On a mild spring morning in Tokyo, Japan, more than 30,000 runners took to the streets for the Tokyo Marathon, marking the commencement of this year’s World Marathon Major series. Ethiopian runners topped the podium in both the men’s and women’s races, with Tadese Takele, last year’s third-place finisher, and returning women’s champion Sutume Asefa Kebede capturing the men’s and women’s titles in 2:03:23 and 2:16:30, respectively.
Men’s race
Takele’s winning time of 2:03:23 marked a personal best for the 22-year-old former steeplechaser, improving on his previous best from his third-place finish at the 2023 Berlin Marathon by one second.
The race started fast, with the lead pack hitting 5K in 14:25. By 28K, most of the frontrunners had dropped back, including defending champion and course-record holder Benson Kipruto of Kenya, leaving Takele, fellow Ethiopian Deresa Geleta, and Kenya’s Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich in contention. At 38K, Takele made his move, breaking away to secure the win. Geleta followed in 2:03:51, with Ngetich taking third in 2:04:00.
Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, the world record holder in both the 5,000m and 10,000m, improved his marathon personal best by three minutes, finishing ninth with a time of 2:05:59. This was Cheptegei’s second marathon after his 2023 debut in Valencia, where he ran 2:08:59; at the pre-race press conference Cheptegei announced that he was retiring from track to focus on the marathon.
Women’s race
Kebede successfully defended her Tokyo Marathon title in 2:16:30, becoming the first back-to-back winner of the women’s race; Kebede also captured the course record in 2024, when she ran 2:15:55.
Kebede, 30, established an early lead, passing the 10K mark in a swift 31:22 and reaching the halfway point at 1:06:20. While her pace slowed in the later stages of the race, she maintained a sufficient gap to secure the win. Kenya’s Winfridah Moraa Moseti finished second with a PB of 2:16:56, and Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa also impressed, securing third place and improving her PB to 2:17:00.
Former world marathon record holder, Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe, made her first return to the distance in a decade, crossing the line in 2:57:22. Radcliffe, 51, plans to run Boston six weeks from now to become a Six Star World Marathon Major finisher.
For full results of the 2025 Tokyo Marathon, head here.
