Triathlon superstar Hayden Wilde smashes 10k personal best in epic Tokyo Speed Race

New Zealand triathlon superstar continued his spectacular start to 2024 with another epic performance this weekend.

The 27-year-old Kiwi great had a marvellous 2024, enhancing his huge reputation even further with some incredible displays – notably when coming so close to winning Olympic Games gold at Paris 2024.

That near miss behind Alex Yee cemented their short-course rivalry as one of the great matchups in triathlon history, but Hayden is having to look elsewhere for his fun in 2025.

With Alex spending the first part of the year targeting the London Marathon, Wilde himself has been mixing things up in a big way.

Hayden has taken care of business on the triathlon front in brilliant style – romping to superb victories at WTCS Abu Dhabi and also at T100 Singapore in his first attempt at that distance. Wilde though is also trotting the globe outside of triathlon – with the last seven days the perfect example.

Last weekend he claimed victory in Belgium’s iconic Antwerp 10 Miles Race, and a few short days later he was in Tokyo, Japan for the 10k showdown at the ASICS Tokyo Speed Race.

Hayden Wilde ASICS Tokyo Speed Race 2025 — Hayden Wilde in action on the way to a 10k personal best 27:39 in the ASICS Tokyo Speed Race in May 2025 (Photo – Albin DURAND/ASICS Tokyo Speed Race).

Wilde aces Tokyo Speed Race

Hayden went into the big event in Japan hoping to beat the New Zealand national record of 27:28 – a massive ask under any circumstances.

Wilde, as always, gave it everything as he pounded the streets of Tokyo under lights on Saturday night against an elite field.

While unsurprisingly he couldn’t live with the pace in the front pack (winner Jemal Yimer of Ethiopia clocked 27:10) he did put up a hugely credible performance.

When Hayden crossed the line he stopped the clock at a terrific 27:39 – not quite good enough for that national record, but more than good enough to lower his personal best.

The races (over 5k and 10k for both men and women) saw 10 National Records set and 48 Personal Bests recorded.

Hayden Wilde ASICS Speed Race Tokyo 2025 — Hayden Wilde celebrates running a personal best 27:39 in the ASICS Tokyo Speed Race in May 2025 (Photo – Albin DURAND/ASICS Tokyo Speed Race).

Tokyo Speed Race Results – 10k

The big race took place on Saturday May 3 in Tokyo, Japan and the top 10 looked like this:

Pos	Name	Country	Time
1	Jemal Yimer	Ethiopia	27:10
2	Victor Kipruto	Kenya	27:11
3	Vincent Kibet Langat	Kenya	27:11
4	Amos Langat	Kenya	27:25
5	Abbabiya Simbassa	Ethiopia	27:32
6	Sam Clifford	Australia	27:34
7	Hayden Wilde	NZL	27:39
8	Santiago Catrofe	Uruguay	27:46
9	Admasu Tisa
10	Ayana Geneti

NOTE: Since this article was posted, Hayden revealed he was injured in a bike crash in Japan on Sunday. You can get the latest on his condition here.