Kuwata Runs Fastest-Ever Half Marathon by Japanese Man Outside Japan at United Airlines NYC Half

When the NYRR changed the United Airlines NYC Half course back in 2018 to more or less its current Boston-style hilly one-way version it seemed like it had been repurposed from a fast course to something more tactical. That went out the window last year with new course records of 59:09 and 1:07:04 from Abel Kipchumba and Sharon Lokedi, and this year's results backed that up. Hellen Obiri ground Lokedi down and took over 30 seconds off her CR, winning in 1:06:33 with Lokedi only 6 seconds off what she ran in 2025 but a distant 2nd in 1:07:10. British road 10 km NR holder Megan Keith rolled up hard late in the race to finish 3rd in 1:07:13 less than 10 seconds off old CR too.

The men's race saw a big group of 18 attack the hilly first half on sub-59 pace, American Joe Klecker leading through 5 km in 13:57 and Houston Marathon winner Zouhair Talbi through 10 km in 27:56. Right up in it was Shunsuke Kuwata, a 20-year-old 2nd-year at 2025 National University Ekiden champ Komazawa University running his first-ever race outside Japan. Kuwata debuted in Marugame last year in 1:01:09, then improved that to 1:00:48 at Ageo in November to score an invitation to the NYC Half. At Hakone in January he ran the equivalent of a 1:00:35, but his run here was on another level.

Kuwata lost touch with the leaders coming down off the Brooklyn Bridge. "Those foreigners were all really good at the downhills!" he said post-race. But when the pace slowed a bit going up the East River he got back on board, and even took a turn leading before 15 km where he clocked 42:24 alongside Kenyan Patrick Kiprop. When the big move came between the U.N. and Times Square he couldn't hang with the leaders, watching as Adriaan Wildschutt, Talbi and Gulveer Singh pulled away to go 1-2-3 in 59:30, 59:41 and 59:42.

In 11th at 20 km, Kuwata dropped Jack Rowe to take 10th in 1:00:13, a solid build in his progression at the distance so far. So solid that it put him at all-time Japanese #6 and surpassed Yuta Shitara's then-NR 1:00:17 at the 2017 Usti Nad Labem Half as the fastest time ever run outside Japan by a Japanese man. "Today I wanted to run aggressively in the first half, and I think put together a good race," he told JRN. "This was my first time running a great, high-level race like this and I want to do more."

Ageo winner and Hakone Ekiden First Stage CR breaker Rui Aoki of 2025 Izumo Ekiden winner Koku Gakuin University wasn't at 100% coming into the race and hoped to run sub-63, something no other Japanese athlete had done yet on the post-2018 version of the NYC course. A 14:30 opening 5 km was maybe a bit hot for that goal, but even though he slowed progressively the entire way Aoki hung on to finish in 1:02:55.

"It was hard because I was always alone, and every time I caught up to someone and tried to run together they would drop off," he said post-race. "I wasn't in my best condition coming here, but I set 62 as my goal and stuck to that. This is my last race before graduation, so I feel good about achieving that."

United Airlines NYC Half

New York, U.S.A., 15 March 2026

complete results

Men

1. Adriaan Wildschutt (South Africa) - 59:30

2. Zouhair Talbi (U.S.A.) - 59:41 - PB

3. Gulveer Singh (India) - 59:42 - debut

4. Alex Maier (U.S.A.) - 59:51

5. Peter Lynch (Ireland) - 59:52 - PB

6. Patrick Dever (Great Britain) - 59:56 - PB

7. Rory Linkletter (Canada) - 1:00:00

8. Patrick Kiprop (Kenya) - 1:00:01

9. Joe Klecker (U.S.A.) - 1:00:02 - PB

10. Shunsuke Kuwata (Japan/Komazawa Univ.) - 1:00:13 - PB, all-time JPN #6

11. Jack Rowe (Great Britain) - 1:00:17 - PB

12. Ryan Ford (U.S.A.) - 1:00:22

13. Daniel Ebenyo (Kenya) - 1:00:50

14. Grant Fisher (U.S.A.) - 1:00:53 - debut

15. Camren Todd (U.S.A.) - 1:02:06

16. Alex Masai (Kenya) - 1:02:09

17. Tsegay Tuemay Weldlibanos (Eritrea) - 1:02:14

18. Joel Reichow (U.S.A.) - 1:02:14 - PB

19. Kieran Tuntivate (Thailand) - 1:02:39 - PB

20. Sondre Moen (Norway) - 1:02:41

21. Turner Wiley (U.S.A.) - 1:02:43 - PB

22. Rui Aoki (Japan/Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 1:02:55

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DNF - Mohammed El Youssfi (Morocco)

DNF - Abel Kipchumba (Kenya)

Women

1. Hellen Obiri (Kenya) - 1:06:33 - CR

2. Sharon Lokedi (Kenya) - 1:07:10

3. Megan Keith (Great Britain) - 1:07:13 - debut

4. Diane Van Es (Netherlands) - 1:08:21

5. Fentaye Belayneh (Ethiopia) - 1:08:22

6. Emily Sisson (U.S.A.) - 1:09:06

7. Amanda Vestri (U.S.A.) - 1:09:22

8. Annie Frisbie (U.S.A.) - 1:09:25

9. Susanna Sullivan (U.S.A.) - 1:09:38

10. Emily Venters (U.S.A.) - 1:09:46

11. Konstanze Klosterhalfen (Germany) - 1:10:04

12. Dakotah Popehn (U.S.A.) - 1:10:06

13. Agnes Ngetich (Kenya) - 1:10:25

14. Lauren Gregory (U.S.A.) - 1:11:12

15. Elena Hayday (U.S.A.) - 1:11:21

16. Felicia Pasadyn (U.S.A.) - 1:11:59

17. Calli Hauger-Thackery (Great Britain) - 1:13:16

18. Stephanie Bruce (U.S.A.) - 1:13:23

19. Lindsay Flanagan (U.S.A.) - 1:14:02

20. Emily Durgin (U.S.A.) - 1:14:45

Wheelchair Men

1. Daniel Romanchuk (U.S.A.) - 48:10

2. Evan Correll (U.S.A.) - 50:22

3. Geert Schipper (Netherlands) - 50:26

4. Miguel Jimenz-Vergara (U.S.A.) - 50:43

5. Johnboy Smith (Great Britain) - 53:51

Wheelchair Women

1. Eden Rainbow-Cooper (Great Britain) - 54:27

2. Tatyana McFadden (U.S.A.) - 1:00:21

3. Shauna Bocquet (Ireland) - 1:02:59

4. Hoda Elshorbagy (Egypt) - 1:05:54

5. Linden Williamson (U.S.A.) - 1:10:48

top photo © 2026 Jane Monti / Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

text and other photos © 2026 Brett Larner, all rights reserved