TOKYO MARATHON 2016 Wheelchair Elite Field has been announced. By Masazumi Soejima – Wheelchair Race Director.

The current men’s world record is 1:20:14 by Heinz Frei (SUI) which was recorded in the 1999 Oita International Wheelchair Marathon. This record has stayed intact for 16 years. The goal is to break this record in the TOKYO MARATHON.

The wheelchair races will be affected by course undulation as well as the pavement condition. The TOKYO MARATHON course has least undulation as well as best surface condition among the Abbott World Marathon Majors races, and thus TOKYO MARATHON has the good chance for the record. The problem is the weather on the race day. Historically, TOKYO MARATHON has been marred with rain and wind and thus fast time has not been realized.

However, this year, Joshua George (USA), World Champion who also won the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon, Kurt Fernley (AUS), 2015 Bank of America Chicago Mmarathon champion, and Ernst Van Dyk (RSA), 2015 TCS New York City Marathon champion, will be in the field, and thus it is expected to be a different race this year.

How would domestic athletes – Hiroyuki Yamamoto, Kota Hokinoue, Ryota Yoshida, and Tomoki Suzuki – challenge these world bests wheelchair athletes? For the Japanese wheelchair athletes, TOKYO MARATHON is the Rio de Janeiro Olympic team qualifying race. First Japanese wheelchair athlete in the race under 1:28:30, provided he finishes in the overall top three, will have a chance to compete at the Olympic Games. With this criterion in mind, I wish that Japanese athletes will compete aggressively against the international field.

On the women’s race, how Wakako Tsuchida, eight-time winner of the TOKYO MARATHON will challenge Tatyana McFadden (USA), who won the latest Boston, London, Chicago and New York City Marathons. Can Tsuchida take advantage of her knowledge of the course in this competition against McFadden, who is considered as one of the best in the world at the present time?

With the internationalization of the wheelchair race, speed and tactics of the lead pack will bring excitement and tension all along the 42.195km marathon distance. Cheer the athletes along the course from the start to finish.

Please visit here to see the wheelchair elite field list