Gold Coast Half Marathon Elite Field

Fresh off the announcement of the elite fields for the ASICS Gold Coast Marathon come the fields for the China Airlines Gold Coast Half Marathon a day earlier on July 5. The top 3 Australian women from the June 1 Launceston Half Marathon, CR breaker Jessica Stenson, Caitlin Adams and Sarah Klein, are back together, with domestic competition Leanne Pompeani and Tara Palm and a group mostly from this year's National Corporate Half Marathon led by Yuri Mitsune, Wakana Itsuki and Aiwa Sakaguchi.

The main domestic protagonists from Launceston, Isaac Heyne, Brett Robinson, Liam Boudin, Sam Clifford, Andy Buchanan and Ryan Gregson, are all on the Gold Coast too, but where they faced a group from the Marugame Half in Launceston this time it's a massive National Corporate Half contingent led by sub-61 men Yuma Nishizawa, Hideyuki Tanaka and Yoshiki Oshiro. 2:05 marathoner Kenya Sonota is also on the list, quietly down near the bottom of the elite field with only a 1:03:29 recent best in the half. National Corporate Half winner Tsubasa Ichiyama will be pacing to 25 km the next day in the marathon instead of running the half.

The race starts at 6:15 a.m. local time on July 5, with streaming on Youtube. JRN will be on-site on the Gold Coast as usual.

China Airlines Gold Coast Half Marathon

Elite Field Highlights

Gold Coast, Australia, 5 July 2025

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

Women

Leanne Pompeani (Australia) - 1:09:01 (Melbourne 2024)

Jessica Stenson (Australia) - 1:09:04 (Melbourne 2024)

Yuri Mitsune (Japan/Hitachi) - 1:10:23 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2025)

Tara Palm (Australia) - 1:10:55 (Osaka 2025)

Wakana Itsuki (Japan/Kyudenko) - 1:11:00 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2023)

Caitlin Adams (Australia) - 1:11:14 (Launceston 2025)

Aiwa Sakaguchi (Japan/Bears) - 1:11:18 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2025)

Madoka Nakano (Japan/Iwatani Sangyo) - 1:11:22 (Sanyo Ladies 2023)

Sarah Klein (Australia) - 1:11:38 (Gold Coast 2023)

Abigail Nordberg (Australia) - 1:13:01 (Launceston 2024)

Sufang Pan (China) - 1:13:05 (Harbin 2024)

Men

Andy Buchanan (Australia) - 1:00:28 (Marugame 2025)

Yuma Nishizawa (Japan/Toyota Boshoku) - 1:00:29 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2025)

Hideyuki Tanaka (Japan/Toyota) - 1:00:43 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2025)

Yoshiki Oshiro (Japan/Toyota Kyushu) - 1:00:43 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2025)

Isaac Heyne (Australia) - 1:01:13 (Launceston 2025)

Brett Robinson (Australia) - 1:01:20 (Launceston 2025)

Sota Namikawa (Japan/Chuo Univ.) - 1:01:38 (Marugame 2025)

Liam Boudin (Australia) - 1:01:40 (Launceston 2025)

Jun Nobuto (Japan/Mazda) - 1:01:57 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2025)

Sam Clifford (Australia) - 1:02:00 (Launceston 2025)

Hitoshi Okahara (Japan/Chudenko) - 1:02:09 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2025)

Yue Hong (China) - 1:02:15 (Meishan 2025)

Kotaro Tahara (Japan/Chuo Univ.) - 1:02:40 (Marugame 2025)

Ryan Gregson (Australia) - 1:03:00 (Larne 2024)

National University Championships Entry Lists and Streaming

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Yuasa and Niiya Win Hokkaido Marathon, 6 Qualify for Olympic Trials

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Monterey Welcomes Student-Athletes from Sister City Nanao, Japan

a press release by the Monterey-Nanao Cross Country Exchange Project photos here Fourteen student-athletes from Nanao High School in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, recently completed a weeklong visit to the Monterey Peninsula as part of the Monterey–Nanao Cross Country Exchange Project , bringing together young people from the two Sister Cities through running, education, environmental stewardship, cultural exchange, and friendship. The seven boys and seven girls from Nanao were paired with 14 members of the Monterey High School cross country team and stayed in their homes throughout the visit. The week marked the first half of a reciprocal exchange that will continue when the Monterey students travel to Nanao later this year. The visitors received their first introduction to Monterey shortly after arriving at Monterey High School, walking with their hosts to Sister City Park and gathering for photographs beside the sign honoring Nanao — a fitting beginning for a week devoted to bringin...

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