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Kobe Marathon Elite Field


Sunday's Kobe Marathon has announced its elite fields, finally. Japanese athletes have a shot at qualifying for next fall's MGC Race, the official trials race for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, if they go sub-2:27 for the first Japanese woman across the line or sub-2:09 for the first 3 Japanese men to do it. There aren't a lot of contenders to pull it off. On the women's side, Kaede Hagitani, Ayaka Shimoyamada and Kotomi Tsubokura all ran 2:31-32 PBs in the spring and will need to step it up a couple of notches to get there. 2:23 Kenyan Antonina Kwambai is perfectly positioned to help.

On the men's side, Keijiro Mogi is closest with a 2:09:06 at last year's Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Hiroto Kanamori his closest domestic competition with a 2:10:01 PB in Osaka in February. The international trio of last year's winner Barnaba Kipkoech, Elisha Rotich and Goitom Kifle all have recent 2:06-7 times and should help set it up for someone to get there, whether Mogi, Kanamori, or the half dozen other Japanese men in the 2:10-11 range. JRN will be on-site in Kobe.

2026 Kobe Marathon Elite Field Highlights

Kobe, Hyogo, 15 Nov. 2026
times listed are athletes' best within last 3 years except where noted

Women
Antonina Kwambai (Kenya) - 2:23:47 (2024 Seville)
Kaede Hagitani (Saku T&F Assoc.) - 2:31:05 (2026 Kagawa Marathon)
Tara Palm (Australia) - 2:31:58 (2026 Osaka Marathon)
Ayaka Shimoyamada (TT Runners) - 2:32:09 (2026 Tokyo Marathon)
Kotomi Tsubokura (Wacoal) - 2:32:34 (2026 Osaka Marathon)
Kokone Sakai (Fukui T&F Assoc.) - 2:35:22 (2025 Kobe Marathon)
Alexandra Lyndon (Australia) - 2:36:22 (2026 Gold Coast Marathon)
Haruna Takano (Pacer TC) - 2:38:33 (2026 Tokyo Marathon)
Mizuki Oda (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 2:38:36 (2026 Osaka Women's Marathon)
Catherine Njunge (Kenya) - 2:40:21 (2025 Kobe Marathon)
Ayaka Furukawa (Frontier AC) - 2:42:35 (2026 Osaka Marathon)
Tomomi Nakayasu (Miki T&F Assoc.) - 2:44:26 (2026 Osaka Women's Marathon)
Annet Chemengich Chelangat (Uganda) - debut - 1:08:12 (2025 Seville Half)

Men
Barnaba Kipkoech (Kenya) - 2:06:54 (2025 Koln Marathon)
Elisha Rotich (Kenya) - 2:06:54 (2024 Paris Marathon)
Goitom Kifle (Eritrea) - 2:07:38 (2025 Seville Marathon)
Keijiro Mogi (Asahi Kasei) - 2:09:06 (2025 Beppu-Oita Marathon)
Yuma Morii (Kyoto T&F Assoc.) - 2:09:59 (2024 Boston Marathon)
Hiroto Kanamori (Ibaraki T&F Assoc.) - 2:10:01 (2026 Osaka Marathon)
Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (Mongolia) - 2:10:10 (2024 Osaka Marathon)
Hiromasa Kumahashi (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 2:10:31 (2025 Tokyo Marathon)
Daniel Nghidinwa Paulus (Namibia) - 2:10:51 (2024 Hangzhou Marathon)
Koki Sato (Asahi Kasei) - 2:11:07 (2026 Fukui Sakura Marathon)
Yudai Fukuda (Ishikawa T&F Assoc.) - 2:11:16 (2026 Beppu-Oita Marathon)
Ryota Komori (Mie T&F Assoc.) - 2:11:37 (2026 Tokyo Marathon)
Takuma Kumagai (Sumitomo Denko) - 2:11:40 (2026 Osaka Marathon)
Itto Otawa (Tochigi T&F Assoc.) - 2:11:56 (2026 Tokyo Marathon)
Masami Nagakura (Kurosaki Harima) - 2:13:09 (2026 Nobeoka Marathon)
Takuya Kumashiro (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 2:13:17 (2025 Kobe Marathon)
Sota Takezawa (Matsudo T&F Assoc.) - 2:14:17 (2026 Tokyo Marathon)
Yuki Kawauchi (ANDS) - 2:14:30 (2026 Osaka Marathon)
Hiroaki Furukawa (Kyoto Kyogeisen Univ.) - 2:14:36 (2025 Tokyo Marathon)
Jo Fukuda (Tokyo T&F Assoc.) - 2:14:44 (2024 Tokyo Marathon)
Dejen Tesfalem (Eritrea) - 2:14:50 (2024 Kagoshima Marathon)
Alfred Kipchirchir Mukche (Kenya) - 2:10:56 (2023 Toronto Marathon)
Ryo Saito (Asahi Kasei) - debut - 1:02:08 (2024 National Corporate Half)

© 2026 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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