The Nagoya Women’s Marathon 2022 staged safely in Japan during Omicron surge with pre-race PCR testing

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

- Chepngetich won in 2:17:18 and received US$250,000, the biggest first prize in the world for the marathon.

- A total of 8,698 women participated on-site, alongside the global virtual race.

The largest women’s marathon in the world and the only all-women World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race, the Nagoya Women’s Marathon 2022 was held on Sunday, March 13. Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya won the race in a new event record of 2:17:18. Nagoya has been hosting the marathon even during the Covid-19 pandemic while placing the top priority on safety and security, with 110 participants (elite only) in 2020 and 4,704 participants (domestic only) in 2021. This year, a total of 8,698 elite and amateur runners ran the race and filled the streets of Nagoya with colorful running outfits.

 The Nagoya Women’s Marathon 2022 became the highest-paying road race in the world with its increased first prize: US$250,000. The fact that the largest prize in marathon running would be given to women rather than men gathered global attention. The proud winner was Chepngetich, who dominated the competition in the time sixth-fastest in the world and the second-fastest in the women-only marathon.

 In Japan, the Omicron variant of coronavirus arrived relatively late but started causing a rapid surge in January 2022. As the number of new cases quickly rose to and above the record high level, the government enforced restrictions and called for citizens’ cooperation to contain the virus. Although the outbreak peaked in February and began to slowly decline, the number of cases remained high and even in early March, when the race was scheduled, there were a lot of uncertainties in whether the race could go ahead as planned. Generally speaking, people in Japan are very cautious about the risk of infection, and many mass event organizers, including those of marathon races, have been and are still today forced to cancel or reduce the size of their events.

 To safely hold a mass participation race under such circumstances, the organizer of the Nagoya Women’s Marathon took all possible measures against infection. While establishing the Covid-19 Control Office again within the Organizing Committee with medical professionals, local authorities, and the Japan Association of Athletics Federations to formulate and implement the infection control plan, as a new measure of 2022, we set up free PCR testing stations at the event sites and required all runners to present a negative result before race start.

 For non-Japanese nationals, the suspension of new entries into Japan had continued by the Japanese government, and only a small number of foreign-based elite athletes were able to join the race as a special exception given that they would be quarantined for a week at a special facility under the organizer’s responsibility. Regretfully, all the other non-elite runners living outside Japan were not allowed to enter the country and could not participate in the race in Nagoya. In the end, the original field of 22,000 was reduced to 8,698 participants this year. For runners who were unable to run the in-person race, the Nagoya Women's Online Marathon 2022 is being held as an alternative, available through a running app. All finishers, including those of the virtual race, will receive the finisher's prizes, including the event's exclusive Tiffany & Co. pendant and New Balance T-shirt.

Protocols for All

- Mask wearing at all times (except for runners during competition).

- Hand sanitization and body temperature check (Refusal of entry to the event sites for anyone with a fever of 37.5°C or higher).

- Submission of health and temperature records from 7 days prior to race day via an app or web form.

For Elite Athletes

- Daily PCR testing during the event period.

- One week quarantine for foreign-based elite athletes at a designated facility after arrival in Japan.

For Runners

- Free PCR testing provided for runners at the event sites from 3 days prior to race day.

- A negative PCR test result within 72 hours of the race start must be presented to enter the event site on race day.

- If a runner’s body temperature is below 37.5°C but above 37°C, an antigen test must be conducted to confirm the negative result before the race start.

- Mask wearing before start.

- Social distancing at the starting blocks (more than 1 m between runners).

- Individually packaged food at refreshment stations and hand sanitization before taking them.

- Hand sanitization and face masks distributed right after the finish.

For Volunteers

- Face masks, face shields, and portable alcohol disinfectant provided for all volunteers, as well as additional equipment (e.g., globes) depending on where they are assigned.

At Marathon Expo

- Booth setting, flow design, and entry restriction to avoid the ‘Three Cs’.

‘Three Cs’ are the high-risk situations of COVID-19 transmission defined by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan: Crowded places with poor ventilation, Close-contact settings, and Confined spaces.

- All visitors were required to provide their names, addresses, and contact information via an admission form at the entrance (for a contact tracing purpose).

