Kenya’s Golden Marathoner Bags Ksh.32 Million In The World’s Highest-Paying Competition
Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya exceeded expectations by winning the Nagoya Marathon on Sunday, March 9, and earning a sizable prize.
The Kenyan jewel outperformed her competition, crossing the finish line in 2:20:40.
Which was 19 seconds faster than her nearest competitor, Sayaka Sato of Japan, who ran a career-best of 2:20:59.
Chepkirui not only made history, but she also won the top prize in the world’s most lucrative marathon.
Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui targets Nagoya triumph
— Athletics Africa (@athleticsafrica) March 8, 2025
Four months after winning the New York City Marathon, Sheila Chepkirui is hopeful of securing another major victory on the roads when she competes at the Nagoya Women’s Marathon on Sunday 9 March.https://t.co/SD3d0v4AS1 pic.twitter.com/9M4hrkyzvi
The Nagoya Women’s Marathon, which began in 2012, is immensely prestigious, having recently been certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest women’s marathon.
It is also the only women’s race in the world to have earned the World Athletics Platinum Label.
As of 2022, the Nagoya Women’s Marathon had the highest first-place prize money, with the overall winner receiving USD 250,000, which is approximately KSh32 million.
The early parts of the Nagoya marathon were marked by irregular pacing, but by the halfway point, Chepkirui had demonstrated that she was determined to win.
Eunice Chumba, a Kenyan-born runner representing Bahrain, was in close pursuit, as was a Japanese team that included Sayaka Sato, Rika Kaseda, Natsuki Omori, and Mao Uesugi.
Sheila Chepkirui wins Nagoya Women's Marathon in 2:20:40, Sayaka Sato 2nd in 2:20:59.https://t.co/UaAUwUesvy
— Japan Running News (@JRNHeadlines) March 9, 2025
Photo by Montri Boonyasat/Running Insider pic.twitter.com/9cegZ1cvB7
As the race progressed, some of the racers dropped out one by one, giving Chepkirui the opportunity to put some distance between herself and her competitors.
The Kenyan ultimately stretched out Chumba and Sato, who were engaged in their own secondary battle, before the latter broke away to finish second.
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To put Chepkirui’s victory into context, the 34-year-old only ran her first marathon in 2022, finishing in 2:17:29 in Valencia.
She was considered the fastest entrant in the Nagoya marathon.
Notably, her triumph came just four months after she won another extraordinary victory in the New York City marathon.
She defeated her Kenyan competitor Hellen Obiri, who was widely expected to win the race.
Kenya’s Golden Marathoner Bags Ksh.32 Million In The World’s Highest-Paying Competition
