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Interactive graphic shows race route, course records and dates of the World Marathon Majors in 2019.
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ATHLETICS

Tokyo Marathon 2019

By Ben Mullins

April 3, 2019 - Over 36,000 runners are expected to participate in the Tokyo Marathon. The course was revised in 2017 to move the race finish in front of the Imperial Palace, and both the men’s and women’s races produced new records that year.

Two-time Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele heads the men’s field in Tokyo -- his personal best of 2:03:03, the third fastest marathon in history, was recorded on the original course. The Ethiopian will face tough competition from long-term rival Dickson Chumba of Kenya, the reigning Tokyo champion.

Expectations are high for a record-breaking pace in the women’s race. Ethiopian rising star Ruti Aga, who recorded a personal best of 2:18:34 in Berlin last September, heads the field, with Kenya’s Florence Kiplagat providing fast opposition.

Tokyo was promoted in 2013 to become one of the six World Marathon Majors, joining the lineup of London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York.

World Marathon Majors 2019:
Mar 3 Tokyo, Japan
Apr 15 Boston, U.S.
Apr 28 London, UK
Sep 29 Berlin, Germany
Oct 13 Chicago, U.S.
Nov 3 New York, U.S.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 26/02/2019; STORY: Graphic News
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