Kobe Marathon Elite Field – Brett Larner

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There are some pretty good quality African athletes in the field, with top 2 men Abay Alemu and Elisha Rotich both in the 2:06:50 range in races last year, Alemu with a 2:06:50 for 2nd in Wuxi and Rotich 2:06:54 for 3rd in Paris, and Jackline Chelal dominating the women’s field with a 2:20:29 win in Seville in 2023.

Kobe is a shortcut for qualification for the MGC Race L.A. Olympic marathon trials, with one spot available to the top Japanese man if under 2:09:00 and the top Japanese woman if under 2:27:00. Only one athlete who looks capable of doing that has taken the bait, Masato Arao doubling back from a 2:07:42 for 6th at August’s Sydney Marathon, a breakthrough run that wasn’t enough for the JAAF to deign to let him into the Olympic trials. Yuma Morii, Hiromasa Kumahashi and Akihiro Kaneko are all around the 2:10 level, so it’s pretty much up to Arao and the pacers to get him under 2:09.

Last year’s Kobe women’s winner Natsuki Ogawa and 3rd-placer Riine Ringi are both back, with club runners Haruna Takano and Ayumi Yokota both fresh off 2:38:33 PBs in the spring. Deborah Samum is a wildcard, debuting off a 1:09:24 PB at this year’s Malaga Half.

Kobe Marathon Elite field Highlights

Kobe, Hyogo, 16 Nov. 2025

complete international field listing

complete domestic field listing

times listed are athletes‘ best within last 3 years except where noted

Men

Abay Alemu (Ethiopia) – 2:06:50 (2nd, Wuxi 2024)

Elisha Rotich (Kenya) – 2:06:54 (3rd, Paris 2024)

Masato Arao (ND Software) – 2:07:42 (6th, Sydney 2025)

Martin Musau (Uganda) – 2:08:42 (9th, Hamburg 2024)

Yuma Morii (Kyoto T&F Assoc.) – 2:09:59 (8th, Boston 2024)

Hiromasa Kumahashi (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) – 2:10:38 (25th, Tokyo 2024)

Akihiro Kaneko (Comodi Iida) – 2:10:59 (6th, Gold Coast 2024)

Yuya Yamashita (Sunbelx) – 2:11:37 (5th, Nobeoka 2024)

Keisuke Yokota (Team Nitro) – 2:11:43 (41st, Osaka 2023)

Josphat Kiprotich (Kenya) – 2:12:35 (1st, Rio de Janeiro 2024)

Takuya Kumashiro (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) – 2:13:41 (46th, Osaka 2023)

Taisei Kato (Asahi Kasei) – 2:13:58 (11th, Nobeoka 2024)

Koshiro Hirata (SG Holdings) – 2:14:17 (55th, Osaka 2024)

Daichi Atsuura (ND Software) – 2:15:11 (35th, Osaka 2022)

Peter Kipsirat (Kenya) – 1:02:21 (7th, Venlo Half 2023)

Women

Jackline Chelal (Kenya) – 2:20:29 (1st, Seville 2023)

Natsuki Ogawa (Suzuki) – 2:36:42 (1st, Kobe 2024)

Riine Ringi (Estonia) – 2:36:51 (8th, Gold Coast 2024)

Haruna Takano (PTC) – 2:38:33 (17th, Tokyo 2025)

Ayumi Yokota (Miki T&F Assoc.) – 2:38:33 (1st, Himeji Castle 2025)

Deborah Samum (Kenya) – 1:09:24 (4th, Malaga Half 2025)

Brett Larner – Japan Running News

Kobe Marathon Elite Field – Brett Larner – Japan Running News

The Kobe Marathon happens Nov. 16 with a tweaked course that cuts out the unpopular bridge out to the finish, a change organizers are touting as making it a way faster course.

Kobe Marathon Elite field Highlights

author: GRR