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Arao and Hosoda 6th at TCS Sydney Marathon



Dark horse Masato Arao and Paris Olympics marathon team alternate Ai Hosoda took the top Japanese spots in the TCS Sydney Marathon's first edition as part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, both finishing 6th.

Ranked 20th in the field, Arao, who this time last year was working a full-time job after not getting a corporate team contract post-college, came to Sydney for his international debut with the A-goal of making top 10 off a 1:30:50 win at the hilly Ome 30 km in February and an almost 10-minute PB of 2:08:05 in his second marathon at Tokyo in February. After driving the course and seeing the major hills in the first 15 km he opted out of going with the lead group, deciding to stick with the 2nd group on 2:08 pace until things leveled out after 15 km and seeing how it went.

As it turned out the lead group with all the big names was a lot slower than planned, never more than a minute ahead of the 2nd group including Arao, Kento Kikutani, Kosei Machida and Australians Haftu Strintzos and Brett Robinson. Coming up to 30 km it was down to just Arao and pacer Isaac Heynes, working to reel the leaders back in with the back end of the lead group just seconds ahead.

Arao didn't quite there in time before the pacers stopped and eventual top 3 Hailemaryam Kiros, Addisu Gobena and Tebello Ramakongoana took off, but he spent the rest of the race picking them off one by one. In the end he worked all the way up to 6th, bettering his PB by 23 seconds with a negative split 2:07:42 and finishing just 4 seconds behind former NCAA king Edward Cheserek. Not bad for a guy who never made his college team's starting roster for any ekiden. "I couldn't believe it when I caught Eliud Kipchoge," Arao told JRN post-race. "A year ago I'd never have believed it."

Kikutani, a two-time 2:07 marathoner, ended up 11th in 2:09:34. "It was a hard course," he told JRN. "I've never run a course like this before. 2:07 here is pretty amazing." Arao's time bettered the fastest-ever by a Japanese man in Sydney by over a minute, with Kikutani coming in as all-time #4. Machida faded hard to finish 26th in 2:21:38 in the middle of a group of Japanese amateurs just behind the top two women.

The front end came down to a duel between Kiros and Gobena, with Kiros having the extra gear on the downhill finish to pull away for the win in a 2:06:06 Australian all-comers record and Gobena 2nd in 2:06:16. Ramakongoana was 3rd in 2:06:47.

The women's race ended up going head-to-head too, with Paris Olympics gold medalist Sifan Hassan dropping Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Brigid Kosgei for the win 2:18:22 to 2:18:56, outrunning Kosgei by 27 seconds between 40 km and the finish. Like the top tier in the men's race, both Hassan and Kosgei ran massive negative splits after going through halfway in 1:10-flat.

The only top-tier Japanese woman in the race, Hosoda dropped the 4th-fastest time of her career with a 2:23:27 for 6th, 14 seconds behind 5th-placer Eveline Chirchir after closing over 30 seconds on Chirchir after 40 km. By clearing 2:23:30 and making top 8 Hosoda became the first Japanese woman to score a place in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics marathon trials, something that escaped Arao who had to clear 2:06:30. Amateur Chisa Endo was 15th in 2:42:43.

TCS Sydney Marathon

31 Aug. 2025, Sydney, Australia

Men
1. Hailemaryam Kiros (Ethiopia) - 2:06:06 - ACR
2. Addisu Gobena (Ethiopia) - 2:06:16
3. Tebello Ramakongoana (Lesotho) - 2:06:47
4. Mustapha Houdadi (Morocco) - 2:07:17 - PB
5. Edward Cheserek (Kenya) - 2:07:38
6. Masato Arao (Japan/ND Software) - 2:07:42 - PB
7. Laban Korir (Kenya) - 2:08:06
8. Felix Kiptoo Kirwa (Kenya) - 2:08:18
9. Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) - 2:08:31
10. Victor Kipchirchir (Kenya) - 2:09:08
11. Kento Kikutani (Japan/Toyota Boshoku) - 2:09:34
12. Brian Shrader (U.S.A.) - 2:10:29
13. Samuel Fitwi (Germany) - 2:10:30
14. Haftu Strintzos (Australia) - 2:11:27 - debut
15. Cornelius Kibet Kiplagat (Kenya) - 2:12:09
16. Thomas Do Canto (Australia) - 2:13:25
17. Brett Robinson (Australia) - 2:15:00
18. Fraser Darcy (Australia) - 2:17:24 - PB
19. Martin Oleson (Denmark) - 2:18:01
20. Steven McKenna (Australia) - 2:18:26 - PB
-----
DNF - Dawit Wolde (Ethiopia)
DNF - Bernard Koech (Kenya) 
DNF - Birhanu Legese (Ethiopia)
DNF - Jemal Yimer (Ethiopia)
DNF - Enock Kinyamal (Kenya)
DNF - Eyob Faniel (Italy)
DNF - Shadrack Kimining (Kenya)
DNF - Liam Adams (Australia)
DNF - Afewerki Berhane (Eritrea)
DNF - Timonty Kosgei (Kenya

Women
1. Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) - 2:18:22 - ACR
2. Brigid Kosgei (Kenya) - 2:18:56
3. Workenesh Edesa (Ethiopia) - 2:22:15
4. Kumeshi Sinhala (Ethiopia) - 2:22:50
5. Evaline Chirchir (Kenya) - 2:23:13
6. Ai Hosoda (Japan/Edion) - 2:23:27
7. Leanne Pompeani (Australia) - 2:24:47
8. Jessica Stenson (Australia) - 2:28:56
9. Lisa Weightman (Australia) - 2:29:34
10. Abigail Nordberg (Australia) - 2:35:43
11. Danette Sheehan (Australia) - 2:36:56
12. Dominika Stelmach (Poland) - 2:38:04
13. Riine Ringi (Estonia) - 2:38:45
14. Kate Baker (Australia) - 2:42:00
15. Chisa Endo (Japan) - 2:42:43

text and photo © 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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Comments

Anonymous said…
I think Ai Hosoda's time and finish was very impressive on a tough course. To beat the Australian athletes is a good barometer as to how well she raced. She is having a great season at all distances and I'm pleased for her success. I look forward to seeing how the Edion team perform in the Queen's Ekiden later in the year. They have 3 outstanding athletes that come to mind quickly, Kana Mizumoto, Yada Mikuni and Ai Hosoda.

Hats off to Masato Arao too on his fine performance, excellent race result and PB.
September 1, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Anonymous said…
This Arao story is pretty amazing, kudos to him for not giving up in a very selective ekiden world and finding his way.

Will be looking forward to his future progress, would be fun seeing him on a fast circuit like Osaka or something.
September 1, 2025 at 10:19 PM
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