The Hakodate Half Marathon and Marathon took place June 28 on a course starting and finishing at Hakodate Dotsuku Sports Garden. 4,448 people ran the half marathon, with another 3,866 in the marathon for a total participant number of 8,314. Cheered on by the crowds, runners chased PBs through the exotic atmosphere of Hakodate's streets. A record-breaking 9.271 people entered the race, 5,037 in the half marathon and 4,234 in the marathon. At the opening ceremony mayor Jun Oizumi told onlookers, "I hope that the warm cheers of our local people along the course give runners strength, and that they enjoy the race til the very end."
When the starting gun fired at 9:00 a.m. the runners rook off. True to the mayor's words, locals and official cheering squads supported them with loud cheering and performances. At Midorinoshima, a longstanding local restaurant served up curry and other dishes, giving participants a taste of Hakodate's delicious local cuisine.
Jin Yuasa (Toyota) won the men's half marathon in 1:02:05, with Mizuki Nishimura (Tenmaya) breaking the tape in 1:10:51 to take the women's title. Post-race Yuasa said, "The great crowd support from the local people was heartwarming. This win gave me a confidence boost for the Hokkaido Marathon, and I'll keep training steadily for that without getting complacent." Nishimura said, "I ran this to gauge where I am right now in my fitness. It got windy partway through and I had trouble sustaining the pace I'd planned, but it's great that I still won."
Amateur Keisuke Shimamura won the men's marathon in 2:28:00, with veteran Hiroko Yoshitomi (Memolead) winning the women's race in 2:45:23. A total of 3,001 men and 1,231 women finished the half marathon, 2,834 men and 637 women finishing the marathon. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency's Sapporo Regional Headquarters, the high temperature in Hakodate on the 28th was 25.4˚C at 2:03 p.m.
Hakodate Half Marathon
Hakodate, Hokkaido, 28 June 2026
Men's Half Marathon
1. Jin Yuasa (Toyota) - 1:02:05
2. Shoma Hosoya (Logisteed) - 1:02:12
3. Shunsuke Shikama (Logisteed) - 1:02:18
4. Brian Kiptoo (Comedy Iida) - 1:02:34
5. Masashi Nonaka (Toyota) - 1:02:36
6. Shota Nishimura (Aichi Seiko) - 1:02:38
7. Naoya Sakuda (JR Higashi Nihon) - 1:02:40
8. Yuto Akahoshi (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 1:02:41
9. Solomon Mutuku (Soka Univ.) - 1:02:43
10. Hiro Konda (Aichi Seiko) - 1:02:47
11. Akito Terui (Subaru) - 1:02:50
12. Kazuya Nishiyama (Toyota) - 1:02:57
Women's Half Marathon
1. Mizuki Nishimura (Tenmaya) - 1:10:51
2. Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) - 1:11:07
3. Hikaru Kitagawa (Univ. Ent.) - 1:13:01
4. Shiori Yoshizono (Tenmaya) - 1:13:33
5. Sakiho Tsutsui (Univ. Ent.) - 1:13:53
6. Azusa Sumi (Univ. Ent.) - 1:14:47
7. Miku Hirashima (Tenmaya) - 1:15:20
Men's Marathon
1. Keisuke Shimamura (unattached) - 2:28:00
Women's Marathon
1. Hiroko Yoshitomi (Memolead) - 2:45:23
source article:
translated by Brett Larner
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