# Sapporo Half Marathon

The Sapporo International Half Marathon (札幌国際ハーフマラソン大会, Sapporo Kokusai hāfumarason taikai) was an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance 21.0975 kilometres (13.1094 mi) which took place each July in Sapporo, Japan.
First held in 1958, the race began as a full marathon competition for men under the moniker of the Hokkai Times Marathon. This lasted until 1973, as it was replaced with a shorter race of 30 km in 1974 and became known as the Times 30K. A women's programme was introduced in 1981, at which point the men's 30 km race was complemented with a women's 20 km. The women's race was slightly extend to the half marathon distance in 1986 and the men's race followed suit the following year. The road racing competition was known as the Sapporo Half Marathon from 1990 onwards.
The race had a strictly looped course in the city of Sapporo which doubled back on itself, having Maruyama Stadium as the start and end point. The competition was broadcast live on national television each year via Nihon TV. The course was certified by AIMS and the Japanese Association of Athletics Federations. The competition doubled up to act as the national selection race for the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
The Japanese Olympic marathon champion Mizuki Noguchi set a women's course record of 1:08:14 in 2006. Kenya's Mekubo Mogusu is the only runner to finish the course in under an hour, with his men's course record set in 2007 standing at 59 minutes and 54 seconds. Four athletes won the race on three separate occasions: Mogusu, Stephen Mayaka and Juma Ikangaa on the men's side, and Catherine Ndereba on the women's side.
Following the withdrawal of support from its traditional broadcaster, the race ceased to be held after the 2012 edition. On 16 October 2019, the International Olympic Committee announced plans to re-locate the marathon and racewalking events of the Tokyo-based 2020 Summer Olympics to Sapporo due to heat concerns. The plans were made official on 1 November 2019 after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike accepted the IOC's decision, despite her belief that the events should have remained in Tokyo.

