National 10,000m champion Loice Chemnung will be hoping her pacing duties at last Sunday’s Osaka Women’s Marathon have sharpened her claws ahead of her second appearance over the classic 42km distance at the Boston Marathon in April.
The 29-year-old was part of an elite cast of female pacers assembled for this year’s Osaka showpiece.
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Chemnung lined up alongside fellow Kenyans Margaret Akidor and Emily Arusio, with Ethiopia’s Bekelech Gudeta completing the international quartet.
They were complemented by a strong local pacing unit comprising Yamazaki Risa, Mizumoto Kana, Hiraoka Miho and Omori Natsuki.
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In marathon running, a pacer or pace-setter is an experienced athlete tasked with maintaining a consistent, pre-determined rhythm to guide competitors toward specific finishing targets.
Often doubling up as mentors, pacers help athletes avoid early burnout, offering encouragement and tactical guidance on hydration, fuelling and race management.
Securing a pacing role at a major marathon typically follows one of two routes: professional “rabbits” hired to shepherd elite fields, or highly accomplished volunteer pacers assigned to ambitious time groups (3:00-5:00 hours).
Unlike lottery entrants, pacers are hand-picked by organisers, selected on the strength of recent performances and proven consistency, usually from the upper echelon of domestic or international marathoners.
For Osaka, the brief was exciting with pacers required to lock into a relentless 2:19–2:20 rhythm, a pace demanding both physical durability and razor-sharp judgement.
Selection was contingent on the ability to deliver even splits for at least 30 kilometres, with personal bests comfortably inside the prescribed tempo.
The strategy paid off as Uganda’s Stella Chesang surged to victory in 2:19:31, fending off Ethiopia’s Bedatu Hirpa (2:19:54) and Workenesh Edesa (2:19:56) in a tightly contested finish.
Having put her legs through an early-season stress test, Chemnung believes the Osaka assignment could prove pivotal as she builds toward Boston in April. “Pacing job done in Osaka. Congratulations to my teammate Chesang for the win,” Chemnung shared.
Chemnung made her marathon debut at last year’s Chicago Marathon, where she impressed with a 2:18:24 to finish fourth, narrowly missing the podium.
Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa claimed the title in 2:14:57, followed by compatriot Megertu Alemu (2:17:18) and Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri (2:18:03).
Lining up in Boston, Chemnung admits, has long been a personal ambition. “I am proud and excited to be competing in Boston this year. It was a dream two years ago to one day run the prestigious marathon,” she said.
The distance ace is optimistic that a solid training block heading into April will translate into a stronger showing as she looks to better her debut marathon performance.
“Let’s hope my preparations for the race go well and that I can run a great race in April,” she added.
Chemnung heads to Boston buoyed by a strong 2025 campaign, highlighted by victories at the Malaga Half Marathon (1:05:46), the Bangsaen21 10km road race (31:26) and the national 10,000m title (31:39.09). She also underlined her consistency with a runner-up finish at the Condor Antrim Coast Half Marathon in 1:06:06.
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