For a trio of top Japanese runners, all of whom were top-10 finishers, the 2024 Berlin Marathon represented progress.
On Sunday, September 29, Yohei Ikeda, Ai Hosoda and Mizuki Matsuda all ran personal-best times in the 42.195-kilometer race, which had more than 58,000 participants.
Ikeda, 26, finished sixth in the men's competition with a time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, 12 seconds in the German capital. He was clocked in 2:06:53 at the Osaka Marathon in February 2023 in his debut in the long-distance race.
Hosoda and Matsuda completed the women's event in fifth and sixth place, respectively.
The 28-year-old Hosoda was an alternate for Japan's marathon squad for the Paris Olympics but did not participate as a replacement. She ran her first marathon of 2024 on Sunday and her determined effort was a key as she crossed the finish line in 2:20:31.
Hosoda's previous best was 2:21:42 at the London Marathon in October 2022.
Matsuda, 29, finished the 50th Berlin Marathon in 2:20:42. It was 10 seconds faster than her winning effort at the 2022 Osaka Ladies International Marathon.
A Notable Effort for Ikeda at the Berlin Marathon
How did Ikeda's solid effort compare with Sunday's fastest runners?
Ethiopia's Milkesa Mengesha won the race in 2:03:17. Kenya's Cybrian Kotut was the runner-up (2:03:22). Ethiopian Haymanot Alew secured a third-place finish in 2:03:31, followed by Kenyan Stephen Kiprop (2:03:37) and Ethiopia's Hailemaryam Kiros (2:04:35).
It was Ikeda's first marathon this year and he set a new benchmark for himself. The Nippon Sport Science University grad also demonstrated that his marathon debut in Osaka was not a fluke.
A sixth-place finisher at the Asian Games in October 2023 (2:15:04), Ikeda later expressed disappointment that he did not return from Hangzhou, China, with a medal, according to published reports.
As a result, he channeled his focus on training, working hard to increase his strength and stamina. This included a heavy workload of nearly 2,000 kilometers of combined running in July and August, Jiji Press reported.
That effort paid off.
Ikeda ran the second-fastest marathon ever by a Japanese runner. Kengo Suzuki holds the national record (2:04:56), set at the Lake Biwa Marathon in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, in February 2021.
Naturally, Ikeda is proud of his achievement in Berlin.
"I feel very rewarded because I was able to leave a finished product behind," he said of his all-out effort, according to Jiji Press. "I'm very happy."
But he's looking ahead, not dwelling on his performance in early autumn.
"First of all, I want to run again to beat this time," Ikeda told reporters in Berlin.
A Dominant Display by Ethiopian Women
In the women's race in Berlin, Ethiopians finished 1-2-3-4, with Tigist Ketema outclassing the field. The 26-year-old won it in 2:16:42.
At the 2024 Dubai Marathon in January, Ketema won her first-ever race at that distance, clocking 2:16:97 and setting a record for the fastest debut in history for a female marathon runner.
Mestawut Fikir was the Berlin runner-up in 2:18:48, and Bosena Mulatie was third, 12 seconds behind Fikir. Aberu Ayana finished fourth (2:19:00).
The Ethiopians' dominance of the women's event was a big takeaway from the race.
From a personal standpoint, Matsuda delivered a lesson in perseverance during a year in which she contemplated retirement after finishing third at the Osaka Women's Marathon in January.
"I had been on the fence about whether or not to quit," Matsuda was quoted as saying by Jiji Press. "But this was the first race that made me feel glad I had continued this long."
A pep talk from her coach, Miwako Yamanaka, encouraged her to keep running.
"Don't stop yet. You shouldn't stop yet," Yamanaka said to Matsuda in March, Jiji Press reported.
Looking ahead, the three-time Osaka Women's Marathon champion aims to qualify to represent Japan in her specialty race at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
"I hope to make up for missing the Tokyo Olympics by just one step," Matsuda said, according to Jiji Press.
She added, "I am very eager to run at the National Stadium."
Hosoda Pleased with Her Marathon Improvement
After smashing her previous personal-best time by 1:11, Hosoda shared her perspective with reporters after the Berlin Marathon.
"I got into a good rhythm," Hosoda said, according to Kyodo News. "The 40 kilometers went by in a flash more than usual."
Like Matsuda, Hosoda also aims to compete for Team Japan at the World Athletics Championships on home soil.
"I want to run another marathon in the winter and do my best to get the right to represent Japan," she said of her upcoming ambitions.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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