The first Marathon Major of the year is scheduled to take place in Tokyo on Sunday, March 2nd. Benson Kipruto and Sutume Asefa Kebede, the men’s and women’s champions, as well as Paula Radcliffe, the guest runner, are returning.
From the Tokyo Metropolitan Building to Tokyo Station, a field of 38,000 runners will be led by 169 highly decorated athletes through the streets of the Japanese capital.
The race has additional meaning for the host nation’s runners because it serves as a direct qualifying event for the September World Athletics Championships, which will also take place in Tokyo.
Benson Kipruto, the reigning men’s champion, is returning. In the year following his victory in this event, he earned bronze in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Joshua Cheptegei, the two-time Olympic middle-distance champion who switched to the marathon last year, will attempt to overtake the Kenyan. The Ugandan who holds the world records for the 5,000 and 10,000 meters will be searching for his first road victory.
The last three winners of the women’s event, Ethiopia’s Sutume Asefa Kebede and Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru and former world record holder and Olympic silver medallist Brigid Kosgei, are expected to compete in a three-way race.
As a special guest, Paula Radcliffe will try to go back in time. Six weeks later, the 51-year-old Briton, a former world record holder, is scheduled to run the Boston Marathon, earning her the distinction of being a Six Star finisher—a distinction given to athletes who finish all six marathon majors.
It is organised by the Tokyo Marathon Foundation in association with the AAF (Japan Association of Athletics Federations), Tokyo Metropolitan Government, The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nippon Television Network Corporation, Sankei Shimbun Co. Ltd. and The Tokyo Shimbun.
As announced by the organization on 20 February, the full list of international broadcasters will be announced on the day of the race.
| Regions | Broadcasters |
| Japan | Nippon TV |
| International | TBA on 2 March |
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