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The story
At the “Akasaka Marathon” held on the 10th, NMB48’s Sakashita took 1st place and AKB48’s Ito came in 3rd. Commenters repeatedly noted that this was reportedly the first female winner in about 25 years, and Sakashita’s feat of holding the lead from start to finish became a hot topic. On the other hand, some wondered whether a handicap system or backing from her talent agency played a role, splitting opinion on how to rate the win. Sakashita has previously placed 3rd in the women’s under-20 division at the Osaka Marathon, and some commenters cited that track record as good enough reason to accept her victory.
What people said
Apparently the last time a woman won was Tanigawa
she was basically on screen for the whole 30 minutes
Ito got passed near the end, but they were battling it out from start to finish, so it was great to watch
Well, duh
Even with the handicap, there hadn't been a female winner in 25 years
2nd place was Sato, only 8 seconds behind — so the other guys just didn't have it
Guess she really grinds through even a hassle of a job like this
She also ran the brutal "heart-breaking hill" 200m sprint before this one lol
She's fast, but over mini-marathon distance there are doubts about her stamina
Even in a straight 50m dash she loses to the 1st- and 3rd-place finishers here
If there's an after-party event I'll check it out
Back in the day Yoshizawa did this and ended up walking at the end, which was pretty lame
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HUQwLtRbsAANra8.jpg:orig#.jpg
Seriously cute
Her face looks like Yuhane's eyes but bigger
She's not especially athletic to begin with
And they had the same handicap too
It means they've got real grit
Give Tamenaga a little respect too, c'mon
Because she went and started tidying up the finish line
She's on the faster side, but she's not outstanding in either sprints or long distance
Her name never even came up partway through
She didn't finish
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HUQ_kbSboAARSxr.jpg:4096×4096#.jpg
Sakashita Makoto
Osaka Marathon 2025: 4 hours 9 minutes 43 seconds (first full marathon, finished 3rd in the women's under-20 division)
Way too hardcore about this lol
Background and Talking Points Behind This Story
The Akasaka Marathon is a planned event race featuring idols and other talent, and handicaps are commonly set based on each participant’s experience and gender. Note that the thread doesn’t cite a source for the claim that this is “the first female winner in 25 years,” nor does it give details on past female winners, so that figure should be treated as unverified rather than an official record. Some commenters also speculated that the win was helped along by backing from Sakashita’s talent agency, but this is pure speculation with no actual mention of the event’s operational decisions or selection criteria. Sakashita’s history of completing the Osaka Marathon was cited, with her ongoing training held up as the basis for her win, while Ito was praised for a strong result despite doing no training beforehand — and it’s this contrast in preparation between the two that helped fuel the broader debate.
*This article was compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “[Akasaka Marathon] NMB’s Sakashita Takes 1st! AKB’s Ito Takes 3rd!“
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