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Ethiopia’s Tadesse Takele and Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei delivered masterclass performances to win the 2026 Tokyo Marathon on Sunday, March 1, in one of the most dramatic editions the Abbott World Marathon Major has ever produced. Takele successfully defended his title with a devastating late-race surge, winning a breathtaking sprint finish in 2:03:37 — just seven seconds separating the top five men. Kosgei, the former world record holder, rolled back the years with a commanding 2:14:29 course record to claim her second Tokyo title. More than 38,000 runners took part in the first World Marathon Major of 2026 through the streets of the Japanese capital.
Men’s Race: A Sprint Finish for the Ages
The men’s race produced one of the most remarkable finishes in World Marathon Major history. In an unusual tactical battle, a large lead pack of nine runners remained intact deep into the race, setting the stage for a wild conclusion over the final kilometers.
Japan’s Ryuichi Hashimoto injected early excitement by pushing the pace at the front in the opening half, but he began to fade after the halfway point, ceding the lead to the international pack. The race settled into a chess match, with three Kenyan runners — Alexander Mutiso Munyao, Geoffrey Toroitich, and Daniel Mateiko — and two Ethiopians — defending champion Takele and Muktar Edris — all biding their time in the group.
The decisive moment came around 36.5km, when the pack finally splintered. The three Kenyans launched a coordinated attack, attempting to break the Ethiopians with successive surges. The plan initially worked, stringing out the group, but Takele had been saving his best for last. Emerging from his tactical patience, the defending champion unleashed a fierce kick in the final kilometers that none of his rivals could match.
Takele crossed the line first in 2:03:37, becoming the first back-to-back men’s champion in Tokyo since fellow Ethiopian Birhanu Legese won in 2019 and 2020. Toroitich, the 2025 Amsterdam Marathon winner racing just his third career marathon, was given the identical time of 2:03:37 but couldn’t quite close the gap. The 2024 London Marathon champion Mutiso was agonizingly close in 2:03:38 — denied again after also narrowly missing victory at November’s New York Marathon. Mateiko, the 2025 World Championships bronze medalist, finished fourth in 2:03:44, with Edris rounding out an extraordinary top five in 2:04:07.
The depth was staggering: twelve men broke 2:06, twenty-seven went sub-2:08, and thirty finished under 2:10.
Italy’s Iliass Aouani produced the performance of his career in sixth, clocking 2:04:26 — a massive 90-second improvement on his previous personal best of 2:06:06 from Valencia in December 2024. Tokyo 2020 Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega of Ethiopia continued his marathon development with a 2:05:00 seventh-place finish.
China’s Peiyou Feng delivered a landmark result in 11th, running 2:05:58 to set a new Chinese national record, smashing He Jie’s previous mark of 2:06:57 from the 2024 Wuxi Marathon. The 24-year-old improved his personal best by over a minute.
Japan’s top finisher was Suguru Osako in 12th place with 2:05:59, just over a minute off his recent personal best of 2:04:55 from Valencia. Fellow Japanese runners Kengo Suzuki (2:06:09, 13th), Tsubasa Ichiyama (2:06:58, 15th), and Ryota Kondo (2:07:06, 17th) also ran well on home soil. Canada’s Cameron Levins, the Canadian record holder who set his mark in Tokyo in 2023, finished 14th in 2:06:49.
One of the day’s feel-good stories came from American Casey Clinger, who finished 24th in 2:08:43 — an improvement of over seven minutes on his previous personal best of 2:16:05 from the 2025 Chicago Marathon.
Men’s Top 15 Results
| Place | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tadesse Takele | Ethiopia | 2:03:37 |
| 2 | Geoffrey Toroitich | Kenya | 2:03:37 |
| 3 | Alexander Mutiso Munyao | Kenya | 2:03:38 |
| 4 | Daniel Mateiko | Kenya | 2:03:44 |
| 5 | Muktar Edris | Ethiopia | 2:04:07 |
| 6 | Iliass Aouani | Italy | 2:04:26 (PB) |
| 7 | Selemon Barega | Ethiopia | 2:05:00 |
| 8 | Seifu Tura | Ethiopia | 2:05:02 |
| 9 | Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich | Kenya | 2:05:21 |
| 10 | Shifera Tamru | Ethiopia | 2:05:56 |
| 11 | Peiyou Feng | China | 2:05:58 (NR) |
| 12 | Suguru Osako | Japan | 2:05:59 |
| 13 | Kengo Suzuki | Japan | 2:06:09 |
| 14 | Cameron Levins | Canada | 2:06:49 |
| 15 | Tsubasa Ichiyama | Japan | 2:06:58 |
Women’s Race: Kosgei Turns Back the Clock
If the men’s race was decided in the final meters, the women’s contest was a masterclass in attrition. Former marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei, who set her legendary 2:14:04 in Chicago in 2019, showed she remains a force at 30 years old, winning in a course record 2:14:29 — just 25 seconds off that historic mark and erasing Sutume Asefa Kebede’s previous Tokyo course record of 2:15:55 from 2024.
