SAPPORO (Kyodo) Kiyoko Shimahara coasted to victory in the women's race while Japan-based Kenyan Daniel Njenga prevailed to take the men's title at the Hokkaido Marathon on Sunday.
Shimahara surged away from Akemi Ozaki around the 12-km mark and never looked back, crossing the finishing line in a race record of 2 hours, 25 minutes, 10 seconds.
Ozaki was a distant second in 2:27:23 while Satoko Uetani followed in third in 2:33:55.
"It's a relief that I have finally won a domestic race," said Shimahara, who bettered by over a minute the previous personal best time she set in finishing second at the 2005 Hokkaido Marathon.
"I was running alongside male competitors and wanted to keep the same rhythm and run at a good pace from the first half of the race. Even if I got caught up, I just planned to run at my own pace. I've been in good form and wanted to produce the right result here," she added.