Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge won another title in his long list of victories by winning the Tokyo Marathon on March 6 with a time of 2 hours, 2 minutes and 40 seconds, the fastest to race in Japan.
His achievement came after his victory at the Olympic Marathon held in Tokyo last summer.
Kengo Suzuki finished fourth with a time of 2:05:28, the best record among Japanese runners.
His wife, Mao Ichiyama, clocked 2:21:02 and finished sixth in the women's category, the best among Japanese female athletes.
In addition to these elite runners, 19,188 of the approximately 25,000 runners from the public eligible to enter the race competed. It marked the first time in three years for members of the public to participate in the race since the outbreak of COVID-19.
He was required to prove negative for the novel coronavirus in a PCR test and report daily if he developed fever for 10 days before the marathon.
Although organizers told Tokyo residents not to crowd the cheers, some busy districts of the capital were thronged by runners.
After the race, 36-year-old company employee Nana Arakawa said that after the start she found it difficult to keep her distance from the other entrants because too many people were kept nearby.
Holding such an event when the health care system is under strain from the pandemic is bound to provoke sharp public criticism, she said.
"But I feel great about running in general," her first full marathon in a while, she said.