Tokyo Marathon To Be Held on Sunday

Daniel Njenga will try to win his second men’s title in three years. (Getty Images)Tokyo’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics will get plenty of publicity this weekend.

The Tokyo Marathon will serve as a showcase for the city’s Olympic bid as the third edition of the internationally-renowned race takes place on Sunday.

A group of the world’s top marathoners will be among the approximately 30,000 participants who will attempt to cover the 26.2-mile course that winds its way through the streets of the Japanese capital.

Part of the marathon course passes through the Olympic Park, which is scheduled to include 95 percent of the venues for Tokyo’s proposed 2016 Games. The race begins at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building and will end near the proposed site of the Olympic Stadium.

Tokyo 2016 CEO Ichiro Kono says the marathon will highlight Japan’s passion for sports and the country’s enthusiasm for hosting the Olympics.

“The Tokyo Marathon, like the Olympic Games, attracts the support of many, many millions of spectators and television viewers in Japan, where enthusiasm for sport is particularly passionate. There is a real sense of excitement as the Japanese people unite behind sport and Tokyo 2016 with the dream of experiencing the inspirational atmosphere of the world’s greatest sporting event.”

Daniel Njenga of Kenya, the event’s male champion for the past two years, is among the top contenders in the men’s field, along with compatriot Sammy Korir. Alevtina Biktimirova of Russia, the 2008 Boston Marathon runner-up, will lead a women’s contingent that includes two-time world championship medalist Reiko Tosa of Japan.

The Tokyo Marathon will offer $1,097,688 in prize money, with the male and female winners to be awarded $81,010 each. The event will be broadcast throughout Japan by the Fuji Television Network.

Written by Greg Oshust.