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2025 Tokyo Marathon Announces Star-Studded Lineup Of Defending Champions

The women's race will see the last three winners toe the line against one another.

The 2025 Tokyo Marathon is just around the corner (March 2, mark your calendars!), and this yearโ€™s elite field is stacked. With a roster boasting a number of former champions and some of the fastest marathoners on the planet, Tokyo 2025 promises to be nothing short of epic.

The women’s race will features fourth of the 10 fastest marathoners in history. The men’s race has three of the top performers ever, as well as Ugandan track great Joshua Cheptegei, who had a disappointing debut back in late 2023 in Valencia, but oozes with marathoning promise and is poised to give the distance another go.

2025 Tokyo Marathon Announces Star-Studded Lineup Of Defending Champions 1
Brigid Kosgei running the London Marathon

Womenโ€™s Field: The Best of the Best

The womenโ€™s race is shaping up to be a true clash of champions. Weโ€™ve got the past three Tokyo winnersโ€”Ethiopiaโ€™s Sutume Asefa Kebede, Kenyaโ€™s Rosemary Wanjiru, and Brigid Kosgeiโ€”back to battle it out on the streets of Japanโ€™s bustling capital.

Brigid Kosgei, the 2022 Tokyo Marathon champion, is a name that needs little introduction for distance running fans. As the former world record holder, she clocked an astonishing 2:14:04 at the 2019 Chicago Marathonโ€”a time that still stands as one of the fastest in history. Kosgei also took silver at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and sheโ€™ll be looking to reclaim her crown in Tokyo after finishing fifth in London last year.

Sutume Asefa Kebede, who shattered the Japanese all-comers’ record with a 2:15:55 victory at last yearโ€™s Tokyo Marathon, is probably the runner to beat in the field. Kebede had a breakout year in 2024. Besides winning Tokyo, she set an American soil half marathon record in Houston, and also came second at the Chicago Marathon, keeping pace with eventual winner and world record holder Ruth Cheptngetich for the first section of the race.

Then thereโ€™s Rosemary Wanjiru, last yearโ€™s Tokyo runner-up with a blistering 2:16:14. She also clinched the top spot at the 2023 Tokyo Marathon and has a bronze medal in the 10,000m from the 2019 World Championships. With her track-to-road transition looking flawless, sheโ€™s a strong favorite.

Joining them is Tigist Ketema, who stormed to victory at the 2024 Dubai Marathon and won the Berlin Marathon in the fall, with a career-best 2:16:07. Hawi Feysa, fresh off her Frankfurt Marathon win in 2:17:25, adds even more firepower. And letโ€™s not forget Gotytom Gebreslase, the 2022 World Champion from Oregon, who boasts a PB of 2:18:11 and has proven herself time and again on the global stage.

Rising stars like Kenyaโ€™s Winfridah Moraa Moseti (2:18:25 PB) and Japanโ€™s Ai Hosoda, who narrowly missed the sub-2:20 barrier in Berlin, round out this incredible field. Tokyo could very well witness another record-breaking performance.

2025 Tokyo Marathon Announces Star-Studded Lineup Of Defending Champions 2
Benson Kipruto winning the 2024 Tokyo Marathon

Menโ€™s Field: Speed Demons Galore

The menโ€™s race is equally electrifying, headlined by Benson Kipruto, the defending champion who set a jaw-dropping course record of 2:02:16 at last yearโ€™s Tokyo Marathon. Kipruto, who also won the 2021 Boston Marathon, is one of the fastest and most consistent marathoners on the planet.

Heโ€™ll face stiff competition from Ethiopiaโ€™s Derese Geleta, who clocked 2:02:38 in Valencia last year. Geleta is known for his tactical racing and has consistently finished at the top of elite fields, including a top-five finish at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich, who placed third at the 2023 Berlin Marathon with a 2:03:13 PB, is another strong contender. Meanwhile, Ethiopiaโ€™s Birhanu Legese, a two-time Tokyo Marathon champion, is back with his 2:02:48 PB, making him one of the fastest marathoners in history.

And hereโ€™s where it gets really excitingโ€”Joshua Cheptegei, the reigning world record holder in the 5,000m and 10,000m, is making another attempt at the marathon distance. Although his debut in Valencia last year resulted in a modest 2:08:59, his track credentials suggest enormous potential for improvement, and he’s arguably the favorite in Tokyo.

Rounding out the field are newcomers like Benard Koech, the 10-mile world record holder and half marathon specialist (58:45 PB), and Japanโ€™s Aoi Ota, a Hakone Ekiden star making his marathon debut. Add in elite Japanese athletes like Yohei Ikeda and Ichitaka Yamashita chasing Kengo Suzuki’s 2:04:56 national record in front of a home crowd, and this race promises fireworks.


2025 Tokyo Marathon Elite fields

Women’s Field

Brigid Kosgei (KEN) 2:14:04 (2022 Tokyo winner; fourth fastest all-time)
Sutume Kebede (ETH) 2:15:55 (2024 Tokyo Winner; eighth fastest all-time)
Tigist Ketema (ETH) 2:16:07 (ninth fastest all-time)
Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) 2:16:14 (2023 Tokyo winner; 10th fastest all-time)

Hawi Feysa (ETH) 2:17:25
Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) 2:17:56
Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) 2:17:58
Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) 2:18:11
Winfridah Moraa Moseti (KEN) 2:18:25
Mestawut Fikir (ETH) 2:18:48
Magdalyne Masai (KEN) 2:18:58
Ai Hosoda (JPN) 2:20:31
Desi Jisa Mokonin (BRN) 2:20:47
Yuka Ando (JPN) 2:21:18
Jessica Stenson (AUS) 2:24:01
Zhang Deshun (CHN) 2:24:05
Rie Kawauchi (JPN) 2:25:35
Kaori Morita (JPN) 2:26:31
Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh (MGL) 2:26:32
Shiho Kaneshige (JPN) 2:28:51

Men’s Field

Benson Kipruto (KEN) 2:02:16 (2024 Tokyo Winner; sixth fastest all-time)
Deresa Geleta (ETH) 2:02:38 (seventh fastest all-time)
Birhanu Legese (ETH) 2:02:48 (ninth fastest all-time)

Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich (KEN) 2:03:13
Tadese Takele (ETH) 2:03:24
Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:03:48
Leul Gebresilase (ETH) 2:04:02
Stephen Kissa (UGA) 2:04:48
Tsegaye Getachew (ETH) 2:04:49
Amedework Walelegn (ETH) 2:04:50
Titus Kipruto (KEN) 2:04:54
Yohei Ikeda (JPN) 2:05:12
Suguru Osako (JPN) 2:05:29
Mulugeta Asefa Uma (ETH) 2:05:33
Ichitaka Yamashita (JPN) 2:05:51
Kenya Sonota (JPN) 2:05:59
Hiroto Inoue (JPN) 2:06:47
He Jie (CHN) 2:06:57
Vincent Raimoi (KEN) 2:07:01
Hendrik Pfeiffer (GER) 2:07:14
Akira Akasaki (JPN) 2:07:32
Suldan Hassan (SWE) 2:07:36
Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) 2:08:59 (10,000m Olympic gold; 10,000m world record)
Benard Koech (KEN) Debut
Geoffrey Toroitich (KEN) Debut

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Jessy Carveth

Senior News Editor

Jessy has been active her whole life, competing in cross-country, track running, and soccer throughout her undergrad. She pivoted to road cycling after completing her Bachelor of Kinesiology with Nutrition from Acadia University. Jessy is currently a professional road cyclist living and training in Spain.

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