The Kobe Marathon happens Nov. 16 with a tweaked course that cuts out the unpopular bridge out to the finish, a change organizers are touting as making it a way faster course. There are some pretty good quality African athletes in the field, with top 2 men Abay Alemu and Elisha Rotich both in the 2:06:50 range in races last year, Alemu with a 2:06:50 for 2nd in Wuxi and Rotich 2:06:54 for 3rd in Paris, and Jackline Chelal dominating the women's field with a 2:20:29 win in Seville in 2023.
Kobe is a shortcut for qualification for the MGC Race L.A. Olympic marathon trials, with one spot available to the top Japanese man if under 2:09:00 and the top Japanese woman if under 2:27:00. Only one athlete who looks capable of doing that has taken the bait, Masato Arao doubling back from a 2:07:42 for 6th at August's Sydney Marathon, a breakthrough run that wasn't enough for the JAAF to deign to let him into the Olympic trials. Yuma Morii, Hiromasa Kumahashi and Akihiro Kaneko are all around the 2:10 level, so it's pretty much up to Arao and the pacers to get him under 2:09.
Last year's Kobe women's winner Natsuki Ogawa and 3rd-placer Riine Ringi are both back, with club runners Haruna Takano and Ayumi Yokota both fresh off 2:38:33 PBs in the spring. Deborah Samum is a wildcard, debuting off a 1:09:24 PB at this year's Malaga Half.
Kobe Marathon Elite field Highlights
Kobe, Hyogo, 16 Nov. 2025
times listed are athletes' best within last 3 years except where noted
Men
Abay Alemu (Ethiopia) - 2:06:50 (2nd, Wuxi 2024)
Elisha Rotich (Kenya) - 2:06:54 (3rd, Paris 2024)
Masato Arao (ND Software) - 2:07:42 (6th, Sydney 2025)
Martin Musau (Uganda) - 2:08:42 (9th, Hamburg 2024)
Yuma Morii (Kyoto T&F Assoc.) - 2:09:59 (8th, Boston 2024)
Hiromasa Kumahashi (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 2:10:38 (25th, Tokyo 2024)
Akihiro Kaneko (Comodi Iida) - 2:10:59 (6th, Gold Coast 2024)
Yuya Yamashita (Sunbelx) - 2:11:37 (5th, Nobeoka 2024)
Keisuke Yokota (Team Nitro) - 2:11:43 (41st, Osaka 2023)
Josphat Kiprotich (Kenya) - 2:12:35 (1st, Rio de Janeiro 2024)
Takuya Kumashiro (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 2:13:41 (46th, Osaka 2023)
Taisei Kato (Asahi Kasei) - 2:13:58 (11th, Nobeoka 2024)
Koshiro Hirata (SG Holdings) - 2:14:17 (55th, Osaka 2024)
Daichi Atsuura (ND Software) - 2:15:11 (35th, Osaka 2022)
Peter Kipsirat (Kenya) - 1:02:21 (7th, Venlo Half 2023)
Women
Jackline Chelal (Kenya) - 2:20:29 (1st, Seville 2023)
Natsuki Ogawa (Suzuki) - 2:36:42 (1st, Kobe 2024)
Riine Ringi (Estonia) - 2:36:51 (8th, Gold Coast 2024)
Haruna Takano (PTC) - 2:38:33 (17th, Tokyo 2025)
Ayumi Yokota (Miki T&F Assoc.) - 2:38:33 (1st, Himeji Castle 2025)
Deborah Samum (Kenya) - 1:09:24 (4th, Malaga Half 2025)
© 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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