The Gold Coast Marathon is always a big stop on the Japanese calendar, with both the men's and women's CR of 2:07:33 and 2:24:22 set by Japanese athletes in the last 2 years and 5 of the last 7 races won by Japanese men. 3 athletes on the entry list in both the women's and men's races have run faster than those times in the last 3 years, and with solid Japanese contingents there's a good chance of new CR.
Almaz Kebede, 2022 winner Lindsay Flanagan and Antonina Kwambai have all run 2:23 since 2024 and have 2:25-level Japanese women Aika Murakami and Kaede Kawamura to deal with. The lack of jet lag for the Japanese tends to play in their favor relative to African athletes, so it should be at least a 5-way race up front. Vanessa Wilson is the top domestic entrant with a 2:28:34 in Berlin 2 years ago.
2:06 Kenyans Benson Tunyo, Dominic Ngeno and Elisha Rotich make up the front end of the men's field, with last year's 3rd-placer Ryoma Takeuchi and recent 2:08 guys Mizuki Higashi and Hidekazu Hijikata the top Japanese competition. Australia's Haftu Strintzos has only run 2:11:27 so far on the tough Sydney Marathon course last year, but with a 1:00:41 Australian all-comers' record last month at the Launceston Half Marathon he's coming in as another front-pack contender. Japan's Jinya Ozaki also ran well at Launceston the last 2 years and will making his debut.
Despite a steady stream of threats of violence since mid-March from an apparently Gold Coast-based stalker and what seems to be a death threat this week, JRN will be at the Gold Coast Marathon as every non-pandemic year since 2013 to do commentary on the official live stream and assist the athletes we support who are running the marathon and half marathon. We look forward to being back and to being a part of this great event again.
The elite field for the Gold Coast China Airlines Half Marathon is here.
Gold Coast Marathon
Elite Field Highlights
Gold Coast, Australia, 5 July 2026
times listed are athletes' best within last 3 years except where noted
Women
Almaz Kebede (Ethiopia) - 2:23:30 (Dubai 2025)
Lindsay Flanagan (U.S.A.) - 2:23:31 (Chicago 2024)
Antonina Kwambai (Kenya) - 2:23:47 (Seville 2024)
Aika Murakami (Japan) - 2:25:07 (Nagoya 2026)
Kaede Kawamura (Japan) - 2:25:44 (Osaka 2024)
Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh (Mongolia) - 2:26:32 (Tokyo 2024)
Lensa Debele Jaleta (Ethiopia) - 2:26:55 (Belgrade 2025)
Vanessa Wilson (Australia) - 2:28:34 (Berlin 2024)
Abigail Nordberg (Australia) - 2:33:05 (Valencia 2025)
Danette Sheehan (Canada) - 2:33:15 (Osaka 2026)
Simone McInnes (Australia) - 2:34:11 (Valencia 2025)
Men
Benson Tunyo (Kenya) - 2:06:10 (Osaka 2026)
Dominic Ngeno (Kenya) - 2:06:37 (Paris 2025)
Elisha Rotich (Kenya) - 2:06:54 (Paris 2024)
Mizuki Higashi (Japan) - 2:08:03 (Osaka 2024)
Ilham Ozbilem (Turkey) - 2:08:36 (Mersin 2024)
Ryoma Takeuchi (Japan) - 2:08:38 (Gold Coast 2025)
Hidekazu Hijikata (Japan) - 2:08:39 (Osaka 2026)
Abayneh Degu Tsehay (Ethiopia) - 2:08:43 (Tokyo 2026)
Ryuichi Hashimoto (Japan) - 2:09:40 (Osaka 2025)
Kaisei Sugiyama (Japan) - 2:09:55 (Osaka 2026)
Hiromasa Kumahashi (Japan) - 2:10:31 (Tokyo 2026)
Naoki Tomita (Japan) - 2:10:49 (Osaka 2026)
Ryuichi Yoshioka (Japan) - 2:10:49 (Tokyo 2025)
Josh Iżewski (U.S.A.) - 2:10:54 (Houston 2025)
Enyew Nigat (Ethiopia) - 2:11:03 (Malaga 2025)
Yudai Fukuda (Japan) - 2:11:16 (Beppu-Oita 2026)
Haftu Strintzos (Australia) - 2:11:27 (Sydney 2025)
Yuya Yamashita (Japan) - 2:11:37 (Nobeoka 2024)
Jinya Ozaki (Japan) - debut - 1:01:24 (Launceston Half 2024)
pacer - Tsubasa Ichiyama (Japan)
pacer - Ethan Shuley (U.S.A.)
pacer - Shinsaku Kudo (Japan)
pacer - Masato Arao (Japan)
pacer - Hitoshi Okahara (Japan)
© 2026 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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