TOKYO, JAPAN, March 02 — Converted steeplechaser Tadese Takele sped along a fast learning curve in the Tokyo Marathon as the 23-year Ethiopian ran 2:03:23 to win his first WMM title in just his third 42K effort.
Fellow Ethiopian Sutume Asefa successfully defended her women’s title with a wire-to-wire 2:16:31 romp as both races started fast but were slowed amid warming temperatures.
Last fall in Berlin Takele ran in the 5-man lead pack at 37K but was left behind when Milkesa Mengesha threw down some 2:50 Ks. You might expect that with guidance of coach Gemedu Dedefo, Takele learned his lesson well, and this time he surged away at 38K, besting Ethiopian Deresa Geleta (2nd in 2:03:51) and Kenyan Vincent Ngetich (3rd in 2:04:00).
Takele began his career as a rather accomplished steepler running sub-8:10 to make Ethiopia’s ’21 Olympic team, then ran a 59:41 half-marathon debut the following year at the adidas Herzogenaurach road race festival. A year later he brought an impressive 2:03:24 marathon debut taking 3rd in Berlin ’23, albeit 11 seconds and one place behind Ngetich’s wee-bit-better debut (and operating at the time under the surname Bikila).
Now fully committed to the marathon, Takele revealed, “The course was good and this was a great day for me. The weather wasn’t too hot for me and in the future, I hope to run even better than I did today.”
Takele did well to better a formidable field that included the No. 1 and 3 World Ranked marathoners from ’24 in defending Tokyo champ and Paris bronze medalist Benson Kipruto, and the 29-year-old Geleta who finished 6th in Paris, and ended the year with a PR 2:02:38 runner-up finish in Valencia.
Not overlooked were ’19 and ’20 Tokyo champ Berhanu Legesse and Ngetich who finished 4th in Tokyo and Chicago last year and is at home in Japan having competed for prep and corporate racing teams.
A lead group of 8 ran together through a steady-paced opening half in 61:17. Japanese collegian Aoi Ota kept the race interesting, sticking with the leaders through 23K in a brazen (14:24 at 5K, 61:19 at the half!), but short-lived debut.
The real racing began at 27K when Ngetich moved to the front, coaxing a final push from pacer Shadrack Kimining before the unsurprising hare retired at 30K. The surge earned a bit of daylight over Geleta, Takele and Legese while dropping both Benson and Titus Kipruto.
Legesse would soon let go and Takele and Geleta latched onto Ngetich who became increasingly annoyed with the shadowing tactics even as the pace slowed to 3:00 kilometers.
After rounding the final U-turn 5K from the finish, Tadese made his move, surging through a pair of 2:51 Ks to cross 40K some 11 seconds ahead of Geleta, and 17 up on Ngetich.
Tall by marathon standards, Takele covers ground in long, efficient strides, and closed out his first WMM win with a bit of a sprint to notch a 1-second PR.
“I was well prepared for this,” he said, “and told myself that I must go for the win.”
Not going for the win was Ugandan 10,000 king Joshua Cheptegei who was content to run in the second pack, finishing 9th in 2:05:59. “I’m so grateful today that I came to Tokyo,” Cheptegei said of his second marathon effort. “There are some good positives to take home and prepare for another step forward.”
The women’s race was much more one-dimensional with Asefa, the first woman to defend successfully in Tokyo, blitzing the downhill opening 5K in 15:33, then clicking off a string of 3:08–3:11Ks to forge a 61-second lead at 15K (47:04, 2:12:24 pace) over fellow Ethiopian Tigist Ketema.
Asefa crossed halfway in a still-fast 66:18, with Ketema fading to 67:49 — she would not make it to 30K. A 7-woman chase pack crossed in 68:21 led by ’23 winner Rosemary Wanjiru.
As the course warmed under bright sun, Asefa managed to hold 2:13:12 pace with a pair of 15:50 and 16:01 5K segments reaching 30K in (1:34:42), but after her pacers stepped off, slowed to 16:31 through 35K and took 17:20 to reach 40K.
Fortunately, the 30-year-old Asefa has gained valuable experience surviving Ruth Chepngetich’s brutal opening pace in the past two Chicago Marathons and made it to the finish ahead of Kenyan Winfridah Moraa (2:16:56) and Ethiopian Hawi Feysa (2:17:00).
A decade after her last marathon, 51-year-old Paula Radcliffe ran 2:57:26, checking off her fifth different WMM and looking to pick up her the Six Star medallion come Patriot’s Day in Boston.
TOKYO MEN’S RESULTS
1. Tadese Takele (Eth) 2:03:23 PR; 2. Deresa Geleta (Eth) 2:03:51; 3. Vincent Ngetich (Ken) 2:04:00; 4. Titus Kipruto (Ken) 2:05:34; 5. Mulugeta Asefa (Eth) 2:05:46; 6. Geofry Kipchumba (Ken) 2:05:46 PR; 7. Benson Kipruto (Ken) 2:05:46; 8. Suldan Hassan (Swe) 2:05:57 NR; 9. Joshua Cheptegei (Uga) 2:05:59 PR; 10. Tsubasa Ichiyama (Jpn) 2:06:00 PR; 11. Berhanu Legesse (Eth) 2:06:06; 12. Hirohito Inoue (Jpn) 2:06:14 PR; 13. Yuhei Urano (Jpn) 2:06:23 PR; 14. Yohei Ikeda (Jpn) 2:06:48; 15. Tatsuya Maruyama (Jpn) 2:07:06 PR.
TOKYO WOMEN’S RESULTS
1. Sutume Asefa (Eth) 2:16:31; 2. Winfridah Moraa (Ken) 2:16:56 PR; 3. Hawi Feysa (Eth) 2:17:00 PR; 4. Magdalyne Masai (Ken) 2:19:28; 5. Rosemary Wanjiru (Ken) 2:19:57; 6. Desi Jisa Mokonin (Bhr) 2:20:07 PR; 7. Gotytom Gebreslase (Eth) 2:20:25; 8. Degitu Azimeraw (Eth) 2:20:26; 9. Deshun Zhang (Chn) 2:20:53 PR; 10. Jessica Stenson (Aus) 2:22:56 PR; 11. Yuka Ando (Jpn) 2:23:37; 12. Khishigsaikhan Galdabrakh (Mgl) 2:27:11; 13. Ai Hosoda (Jpn) 2:27:43; 14. Rie Kawauchi (Jpn) 2:29:28.
