© Copyright – 2026 – Athletics Illustrated
The 2026 Tokyo Marathon went on Sunday, March 1 in Japan, but Saturday, February 28 for those in the Western Hemisphere. The winners were Ethiopian Tadesse Takele in 2:03:37 and Kenyan Brigid Kosgei in 2:14:29.
Men’s race
Late in the race, there was the unusual sight of nine athletes in the lead pack. Three of them were Kenyans, Geofry Toroitch, Alexander Mutiso and Daniel Mateiko, who were trying to break the Ethiopians, Tadesse Takele and Muktar Edri.
The plan worked until it didn’t. The finish order ended up being Takele, Toroitich, Mutiso for the podium and in fourth, Mateiko, Edris finished fifth. The top four ran sub-2:04, Edris finished in 2:04:07. The men concluded the race with a wild sprint finish as is become the norm these days.
Just seven seconds separated the first five finishers.
Twelve athletes finished under 2:06:00. Twenty-seven went sub-2:08:00. Thirty ran sub-2:10:00.
Takele finished Tokyo last year in 2:03:23, which is his personal best. His 2026 was a successful defence of his 2025 win.
Cameron Levins, the Canadian record holder from Tokyo 2023, clocked a 14th-place finish of 2:06:49. His record is 2:05:36.
Four Japanese athletes finished in the top-20, led by Suguru Osaka in 12th in the time of 2:05:59. He missed his personal best from Valencia three months ago, where he ran 2:04:55.
Italian Illiass Aouani finished sixth in 2:04:26, which is 90 seconds better than his personal best of 2:06:06 set in Valencia in December 2024.
Peiyou Feng ran a new personal best and Chinese national record. He clocked in at 2:05:58. The 24-year-old’s personal best was 2:07:08 from Valencia 2024. The previous record was set in 2024 by He Jie at the Wuxi Marathon where he ran 2:06:57.
The top American was Casey Clinger who finished 24th in 2:08:43. Clinger improved his personal best by over seven minutes as he came into the race sporting a 2:16:05 PB from Chicago last October. The 27-year-old former ballerina and guitarist is will be pleased with his own performance.
Women’s race
In the end it was former world record holder Brigid Kosgei of Kenya who took the win. Kosgei has not been able to continue her former world record performance level since she set it in Chicago in 2020. Twice she has run in the 2:16s, and several times in the 2:18s and a couple of slow ones. Not this time. She crushed the competition winning by over two minutes.
This performance is just seconds off her former record of 2:14:04 with her winning time and course record of 2:14:29.
Behind Kosgei there were four consecutive Ethiopians including Bertukan Welde in 2:16:36, Hawi Feysa virtually tying Suteme Asefa Bebede both credited with a 2:17:39. Megertu Aemu clocked 2:18:50, for fifth.
The first Japanese runner was Ai Hosoda finishing in 10th place in 2:23:39. The 30-year-old was a little off her personal best time of 2:20:31 from 2024 in Berlin.
Ying Lu was the top Chinese runner taking 12th in a new personal best time of 2:26:35. She finished 25 seconds in front of her Wuxi Marathon performance from last March.
Six women finished under 2:20:00 and 19 finished sub-2:30:00.
Results
Men’s
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tadesse Takele | ETH | 2:03:37 |
| 2 | Geofry Toroitich | KEN | 2:03:37 |
| 3 | Alexander Mutiso | KEN | 2:03:38 |
| 4 | Daniel Mateiko | KEN | 2:03:44 |
| 5 | Muktar Edris | ETH | 2:04:07 |
| 6 | Iliass Aouani | ITA | 2:04:26 |
| 7 | Selemon Barega | ETH | 2:05:00 |
| 8 | Seifu Tura | ETH | 2:05:02 |
| 9 | Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich | KEN | 2:05:21 |
| 10 | Shifera Tamru | ETH | 2:05:56 |
| 11 | Peiyou Feng | CHN | 2:05:58 |
| 12 | Suguru Osako | JPN | 2:05:59 |
| 13 | Kengo Suzuki | JPN | 2:06:09 |
| 14 | Cameron Levins | CAN | 2:06:49 |
| 15 | Tsubasa Ichiyama | JPN | 2:06:58 |
| 16 | Vincent Raimoi | KEN | 2:06:59 |
| 17 | Ryota Kondo | JPN | 2:07:06 |
| 18 | Suldán Hassan | SWE | 2:07:22 |
| 19 | Abdi Waiss | DJI | 2:07:24 |
| 20 | Shinsaku Kudo | JPN | 2:07:34 |
| 21 | Richard Kimunyan | KEN | 2:07:36 |
| 22 | Dawit Wolde | ETH | 2:07:58 |
| 23 | Barnaba Kipkoech | KEN | 2:08:20 |
| 24 | Casey Clinger | USA | 2:08:43 |
| 25 | Abayneh Degu | ETH | 2:08:43 |
| 26 | Tomohiro Fujimura | JPN | 2:08:49 |
| 27 | Simon Kariuki | KEN | 2:08:58 |
| 28 | Felix Mursoi Kurui | KEN | 2:09:13 |
| 29 | Hideyuki Tanaka | JPN | 2:09:19 |
| 30 | Masato Arao | JPN | 2:09:59 |
Women’s
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brigid Kosgei | KEN | 2:14:29 |
| 2 | Bertukan Welde | ETH | 2:16:36 |
| 3 | Hawi Feysa | ETH | 2:17:39 |
| 4 | Sutume Asefa Kebede | ETH | 2:17:39 |
| 5 | Megertu Alemu | ETH | 2:18:50 |
| 6 | Viola Cheptoo | KEN | 2:19:05 |
| 7 | Mestawut Fikir | ETH | 2:20:00 |
| 8 | Aberu Ayana | ETH | 2:20:30 |
| 9 | Pascalia Jepkogei | KEN | 2:21:39 |
| 10 | Ai Hosoda | JPN | 2:23:39 |
| 11 | Rosemary Wanjiru | KEN | 2:24:47 |
| 12 | Ying Lu | CHN | 2:26:35 |
| 13 | Zhixuan Li | CHN | 2:26:53 |
| 14 | Yumi Yoshikawa | JPN | 2:27:21 |
| 15 | Kristine Eikrem Engeset | NOR | 2:28:57 |
| 16 | Yuyu Xia | CHN | 2:29:14 |
| 17 | Chikako Mori | JPN | 2:29:22 |
| 18 | Chisato Kagaya | JPN | 2:29:30 |
| 19 | Sinead Diver | AUS | 2:29:57 |
| 20 | Min Liu | CHN | 2:30:03 |
| 21 | Yukari Nagatomo | JPN | 2:30:03 |
