【Report】Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2023 Press Conference (Elite Athlete)

Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2023 Press Conference was heldon Friday, October 13, 2 days before the race.

Elite athletes participating in the Press Conference included Charles Kipkurui Langat (Kenya), Alexander Mutiso (Kenya, ND Software), Benard Kimeli (Kenya, Fujitsu) , and Kenta Murayama (Asahi KASEI) in the men’s field. The women’s field included Gladys Chepkurui (Kenya), Omare Dolphin Nyaboke (Kenya,USE), and Hellen Ekalale (Kenya, Toyota Industries). The seven athletes shared their enthusiasm for the race.

Langat, who won the Barcelona Half Marathon in February with a time of 58:53 commented “I am fully prepared. My condition was good until last week, but it’s not as good this week. I hope to adjust my condition by Sunday. ”The weather forecast for Sunday is rain, and he seemed to be somewhat concerned about the conditions.” and added “It will depend on the weather, but I hope to set a course record (1:00:10)”.

Mutiso, who placed 2nd in the Tokyo Legacy half Marathon 2022 and won the 2023 Marugame Half Marathon commented “My condition is so-so. I cannot predict my time since it will depend on the weather.” He will run the race with a stable mindset.

Kimeli placed 3rd last year with a time of 1:00:36 and shared his enthusiasm for this year’s race, “I am prepared. I hope to run in the top group and exceed my record from last year”.

Among the Japanese runners, Murayama, who placed 9th last year, is very motivated to compete with the strong international runners. Participating in the speed building practices at his alma mater, Komazawa University since September, he shared that his condition is improving. “I have prepared for this race. My speed has recovered quite well. It’s motivating to compete with the strong international group, and I’ve been practicing in the rain. I’m sure it will pay off.” The bad weather conditions do not seem to be an issue for him, and he shared his assertive stance. “I plan to leave a strong impression on everyone, by going wild in a positive sense.”

In addition to Mutiso and Kimeli who had a good race last year, a group of international level runners such as Langat are most likely to lead the race. It will be exciting to see how well the Japanese runners including Murayama are able to keep up.

In the women’s field, Gladys Chepkurui who has a personal best of 1:05:46 predicted a personal best and seems to look forward to her first race in Japan. “My condition is very good. I will be able to have my best race. I hope to set a personal best.”

Omare Dolphin Nyaboke, who dominated the 2023 Gifu Half Marathon with a personal best of 1:07:56 shared her enthusiasm for the event. “I have prepared for this race. I think I can set a personal best.” She will use her experience from last year’s race to aim for the top. “It was tough because there is an uphill section in the latter half. I hope to win this time.”

Hellen Ekalale who placed second in the 2023 Gifu Half Marathon, has been in Japan for 9 years and spoke Japanese during both the Press Conference and group interview. She commented with a smile. “I have trained really hard. This is my second half marathon, and I hope to set a personal best and win with a time in the 1:07 range.”

It is sure to be a heated race with 3 runners who have personal records under 1:10:00.

Kaoru Shinjo, the Race Management Director and Assistant Race Director of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation, shared his anticipation for the upcoming race. “International runners will participate in this race hoping to set a course record. I look forward to a great performance by the Japanese runners, including Maruyama, who have a good fit with the course as they compete with the international field.” There are also many runners from Chuo University, Kokugakuin University, Waseda University, Soka University and Toyo University who have already qualified for the Hakone Ekiden (Tokyo-Hakone Round-Trip College Ekiden Race) participating in this race.

The first Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon was held in 2022 as a way to carry on the creativity and legacy of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and to “Change the future, through the joy of running.” The race will kick off with the wheelchair race at 7:45 a.m. JST on Sunday, October 15, 2023.