Tokyo Marathon waiting for new champion
The Tokyo Marathon took place on Sunday, March 5 with 38,000 runners, including 37,500 in the FM distance (42,195km) and 500 at the 10.7km distance. Runner FM starts at 9:10 am, ie 7:10 am Hanoi time, 5 minutes after the wheelchair athletes start to compete, with a time limit of 7 hours. The race will start at Shinjuku Park on the outskirts of Tokyo, and finish in the city center.
This year's tournament will have a new champion, after last year's two first place men and women, Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei, did not return to defend the title. Kipchoge, the Kenyan's fastest marathon runner, completed Tokyo Marathon 2022 in 2 hours 2 minutes 40 seconds, setting a tournament record. Meanwhile, compatriot Kosgei finished first after 2 hours 16 minutes 2 seconds - the third best achievement in the history of female runners.
However, the elite list of running Tokyo Marathon 2023 still has many prominent names. In the men's event, the six best individual runners (PR) under 2 hours and 5 minutes have all won marathons outside of the World Marathon Majors - the six largest system on the planet in Boston, New York, Chicago, London, Berlin and Tokyo.
The fastest of the male elites is Sisay Lemma, the Ethiopian with PR 2 hours 3 minutes 36 seconds. The runner born in 1990 once won the London Marathon 2021 in 2 hours 4 minutes 1 second but did not keep the form in 2022. Lemma quit (DNF) at the 2022 Boston Marathon and only finished seventh at the London Marathon of the same year. Tokyo Marathon 2023 is an opportunity for Lemma to express herself.
Right behind Lemma are Bernard Kiprop Koech (Kenya - PR 2 hours 4 minutes 9 seconds), Cyprian Kotut (Kenya - PR 2 hours 4 minutes 47 seconds), Stephen Kissa (Uganda - PR 2 hours 4 minutes 48 seconds), Deso Gelmisa (Ethiopia - PR 2 hours 4 minutes 53 seconds) and Titus Kipruto (Kenya - PR 2 hours 4 minutes 54 seconds).
Host Japan has eight candidates for the championship, led by Kengo Suzuki with PR and also a national record of 2 hours 4 minutes 56 seconds.
Meanwhile, the top 6 female elites all have PR under 2 hours 19 minutes, the fastest is Ashete Bekere, Ethiopian. The runner born in 1988 once finished first in Berlin Marathon 2019 and second in Tokyo Marathon 2022, setting PR 2 hours 17 minutes 58 seconds.
The next positions are Rosemary Wanjiru (Kenya - PR 2 hours 18 minutes), Tigist Abayechew (Ethiopia - PR 2 hours 18 minutes 3 seconds), Joan Chelimo Melly (Romania - PR 2 hours 18 minutes 4 seconds), Worknesh Edesa (Ethiopia - PR 2 hours 18 minutes 51 seconds) and Tsehay Gemechu (Ethiopia - PR 2 hours 18 minutes 59 seconds).
The host's elite representative in the women's content is Mao Ichiyama with a PR of 2 hours 20 minutes 29 seconds.
The Tokyo Marathon will kick off the 2023 season of the World Marathon Majors - the world's largest system of six races. The next tournaments will take place in Boston on April 17, London on April 23, Berlin on September 24, Chicago on October 8 and New York City on November 5.
