Korir, Tosa among big names for Tokyo Marathon in March

Kenya's Sammy Korir, the third-fastest marathon man in history, Japanese record-holder Toshinari Takaoka and 2007 winner Daniel Njenga will run in the Tokyo Marathon on March 22, organizers said Monday.

Atsushi Fujita, the previous national record-holder, Beijing Olympic runner Tsuyoshi Ogata and 2008 runnerup Arata Fujiwara will also take part in the third edition of the large-scale marathon.

Korir finished second in the 2003 Berlin Marathon in a personal-best 2 hours, 4 minutes, 56 seconds. Takaoka set a Japanese record of 2:06:16 with a third-place finish in the 2002 Chicago Marathon.

The women's race features 2007 world bronze medalist Reiko Tosa and veteran runner Harumi Hiroyama, according to the Japan Association of Athletics Federations and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

Tosa plans to retire from competitive marathon running after the race.

In the first-ever prize money marathon in Japan, the men's and women's race winner will earn ¥8 million apiece. A world record-setter receives a bonus of ¥30 million and ¥5 million for a national record.