Even with a few withdrawals there was a massive group of Japanese athletes at the Berlin Marathon this year, most of the group that typically goes to the Chicago Marathon seeming to opt for Berlin instead. With men's winner Sebastian Sawe taking a shot at the world record, Akira Akasaki, Yuhei Urano and NR holder Kengo Suzuki sat back in a 3rd group targeting the JAAF's 2:06:30 standard for 2028 Olympic marathon trials qualification. The group held steady on that pace, quickly passing and leaving behind Hakone fan favorite Aoi Ota, who went out with a 14:26 opening 5 km only to finish in 2:14:02. Suzuki dropped off, but Akasaki and Urano were together through 30 km until Urano did the same.
The top Japanese finisher in the Paris Olympics last year, from there Akasaki had what had to have been an incredibly fun last 12 km, picking faster people off one by one as he rolled on. Ultimately he made it all the way up to 2nd in a 2:06:15 PB. "Next up, the NR!" he told JRN post-race. Akasaki was 4 minutes behind winner Sawe but hit the JAAF's standard. If he'd been 16 seconds slower, 2nd in a World Marathon Major would have counted for nothing in the JAAF's eyes.
Like Masato Arao's breakthrough 2:07:42 PB for 6th in Sydney last month, that was exactly the situation Urano and Shin Kimura found themselves in here. Urano held on for 5th in 2:07:35 and Kimura 7th in 2:08:37, great performances in an overseas major but meaningless to the JAAF. It's not a coincidence that when they are obsessed only with time, not competitive ability in big races, they get results like last weekend in the Tokyo World Championships where they couldn't put anyone in the top 10 even with multiple 2:05 guys on the team.
Anyway, most of the rest of the Japanese men underperformed, the lone exception being amateur Yudai Fukuda, who qualified for the Olympic trials with a 2:11:59 PB for 3rd in Hokkaido 3 weeks ago. Wait, did we mention that the 2:06:30 standard only applies when racing big overseas races? It's much easier to get in to the trials if you run domestic Japanese races where, coincidentally, the JAAF has a financial interest in the top Japanese athletes racing. But anyway, Fukuda turned in his 4th PB of the year, 2:11:26 for 13th overall, the only Japanese athlete other than Akasaki to PB in Berlin. Post-race he told JRN, "I went through halfway in 1:03, and even though I really tired late in the race I felt like I could see 2:10 on the horizon. That'll be my target in New York."
Suzuki fell back to 19th in 2:14:51, with the alternate for the Tokyo Worlds team, Kyohei Hosoya, 2:05:58 in Osaka this year, running 2:18:55 for 27th. But the hardest day had out there was had by former 10000 m NR holder Akira Aizawa. Making his marathon debut, Aizawa went out with the sub-2:06:30 group but lost touch at 20 km. Hitting halfway in 1:03:16 he went straight off a cliff. A pro from almost anywhere else would have stopped, but Aizawa dragged himself through a 1:32:38 2nd half, as slow as 5:24/km at one point, to finish 248th among men and 264th overall. Having too good a debut can be a curse because it becomes almost impossible to ever run better, but in this case let's hope the opposite is also true.
photo © 2025 Victah Sailer/PhotoRun
With the chance to become the first Japanese woman to break 2:20 twice in her career Maeda went out just sub-2:20 pace, but by even 15 km that was already drifting out of reach. The next goal would be the JAAF's 2:23:30 Olympic trials standard. Maeda went through halfway in 1:10:14 and was well on track to hit that, but as soon as she was through halfway she abruptly slowed over 10 sec/km, running steadily through a 1:14:22 2nd half to finish 9th in 2:24:36. Which, like Urano and Kimura's results, was meaningless to the JAAF. But they all have plenty of time to get their trials standards in, even if they're heavily incentivized to do it in less competitive domestic races.
