Skip to main content

Muthini Breaks Hakodate Half Course Record


Soka University's Stephen Muthini broke the course record at the Hakodate Half Marathon Sunday to win in a PB 1:01:08. Muthini led from the early going, dragging a lead group of 10 behind him. Past 10 km he picked up the pace, cutting the lead group down to 6, including 2025 Tokyo World Championships marathon team member Yuya Yoshida (GMO). Near 15 km Takuma Yamakawa of Komazawa University went to the front, but Muthini was quick to retake the lead and gradually pulled away from Yamakawa and Yoshida. Yoshida ended up 2nd behind Muthini in a PB of 1:01:23, with Yamakawa 3rd also in a new PB of 1:01:25. Times were fast across the board, with 8 of the top 10 men running lifetime PBs.

Yoshida, a 2-time winner of the Fukuoka International Marathon including a 2:05:16 CR last December, is Japan's leading hope of ending its dry spell of World Championships marathon medals, the last being Tsuyoshi Ogata's bronze at the 2025 Helsinki World Championships. His Tokyo Worlds teammates Ryota Kondo (Mitsubishi Juko) and Naoki Koyama (Honda) struggled, Kondo 19th in 1:03:25 and Koyama 62nd in 1:06:16.

In the women's race, Mizuki Matsuda (Daihatsu) won in 1:09:48, splitting 16:21, 32:44, 49:26 and 1:06:08 en route. Tenmaya's Shiori Yoshizono and Mizuki Nishimura were 2nd and 3rd just over 1:10, with Tokyo Worlds women's team member Kana Kobayashi (Otsuka Seiyaku) 5th in 1:11:37. Marathon national record holder Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) was 6th in 1:11:54 in a tuneup for September's Berlin Marathon.

In the marathon, Minoru Kameda took the men's race in a PB of 2:19:46, the only runner under 2:20. Kasumi Takahama was the women's winner in 2:55:01.

Hakodate Half Marathon and Marathon

Hakodate, Hokkaido, 29 June, 2025

Men's Half Marathon
1. Stephen Muthini (Soka Univ.) - 1:01:08 - CR, PB
2. Yuya Yoshida (GMO) - 1:01:23 - PB
3. Takuma Yamakawa (Komazawa Univ.) - 1:01:32 - PB
4. Shoki Yamaguchi (Soka Univ.) - 1:01:32 - PB
5. Kanta Shimizu (Subaru) - 1:01:41 - PB
6. Koki Kamata (Yakult) - 1:01:55
7. Ichitaka Yamashita (Mitsubishi Juko) - 1:02:07 - PB
8. Yuito Yamamoto (Subaru) - 1:02:26
9. Solomon Mutuku (Soka Univ.) - 1:02:28 - PB
10. Makoto Takewari (Tokai Univ.) - 1:02:54 - PB
-----
19. Ryota Kondo (Mitsubishi Juko) - 1:03:25
62. Naoki Koyama (Honda) - 1:06:16

Women's Half Marathon
1. Mizuki Matsuda (Daihatsu) - 1:09:48
2. Shiori Yoshizono (Tenmaya) - 1:10:17
3. Mizuki Nishimura (Tenmaya) - 1:10:26
4. Sakiho Tsutsui (Univ. Ent.) - 1:10:56
5. Kana Kobayashi (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 1:11:37
6. Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) - 1:11:54
7. Hikaru Kitagawa (Univ. Ent.) - 1:12:06
8. Rie Kawauchi (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 1:13:14
9. Miku Hirashima (Tenmaya) - 1:14:32
10. Mao Kiyota (Suzuki) - 1:17:26

Men's Marathon
1. Minoru Kameda - 2:19:46 - PB

Women's Marathon
1. Kasumi Takahama - 2:55:01



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

National University Championships Entry Lists and Streaming

The 95th National University Track and Field Championships run Friday through Monday at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama. The complete meet schedule and live results are here . The 10000 m races were already held separately earlier this season. Streaming starts at 9:00 a.m. Saturday Japan time, with separate field event channels and Day 2 and 3 streaming here . Top entries in each event with best performance in the qualifying window: Men 100 m Shoma Yamamoto (Hiroshima Univ.) - 10.04 Fukuto Komuro (Chuo Univ.) - 10.07 Naoki Nishioka (Tsukuba Univ.) - 10.09 Riku Oishi (Toyo Univ.) - 10.13 Kaito Kuroki (Chuo Univ.) - 10.14 Ryunosuke Mizuno (Waseda Univ.) - 10.14 Yugo Haitamataira (Juntendo Univ.) - 10.17 Shun Miyashita (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 10.19 200 m Akira Hayashi (Keio Univ.) - 20.36 Tomoru Funaki (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 20.39 Oma Asai (Tsukuba Univ.) - 20.47 Reishin Yamamoto (Toyo Univ.) - 20.49 Shingo Suzuki (Tokai Univ.) - 20.54 Haruto Nakamura (Fukuoka Univ.) - 20.55 400 m Shinya Hayashi...
Post a Comment
Read more

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

  Six more people picked up qualifying spots for next year's MGC Race at yesterday's Hokkaido Marathon in Sapporo, guaranteeing themselves places at Japan's 2028 Los Angeles Olympics marathon trials. In the men's race, Hibiki Yoshida tried to break away from the massive lead group at 30 km, opening a 25-second lead between there and 35 km before getting cut down by the chase trio of Jin Yuasa , Ken Tansho and Masato Arao . All three stayed together until the very end, Yuasa showing the same kind of closing speed he had in winning 2025 Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon and pulling away to win in 2:10:46. The debuting Tansho was next in 2:10:55, with Arao, 6th at last year's Sydney Marathon in an excellent 2:07:42, 3rd here in 2:10:59. By clearing 2:12:00 all three picked up MGC qualifying spots, freeing them up to go overseas next spring. Continuing a great season, Soka University 's Shoki Yamaguchi was 4th in 2:11:47, missing out on trials qualification but bea...
1 comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more