Photos of Nagoya Women’s Marathon 2022

Race start

The 2022 Champion, Ruth Chepngetich

Finisher pendant presentation by members of the “Omotenashi (hospitality) Tuxuedo Squad”

Finisher T-shirts were picked up by runners themselves to reduce infection risk

Hand sanitization and mask distribution right after the finish

Temperature check before start/ Social distancing at the starting blocks

Entrance of Marathon EXPO/ Athlete bibs pick up

PCR Testing at the event site

For more information about the Nagoya Women’s Marathon, please visit:

https://womens-marathon.nagoya/en/

Please find a link below to images on this press release for your use under the copyright credit to Nagoya Women’s Marathon:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AkGq5Q635aBUJYzdgEokm1TJK9VE_lty?usp=sharing

About Nagoya Women’s Marathon

The Nagoya Women’s Marathon is the largest women’s marathon in the world certified by Guinness World Records, held annually in March in Nagoya city, Japan. It was launched on March 11, 2012, with 13,114 participants, reformed from the Nagoya International Women’s Marathon, the elite-only women’s race known as the qualifying trial that had sent off many Japanese star athletes to the international competitions, including two Olympic gold medalists Naoko Takahashi and Mizuki Noguchi. It holds the World Athletics Platinum Label status and has now grown to an event of 22,000 participants. For playing a significant role in the increase of women runner population in Japan, the race was awarded the International Olympic Committee Women and Sport Achievement Diploma in 2019, after receiving the Japan Olympic Committee Women and Sport Award in 2017.

For further information, please contact:

Nagoya Women’s Marathon Administrative Office

1-6-1 Sannomaru, Naka-ku

Nagoya 460-8511 Japan

Email: nagoyawomensmarathon@gmail.com

Website: https://womens-marathon.nagoya/en/

Chepngetich wins in Nagoya in 2:17:18, becoming the first woman athlete in marathon history to receive the largest first prize in the world.

For immediate release: Sunday, March 13, 2022

The Nagoya Women’s Marathon 2022 was held today on Sunday, March 13, 2022, and Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya won the race with the second-fastest ever in the women-only marathon in two hours 17 minutes and 18 seconds. The early arrival of spring warmth brought today’s temperatures up to 21 degrees Celsius without any wind and turned the city of Nagoya into a grand stage for a world’s top-speed women’s competition.

World Marathon Champion (2019) and Chicago Marathon Champion (2021) Chepngetich, who said she preferred heat to cold at the pre-race press conference, sprung out of the first pack after 5 km and extended her lead to a solo run. However, Israel's Lonah Chemtai Salpeter accelerated and narrowed the gap at a surprisingly high speed, which enabled her to catch up to a head-to-head after 30 km. At an uphill near 34 km, Ruth spurted and left Lonah behind all the way to the finish line in a new event record and the sixth fastest time in the world. Second place went to Salpeter (2:18:45), followed by Yuka Ando of Japan (2:22:22) in third place.

The Nagoya Women’s Marathon is the only all-women road race with a World Athletics Elite Platinum Label and became this year the largest first-prize paying marathon in the world. Chepngetich, who broke the race record by 2 minutes 11 seconds and received US$250,000 said at the post-race interview, “I can say the race was good. I wanted to run a new course record and ran comfortably.” Looking back to the 34km, which came to be her winning point, she added, “When Lonah arrived, I decided to push myself because I prepared myself to win at this race.”

Alongside the elite competition, many local runners joined the race, making the total number of participants 8,698. The 2022 race was another edition held under the Covid-19 pandemic after 2020 and 2021, but the sight of the women runners filling the wide city streets impressed both local and global audiences with a comeback of one of the largest women’s sports festivals. The runners’ strength, perseverance, smiles, and even tears were so emotional and inspirational that they reminded us once again of the power of sports and the hope they provide.

The Race Organizer comments: “Despite the unseasonably warm weather, we are relieved and happy that we were able to safely hold the race again this year without any major accidents. We are sincerely grateful for all the runners for their participation and the volunteers and all the others involved for their support, especially when the pandemic is not yet fully contained.”

Photos of the Nagoya Women’s Marathon 2022

For more information about the Nagoya Women’s Marathon, please visit:
https://womens-marathon.nagoya/en/
 
Please find a link below to images on this press release for your use under the copyright credit to Nagoya Women’s Marathon:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/123tCCRRBV5Eok-GTJrlklxS3GUEQMtAc?usp=sharing
 
About Nagoya Women’s Marathon

The Nagoya Women’s Marathon is the largest women’s marathon in the world certified by Guinness World Records, held annually in March in Nagoya city, Japan. It was launched on March 11, 2012, with 13,114 participants, reformed from the Nagoya International Women’s Marathon, the elite-only women’s race known as the qualifying trial that had sent off many Japanese star athletes to the international competitions, including two Olympic gold medalists Naoko Takahashi and Mizuki Noguchi. It holds the World Athletics Platinum Label status and has now grown to an event of 22,000 participants. For playing a significant role in the increase of women runner population in Japan, the race was awarded the International Olympic Committee Women and Sport Achievement Diploma in 2019, after receiving the Japan Olympic Committee Women and Sport Award in 2017.

Nagoya Women’s Marathon Administrative Office
1-6-1 Sannomaru, Naka-ku,
Nagoya 460-8511 Japan
Email: nagoyawomensmarathon@gmail.com
Website: https://womens-marathon.nagoya/en/