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CR Holder Teruki Shimada Returns to Launceston Half - Preview and Streaming


Last year's McGrath Launceston Running Festival Peppers Silo Half Marathon in Tasmania, Australia shaped out into a great Australia vs. Japan dual meet, with Jessica Stenson outrunning Yumi Yoshikawa to take the women's title in a 1:09:51 CR, and Teikyo University school record holder Teruki Shimada executing a tactically brilliant race to drop Isaac Heyne, then-NR holder Brett Robinson, and Teikyo teammate Jinya Ozaki for the win in 1:01:12, just a second off the Australian all-comers record.

Marathon NR holder Andy Buchanan took that record down to 1:01:08 at the Gold Coast Half a month later, but its chances of surviving this weekend aren't looking good. Shimada leads last year's top 4 back to Launceston this year, and there's a lot of tough new competition. 2025 National Corporate Half winner Tsubasa Ichiyama, Australia's Haftu Strintzos, new Teikyo record holder Yuta Asakawa and American Ethan Shuley have all run faster that Buchanan's record, and all but Shuley have gone under 61 minutes. With good weather forecast for Sunday it'd be surprising not to see the first sub-61 on Australian soil happen.

Yoshikawa is back in the women's race too fresh off a 1:09:14 PB in Osaka in January, but she's got a tough one in front of her. Australian NR holder Isobel Batt-Doyle leads the field with a 1:07:17 best, not quite enough to challenge the 1:06:39 all-comers record but fast enough to make Stenson's 1:09:51 CR look easy. New Zealand's Georgie Grgec is 1 second faster than Yoshikawa, meaning Yoshikawa is going to have to work to equal her 2nd-place finish last year. Ayaka Shimoyamada and Kaho Onishi are in the race too, making their international debuts like Asakawa and Shuley in the men's race.

Live streaming of the race starts at 7:45 a.m. local time on Youtube. JRN will be on-site working as the elite field coordinator and covering the action live.

McGrath Launceston Running Festival
Peppers Silo Half Marathon Elite Field

Launceston, Australia, 31 May 2026
times listed are athletes' best within last 3 years except where noted

Men
Tsubasa Ichiyama (Japan/Sunbelx) - 1:00:22 (2025 Nat'l Corp. Half)
Haftu Strintzos (Australia) - 1:00:36 (2025 Marugame Half)
Yuta Asakawa (Japan/Teikyo Univ.) - 1:00:54 (2026 Marugame Half)
Teruki Shimada (Japan/Logisteed) - 1:00:56 (2025 Marugame Half)
Ethan Shuley (U.S.A.) - 1:01:02 (2026 Osaka Half)
Isaac Heyne (Australia) - 1:01:13 (2025 Launceston Half)
Brett Robinson (Australia) - 1:01:20 (2025 Launceston Half)
Jinya Ozaki (Japan/NTT) - 1:01:24 (2025 Launceston Half)
Liam Boudin (Australia) - 1:01:26 (2026 Marugame Half)
Ryuichi Yoshioka (Japan/Honda Tochigi) - 1:01:38 (2025 Marugame Half)
Ed Goddard (Australia) - 1:02:01 (2024 Ageo City Half)
Ryan Gregson (Australia) - 1:03:00 (2025 Launceston Half)
Jake Barraclough (Great Britain) - 1:03:42 (2025 Marugame Half)

Women
Isobel Batt-Doyle (Australia) - 1:07:17 (2025 Marugame Half)
Georgie Grgec (New Zealand) - 1:09:13 (2025 Berlin Half)
Yumi Yoshikawa (Japan/Canon) - 1:09:14 (2026 Osaka Half)
Ayaka Shimoyamada (Japan/TT Runners)- 1:10:41 (2026 Osaka Half)
Genevieve Gregson (Australia) - 1:10:49 (2026 Ballarat Half)
Tara Palm (Australia) - 1:10:55 (2025 Osaka Half)
Sinead Diver (Australia) - 1:10:56 (2025 Melbourne Half)
Kaho Onishi (Japan/Route Inn Hotels) - 1:11:38 (2026 Marugame Half)
Vanessa Wilson (Australia) - 1:12:59 (2024 Gold Coast Half)
Sarah Klein (Australia) - 1:13:19 (2025 Launceston Half)
Danette Sheehan (Canada) - 1:14:03 (2026 Ballarat Half)

© 2026 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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