wait until Mar. 26 to find out the JAAF's decision on who will represent the hosts in Tokyo at the World Championships this September.
Nagoya Women's Marathon
Nagoya, Aichi, 9 Mar. 2025
1. Sheila Chepkirui (Kenya) - 2:20:40
2. Sayaka Sato (Japan/Sekisui Kagaku) - 2:20:59 - PB
3. Eunice Chebichii Chumba (Bahrain) - 2:21:35
4. Mao Uesugi (Japan/Tokyo Metro) - 2:22:11 - PB
5. Rika Kaseda (Japan/Daihatsu) - 2:23:05
6. Isobel Batt-Doyle (Australia) - 2:23:29
7. Natosha Rogers (U.S.A.) - 2:23:51 - PB
8. Leanne Pompeani (Australia) - 2:24:53 - debut
9. Natsuki Omori (Japan/Daihatsu) - 2:25:36 - PB
10. Rino Goshima (Japan/Shiseido) - 2:26:08 - debut
11. Cuomu Ciren (China) - 2:26:52
12. Sakiho Tsutsui (Japan/Univ. Ent.) - 2:27:14
13. Fabienne Konigstein (Germany) - 2:28:20
14. Yuna Wada (Japan/Japan Post) - 2:28:39 - debut
15. Yuri Mitsune (18 Ginko) - 2:29:04 - PB
16. Li Bai (China) - 2:29:32
17. Kaena Takeyama (Japan/Senko) - 2:29:40
18. Mayuka Fujita (Japan/Route Inn Hotels) - 2:30:05 - debut
19. Yumi Yoshikawa (Japan/Chiba T&F Assoc.) - 2:30:33
20. Dan Li (China) - 2:30:46
21. Ayumi Morita (Japan/Tokyo Metro) - 2:31:43
22. Yuka Gito (Japan/Higo Ginko) - 2:32:55 - PB
23. Kanako Takemoto (Japan/Daihatsu) - 2:34:30
24. Io Akashi (Japan/18 Ginko) - 2:36:39 - PB
25. Kaho Horio (Japan/Route Inn Hotels) - 2:36:51 - debut
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140. Mariko Yugeta (Japan) - 3:09:16
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DNF - Ruti Aga (Ethiopia)
DNF - Pauline Kamulu (Kenya/Route Inn Hotels)
DNF - Natsuki Ogawa (Japan/Suzuki)
DNF - Eriko Otsuka (Japan/Higo Ginko)
DNF - Natasha Wodak (Canada)
Comments
P.S. I think you made a typo in the 2nd last paragraph "with women-only marathon NR holder Rino Goshima struggling in her debut and taking 10th in 2:26:08". I think you omitted "Half" as in the Half Only Marathon NR holder.