Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya will defend her Nagoya Women's Marathon title against a strong field on March 8, 2026. The World Athletics Platinum Label race features 10 athletes with personal bests under 2:22:00, including Ethiopia's Aynalem Desta and Japan's Honami Maeda. Japanese runners aim to qualify for the Marathon Grand Championship toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
The 15th edition of the Nagoya Women's Marathon, the world's largest women-only marathon, is scheduled for Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Nagoya, Japan. Defending champion Sheila Chepkirui, who won the 2025 race in 2:20:40 ahead of Japan's Sayaka Sato and Bahrain's Eunice Chumba, returns with a personal best of 2:17:29 from the 2022 Valencia Marathon. She also claimed victory at the 2024 New York City Marathon.
Challenging Chepkirui is 22-year-old Aynalem Desta of Ethiopia, who set her personal best of 2:17:37 at the Amsterdam Marathon in October 2025. Japan's Honami Maeda, the Asian record-holder with 2:18:59 from the 2024 Osaka Marathon, leads the home contingent. Other top entrants include Eunice Chebichii Chumba of Bahrain (2:20:02), Selly Chepyego Kaptich of Kenya (2:20:03), Sayaka Sato of Japan (2:20:59), Majida Maayouf of Spain (2:21:01), Yuka Ando of Japan (2:21:18, 2024 Nagoya champion), Ayuko Suzuki of Japan (2:21:33), and Rika Kaseda of Japan (2:21:55).
The Japanese field also features track specialists like Rino Goshima (10,000m personal best of 30:53.31) and marathon debutante Wakana Kabasawa (10,000m 31:03.14), with Nozomi Tanaka serving as a pacemaker to push for fast times. International athletes such as Genevieve Gregson of Australia (2:23:08), Hayat Benhenia of Morocco (2:24:48), and Soukaina Atanane of Morocco (2:24:57) add depth.
Approximately 20,000 women will participate, with finishers receiving a Baccarat crystal tumbler. A press conference is set for March 7, 2026. The event highlights elite competition and qualification opportunities for the 2028 Olympics.
