The Aug. 31 Hokkaido Marathon elite fields are out. On the women's side, Japan-based Selly Chepyego Kaptich has a big advantage over the rest of the field in terms of PB, 2:20:03 in Barcelona 2023 vs. nearest competitor Yuri Mitsune, 5th in Hokkaido last year and 2:29:04 in Nagoya this past spring. Last year's 3rd-placer Ayano Ikeuchi is back too, and with Kaena Takeyama and Yukari Nagatomo both right around 2:30-flat it should be a pretty good race for 2nd.
On the men's side the top 2 by time, Yugo Kashiwa and Simon Kariuki, are only a second apart with Kashiwa 2:06:28 in Osaka this year and Kariuki 2:06:29 in Tokyo last year. 6 other men on the list have recent times between 2:07 and 2:09, with 2021 Tokyo Olympian Yuma Hattori a notable name among them. Hokkaido doesn't release its complete entry list in advance, so expect to see a lot more people in the lead packs in both races. And if there is the usual hot weather, expect both races to be about more than just times.
Hokkaido Marathon Elite Field Highlights
Sapporo, Hokkaido, 31 Aug. 2025
times listed are athletes' best in last 3 years except where noted
Men
Yugo Kashiwa (Konica Minolta) - 2:06:28 (Osaka 2025)
Simon Kariuki (Togami Denki) - 2:06:29 (Tokyo 2024)
Masaki Sakuda (JR Higashi Nihon) - 2:07:49 (Osaka 2023)
Takeru Yamaguchi (Suzuki) - 2:07:58 (Osaka 2023)
Patrick Mathenge Wambui (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 2:08:28 (Fukuoka Int'l 2024)
Yuichi Yasui (Toyota) - 2:08:48 (Beppu-Oita 2023)
Yuma Hattori (Toyota) - 2:09:46 (Osaka 2023)
Yuma Morii (Kyoto T&F Assoc.) - 2:09:59 (Boston 2024)
Women
Selly Chepyego Kaptich (Kyudenko) - 2:20:03 (Barcelona 2023)
Yuri Mitsune (Hitachi) - 2:29:04 (Nagoya 2025)
Kaena Takeyama (Senko) - 2:29:40 (Nagoya 2025)
Yukari Nagatomo (Memolead) - 2:30:36 (Tokyo 2025)
Ayano Ikeuchi (Denso) - 2:32:26 (Seoul 2024)
© 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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