## Past winners

Key:  Course record Distances:  Marathon  30 km  20 km
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (h:m:s) | Women's winner | Time (h:m:s) |
| 55th | 2012 | Martin Mathathi (KEN) | 1:01:35 | Mai Ito (JPN) | 1:10:52 |
| 54th | 2011 | Cyrus Njui (KEN) | 1:01:47 | Florence Kiplagat (KEN) | 1:10:29 |
| 53rd | 2010 | Cyrus Njui (KEN) | 1:01:20 | Yuri Kanō (JPN) | 1:11:46 |
| 52nd | 2009 | Gedion Ngatuny (KEN) | 1:00:39 | Yurika Nakamura (JPN) | 1:09:20 |
| 51st | 2008 | Mekubo Mogusu (KEN) | 1:00:52 | Yuri Kanō (JPN) | 1:08:57 |
| 50th | 2007 | Mekubo Mogusu (KEN) | 59:54 | Mizuki Noguchi (JPN) | 1:08:22 |
| 49th | 2006 | Cyrus Njui (KEN) | 1:01:16 | Mizuki Noguchi (JPN) | 1:08:14 |
| 48th | 2005 | Mekubo Mogusu (KEN) | 1:01:28 | Catherine Ndereba (KEN) | 1:09:24 |
| 47th | 2004 | James Macharia (KEN) | 1:01:28 | Hiromi Ominami (JPN) | 1:08:45 |
| 46th | 2003 | John Kanyi (KEN) | 1:02:08 | Catherine Ndereba (KEN) | 1:08:23 |
| 45th | 2002 | Samuel Kabiru (KEN) | 1:01:11 | Catherine Ndereba (KEN) | 1:08:57 |
| 44th | 2001 | James Wainaina (KEN) | 1:01:52 | Lidia Șimon (ROM) | 1:09:46 |
| 43rd | 2000 | Laban Kagika (KEN) | 1:02:16 | Naoko Takahashi (JPN) | 1:09:10 |
| 42nd | 1999 | John Kanyi (KEN) | 1:01:32 | Lidia Șimon (ROM) | 1:08:51 |
| 41st | 1998 | Erick Wainaina (KEN) | 1:02:56 | Ari Ichihashi (JPN) | 1:11:45 |
| 40th | 1997 | Stephen Mayaka (KEN) | 1:03:57 | Ari Ichihashi (JPN) | 1:11:03 |
| 39th | 1996 | Stephen Mayaka (KEN) | 1:02:02 | Kazumi Kanbayashi (JPN) | 1:09:40 |
| 38th | 1995 | Stephen Mayaka (KEN) | 1:01:43 | Naomi Sakashita (JPN) | 1:10:32 |
| 37th | 1994 | Tadesse Gebre (ETH) | 1:04:29 | Mari Tanigawa (JPN) | 1:13:53 |
| 36th | 1993 | Luketz Swartbooi (NAM) | 1:02:02 | Olga Appell (MEX) | 1:10:38 |
| 35th | 1992 | Kenjirō Jitsui (JPN) | 1:02:59 | Eriko Asai (JPN) | 1:12:20 |
| 34th | 1991 | Hitoshi Saotome (JPN) | 1:04:39 | Lisa Weidenbach (USA) | 1:13:50 |
| 33rd | 1990 | Juma Ikangaa (TAN) | 1:03:56 | Lisa Weidenbach (USA) | 1:12:54 |
| 32nd | 1989 | Juma Ikangaa (TAN) | 1:02:56 | Lisa Martin (AUS) | 1:12:25 |
| 31st | 1988 | Juma Ikangaa (TAN) | 1:03:22 | Kumi Araki (JPN) | 1:13:30 |
| 30th | 1987 | Toshihiro Shibutani (JPN) | 1:05:40 | Eriko Asai (JPN) | 1:14:50 |
| 29th | 1986 | Kazuya Nishimoto (JPN) | 1:33:08 | Kumi Araki (JPN) | 1:15:31 |
| 28th | 1985 | Isamu Sennai (JPN) | 1:31:32 | Mami Fukao (JPN) | 1:10:30 |
| 27th | 1984 | Isamu Sennai (JPN) | 1:35:28 | Yōko Higuchi (JPN) | 1:15:22 |
| 26th | 1983 | Kazuya Nishimoto (JPN) | 1:32:57 | Naomi Kurahashi (JPN) | 1:11:50 |
| 25th | 1982 | Yūji Mori (JPN) | 1:37:10 | Rumiko Kaneko (JPN) | 1:14:48 |
| 24th | 1981 | Tetsuji Iwase (JPN) | 1:33:35 | Akemi Masuda (JPN) | 1:11:40 |
| 23rd | 1980 | Yutaka Taketomi (JPN) | 1:34:15 | Not held | Not held |
| 22nd | 1979 | Yutaka Taketomi (JPN) | 1:34:22 | Not held | Not held |
| 21st | 1978 | Yasunori Hamada (JPN) | 1:32:48 | Not held | Not held |
| 20th | 1977 | Yoshinobu Kitayama (JPN) | 1:35:23 | Not held | Not held |
| 19th | 1976 | Noriyasu Mizukami (JPN) | 1:34:54 | Not held | Not held |
| 18th | 1975 | Mineteru Sakamoto (JPN) | 1:36:52 | Not held | Not held |
| 17th | 1974 | Kimio Ōtsuka (JPN) | 1:40:55,6 | Not held | Not held |
| 16th | 1973 | Noriyasu Mizukami (JPN) | 2:23:16,8 | Not held | Not held |
| 15th | 1972 | Ryōsuke Matsuoka (JPN) | 2:23:42,0 | Not held | Not held |
| 14th | 1971 | Kimio Ōtsuka (JPN) | 2:20:46,4 | Not held | Not held |
| 13th | 1970 | Yoshiro Mifune (JPN) | 2:22:49,2 | Not held | Not held |
| 12th | 1969 | Ryōichi Masuda (JPN) | 2:23:04,0 | Not held | Not held |
| 11th | 1968 | Morio Shigematsu (JPN) | 2:24:27,0 | Not held | Not held |
| 10th | 1967 | Kenji Kimihara (JPN) | 2:20:16,4 | Not held | Not held |
| 9th | 1966 | Morio Shigematsu (JPN) | 2:30:06,2 | Not held | Not held |
| 8th | 1965 | Yoshikazu Funasako (JPN) | 2:48:52,2 | Not held | Not held |
| 7th | 1964 | Kenji Kimihara (JPN) | 2:17:12 | Not held | Not held |
| 6th | 1963 | Osamu Kawabata (JPN) | 2:33:41 | Not held | Not held |
| 5th | 1962 | Yoshitaka Uchikawa (JPN) | 2:31:38 | Not held | Not held |
| 4th | 1961 | Yoshiaki Kawashima (JPN) | 2:47:56 | Not held | Not held |
| 3rd | 1960 | Yasuo Koshikawa (JPN) | 2:34:40 | Not held | Not held |
| 2nd | 1959 | Yoshikazu Igarashi (JPN) | 2:38:49 | Not held | Not held |
| 1st | 1958 | Masao Suzuki (JPN) | 2:47:31 | Not held | Not held |