The Nagoya Women’s Marathon announced today the top elite athletes who will compete in the 14th edition of the world’s largest women’s marathon to be held on Sunday, March 9, 2025. The leaders are Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya. She has a personal best of 2:17:29. There is also 2024 TCS New York City Marathon Champion, Ruti Aga of Ethiopia with her 2:18:09 as well as 2019 Tokyo Marathon Champion, and Eunice Chebichii Chumba of Bahrain (2:20:02), 2023 Asian Games Champion and last year’s runner-up in Nagoya.
Other notable international competitors in the field include Isobel Batt-Doyle of Australia, Natasha Wodak (2:23:12NR) of Canada, Yuyu Xia of China, Fabienne Konigstein of Germany, and Natosha Rogers of the USA.
The athletes who will join the competitive racing from Japan are Hitomi Niiya (2:19:24). The third-fastest Japanese woman of all time who will be competing in Nagoya for the first time in 16 years. Rika Kaseda (2:21:55), who represented the country in the marathon at the 2023 World Championships in Athletics, and Rino Goshima (0:30:53 for 10,000m, 1:08:03 for HM), 2024 Paris Olympian in the 10,000m who will be making a marathon debut. As this event will be the final opportunity to secure a ticket for the 2025 World Athletics Championships Tokyo in September, a particularly fast-paced race between veteran and young athletes is expected.
The Nagoya Women’s Marathon is not only one of the world’s most competitive races as a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, but it is also the world’s largest women’s marathon where 20,000 runners will take part. All finishers will receive an exclusive crystal tumbler from French luxury brand Baccarat from this year, with the design unveiled at the Marathon Expo on the day before the race. The special tumbler will be not only presented to the runners who crossed the finish line in Nagoya, but it will also be sent to all the finishers of the virtual race, the Nagoya Women’s Online Marathon 2025, which is currently held until March 31, 2025.
Elite list
List of Elite Athletes of the Nagoya Women’s Marathon 2025
Invited Elite Athletes:
Name Nationality Personal Best
Sheila CHEPKIRUI Kenya 2:17:29
Ruti AGA Ethiopia 2:18:09
Hitomi NIIYA Japan 2:19:24
Eunice Chebichii CHUMBA Bahrain 2:20:02
Rika KASEDA Japan 2:21:55
Sayaka SATO Japan 2:22:13
Mao UESUGI Japan 2:22:29
Isobel BATT-DOYLE Australia 2:22:59
Yuki NAKAMURA Japan 2:24:22
Rino GOSHIMA Japan 0:30:53 (10000m)
International Elite Athletes:
Name Nationality Personal Best
Natasha WODAK Canada 2:23:12
Yuyu XIA China 2:25:45
Fabienne KÖNIGSTEIN Germany 2:25:48
Li BAI China 2:26:33
Cuomu CIREN China 2:26:47
Dan LI China 2:26:59
Natosha ROGERS USA 2:34:51
Leanne POMPEANI Australia 69:01(HM)
