Nagoya, Japan – Sheila Chepkirui, the 2024 Recent York City Marathon champion, is aiming to defend her title and break the 2:20 barrier at the Nagoya Women’s Marathon on Sunday. The elite Kenyan runner, who won last year’s race in 2:20:40, returns to the World Athletics Platinum Label road race seeking a faster time and facing a competitive field that includes Ethiopian Aynalem Desta and Japan’s Honami Maeda.
The Nagoya Women’s Marathon, recognized as the world’s largest women-only marathon, will spot Chepkirui attempt to build on a 2025 season that saw her compete across track and road events. Her personal best of 2:17:29, set in Valencia in 2022, positions her as the favorite, but Desta’s impressive 2:17:37 in Amsterdam last year signals a strong challenge. The race is particularly significant for Japanese athletes like Sayaka Sato and Honami Maeda, who are aiming to secure spots on the national team for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September.
Chepkirui’s Road to Nagoya
Chepkirui’s preparation for the Nagoya marathon has focused on maintaining the training regimen that proved successful last year, with an added emphasis on gym work. “I haven’t changed my training; it is similar to my training before last year’s race. My main area of focus has been on gym work,” Chepkirui stated during a pre-race press conference. She expressed optimism about her chances of achieving a sub-2:20 time, contingent on favorable weather conditions. “My goal on Sunday will be to try and defend my title,” she said. “If we have good weather, I will push myself to run 2:20 or under.”
Her 2025 season has been varied. Following her Nagoya victory in 2025, Chepkirui tested her speed on the track at the Kenya Defence Forces championships, finishing seventh in the 5,000m with a time of 15:57.5. Joyciline Jepkosgei (15:23.6), Daisilah Jerono (15:28.8), and Esther Chemtai (15:36.1) took the top three positions in that race. She rebounded with a win in the 10,000m, clocking 33:34.14. She then returned to road racing, finishing seventh at the Boston 10K in 32:17, where Sharon Lokedi (31:39) and Gladys Kwamboka (31:39) secured the top two spots, and Emily Sisson (31:42) finished third. A victory at the Great North Run Half Marathon in Britain (1:09:32), ahead of Vivian Cheruiyot (1:09:37) and Eilish McColgan (1:09:42), and a third-place finish at the New York Marathon (where Kenyan women swept the podium with Hellen Obiri winning in 2:19:51 and Sharon Lokedi finishing second in 2:20:07) rounded out her year.
The Competition
Ethiopia’s Aynalem Desta presents a significant threat, having won the Amsterdam Marathon last year with a personal best of 2:17:37. World Athletics highlights Desta’s potential to challenge Chepkirui’s dominance. Also in contention is Eunice Chumba of Bahrain, who finished third in last year’s Nagoya marathon (2:21:35) and 16th at the World Championships in Tokyo, and Honami Maeda, the Asian record-holder who ran 2:18:59 at the Osaka Marathon in 2024. Selly Kaptich, the 2022 Frankfurt Marathon champion, adds further depth to the Kenyan contingent.
Sayaka Sato, who finished second to Chepkirui last year with a personal best of 2:20:59, will also be looking to improve her time and solidify her position for selection to the Japanese team for the World Athletics Championships. Watch Athletics reports that Sato’s performance in Nagoya last year was a key step towards her World Championships aspirations.
The Nagoya Women’s Marathon is not only a prestigious race in its own right but also serves as a crucial qualifying event for athletes aiming to represent their nations at major international competitions. The outcome on Sunday will have implications for team selections and the competitive landscape of women’s marathon running.
Following the Nagoya marathon, athletes will turn their attention to upcoming international events, including the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. The performances in Nagoya will undoubtedly influence team selections and provide valuable insights into the form of leading marathon runners as they prepare for the challenges ahead.
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