51st Berlin Marathon
Berlin, Germany, 21 Sept. 2025
Men
1. Sebastian Sawe (Kenya) - 2:02:16
2. Akira Akasaki (Japan/Kyudenko) - 2:06:15 - PB
3. Chimdessa Debele (Ethiopia) - 2:06:57
4. Guye Adola (Ethiopia) - 2:07:11
5. Yuhei Urano (Japan/Fujitsu) - 2:07:35
6. Hassan Chahdi (France) - 2:07:43
7. Shin Kimura (Japan/Honda) - 2:08:37
8. Hendrik Pfeiffer (Germany) - 2:09:14
9. Joseph Tiophil Panga (Tanzania) - 2:09:35 - PB
10. Ahmed Ouhda (Italy) - 2:10:39 - PB
-----
12. Shuho Dairokuno (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - 2:10:49
13. Yudai Fukuda (Japan/Ishikawa Rikkyo) - 2:11:26 - PB
16. Jin Yuasa (Japan/Toyota) - 2:13:02
17. Taiyo Iwasaki (Japan/JFE Steel) - 2:13:17
18. Aoi Ota (Japan/GMO) - 2:14:02
19. Kengo Suzuki (Japan/Fujitsu) - 2:14:51
22. Ken Nakayama (Japan/Honda) - 2:16:49
27. Kyohei Hosoya (Japan/Kurosaki Harima) - 2:18:55
248. Akira Aizawa (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - 2:35:54 - debut
Women
1. Rosemary Wanjiru (Kenya) - 2:21:05
2. Dera Dida (Ethiopia) - 2:21:08
3. Azmera Gebru (Ethiopia) - 2:21:29
4. Viola Cheptoo (Kenya) - 2:21:40
5. Fantu Worku (Ethiopia) - 2:21:57
6. Fabienne Konigstein (Germany) - 2:22:17 - PB
7. Degitu Azimeraw (Ethiopia) - 2:23:02
8. Domenika Mayer (Germany) - 2:23:16 - PB
9. Honami Maeda (Japan/Tenmaya) - 2:24:36
10. Mestawut Fikir (Ethiopia) - 2:24:52
11. Aleksandra Lisowska (Poland) - 2:24:59 - NR
12. Kidsan Alema (Ethiopia) - 2:25:14
13. Girmawit Gebrzihair (Ethiopia) - 2:26:22
14. Samantha Harrison (Great Britain) - 2:29:44
15. Melina Wolf (Germany) - 2:30:31
text © 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Comments
I loved watching Ota at the Ekidens. He ran some amazing sections there. I loved his debut in Tokyo, it was bold, probably reckless but he ran a sub 62 half marathon split with ease and looked the part for 25 km.
That said, whoever his coach is, should stop with this running at 2.01 pace nonsense. Yesterday he started slowing down at 10 km already. What good does travelling overseas with an approach like this where you end up fading after 10k? He stayedthere till the half marathon split with the Akasaki group after they caught up to him but he burned his legs with that first 10k. There's no point. Akasaki is a reliable marathon runner, the plan should have been to tell him to stay with his group and take it from there. Would have changed anything? likely not but he can't keep following this strategy.
He aims at LA 2028, ok...here's a spoiler: they aren't going to run on 2.01 splits at the olympic marathon, the focus shouldn't be doing that right now. Apologies for the rant, Ota may never turn into a proper marathoner but we won't know if he keeps doing this.
Aizawa had a very bad debut, it's a shame he never got back to his 10k NR form. I am very doubtful he will ever be one of the best marathon guys in Japan but kudos for trying it out at one important marathon.
Kengo Suzuki keeps trying to get back to his NR pace but after an encouraging marathon earlier in the year he struggled badly again.
Good for Urano that he got his PB.
Kudos again to Akasaki, really happy for him.
I watched a short vlog on Ota on YouTube by the Tempo Japan channel prior to the Berlin Marathon. I think he is self-coached?
This is the link if interested
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUClezI7LrA
As a long time supporter of Honami Maeda I will look at this result positively. It was her first full marathon since her stress fracture in the right femur and she finished safely with a reasonable time. For once the Berlin weather was not ideal so a quickish time became unlikely. She has plenty of time to build to her peak form and I expect in the 1st half of 2026 in one of the Japanese marathons (Osaka, Tokyo or Nagoya) she will tick off the MGC qualification standard.
I'm looking forward to seeing how Yuka Suzuki does in her next marathon now that her husband, Akasaki has done so well. My gut feeling tells me she would have performed well at the World Championships if selected given her Paris Olympics performance.