Kosgei, who previously won in Tokyo in 2022 and had signaled her form with a victory at the 2025 Shanghai Marathon, was part of a select six-woman group through the halfway point, reached in 1:07:37 — under course record pace. Kebede, bidding for an unprecedented third consecutive Tokyo title, was right there alongside her.
The race took its decisive shape around the 30km mark, when it became clear only Kosgei and Kebede remained in serious contention. The pair ran together, marking each other stride for stride, with a group of male runners around them. But Kebede cracked before the 35km point, fading rapidly as Kosgei pushed a relentless pace. Alone at the front with over 7km remaining, Kosgei maintained her rhythm and extended her lead with every passing kilometer, eventually winning by over two minutes.
Ethiopia’s Bertukan Welde ran well to take second in 2:16:36, followed by a virtual tie for third between compatriots Hawi Feysa and Sutume Asefa Kebede, both credited with 2:17:39 — a disappointing fade for the defending champion who had been right in contention at halfway. Megertu Alemu completed the top five in 2:18:50. In total, six women broke 2:20 and nineteen finished under 2:30.
Japan’s first finisher was Ai Hosoda in 10th, running 2:23:39 — slightly off her 2:20:31 personal best from the 2024 Berlin Marathon. China’s Ying Lu was 12th in a personal best 2:26:35.
Women’s Top 10 Results
| Place | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brigid Kosgei | Kenya | 2:14:29 (CR) |
| 2 | Bertukan Welde | Ethiopia | 2:16:36 |
| 3 | Hawi Feysa | Ethiopia | 2:17:39 |
| 4 | Sutume Asefa Kebede | Ethiopia | 2:17:39 |
| 5 | Megertu Alemu | Ethiopia | 2:18:50 |
| 6 | Viola Cheptoo | Kenya | 2:19:05 |
| 7 | Mestawut Fikir | Ethiopia | 2:20:00 |
| 8 | Aberu Ayana | Ethiopia | 2:20:30 |
| 9 | Pascalia Jepkogei | Kenya | 2:21:39 |
| 10 | Ai Hosoda | Japan | 2:23:39 |
Key Storylines and Takeaways
The 2026 Tokyo Marathon reinforced the event’s status as one of the fastest and most competitive marathons in the world. Takele’s successful title defense places him among an elite group of back-to-back Tokyo champions, and his ability to sit patiently before unleashing a devastating finishing kick marks him as one of the most tactically astute marathoners racing today. His personal best remains the 2:03:23 he ran in last year’s edition.
Kosgei’s return to the very top of women’s marathoning is one of the stories of the 2026 season so far. After several years of inconsistent results following her 2019 world record, the Kenyan appears to be back near her absolute best. Her 2:14:29 puts her in prime position heading into the spring major season and the lead-up to the 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
The race also underlined the rising depth in marathon running globally. A new Chinese national record, massive personal bests from athletes like Aouani and Clinger, and four Japanese men in the top 20 all point to a marathon landscape that is more competitive than ever before.
About the Tokyo Marathon
The Tokyo Marathon is one of the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors and a World Athletics Platinum Label race, held annually in early March in Japan’s capital. The course starts at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku, passes through iconic landmarks including the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Tower, Asakusa’s Senso-ji Temple, and Ginza, before finishing outside Tokyo Station. Known for its exceptional organization, enthusiastic spectators, and fast flat course, Tokyo has become one of the most coveted marathon experiences in the world, attracting over 38,000 participants from across the globe. The 2026 edition marked the race’s 20th anniversary.
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