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Tanaka, Ino and Yoshimatsu Take on Harmony Geneva Marathon

Three elite-level Japanese athletes will race the 14th edition of Switzerland's Harmony Geneva Marathon Sunday with support from JRN. In a women's field headed by Ethiopian Alemitu Lema and debuting Kenyan Ruth Waithera, 2017 Osaka Marathon runner-up Mitsuko Ino seeks to rebound from a poor performance at March's Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon with a bettering of her 2:34:39 breakthrough in Osaka.

2016 Osaka runner-up Hisae Yoshimatsu will be aiming to follow her 3rd place finish at last September's Volksbank Muenster Marathon and 2nd-place finish at December's Hofu Yomiuri Marathon with another top three placing, ideally cracking 2:35 on Geneva's slightly net downhill course.

The men's field features four men with recent sub-2:10 times led by 2:08 man Joseph Aperumoi of Kenya. Seeded 6th on recent time, club runner and Tokai University alumnus Asuka Tanaka makes his international marathon debut after a surprise 2:10:13 PB in Tokyo in February. "I'm less focused on time and more on just being as competitive as I can," Tanaka said.

JRN will be on-hand throughout the weekend to provide support and cover the race live. Follow @GeneveMarathon for more coverage.


14th Harmony Geneva Marathon Elite Field

Geneva, Switzerland, 5/6/18
times listed are best within last three years except where noted

Women
Alemitu Lema  (Ethiopia) - 2:31:36 (Mersin 2017)
Berha Lemelem (Ethiopia) - 2:33:10 (Seville 2017)
Ametework Fekadu  (Ethiopia) - 2:34:25 (Lodz 2017)
Mitsuko Ino (Japan) - 2:34:39 (Osaka 2017)
Hisae Yoshimatsu (Japan) - 2:35:46 (Hofu 2015)
Ruth Waithera (Kenya) - debut - 1:10:15 (Milan Half 2018)

Men
Joseph Aperumoi (Kenya) - 2:08:26 (Amsterdam 2017)
Wilfred Murgor (Kenya) - 2:09:37 (Seoul 2015)
Abraraw Misganaw (Ethiopia) - 2:09:47 (Lubljana 2015)
Wycliff Biwott (Kenya) - 2:09:55 (Zagreb 2017)
William Yegon (Kenya) - 2:10:11 (Hefei 2015)
Asuka Tanaka (Japan) - 2:10:13 (Tokyo 2018)
Alfred Kering (Kenya) - 2:10:27 (Lisbon 2016)
Bernard Cheruiyot (Kenya) - 2:10:42 (Gyeongju 2017)
Abdelkabir Saji (Morocco) - 2:13:44 (Marrakech 2018)
Tadese Tolesa (Ethiopia) - 2:16:04 (Metz 2014)
James Kiplagat (Kenya) - 2:19:06 (Nairobi 2017)
Tamiru Sahelu (Ethiopia) - debut - 29:00 (Addis Abeba 10 km 2017)

© 2018 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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