by Brett Larner
As in past years, Rikuren selected top male and female finishers from this year's Jitsugyodan Half Marathon corporate championships to run in the 2009 Great Scottish Run half marathon in Glasgow, Scotland on Sept. 6. Leading the way with a 3rd place finish in the women's race was 2008 Shanghai Half Marathon winner Megumi Seike (Team Sysmex). 2009 Miyazaki Women's Half Marathon winner Maki Suzawa (Team Kyocera) was 5th in 1:18:24. Caroline Cheptonui Kilel of Kenya took the women's race in a solid 1:09:03. In February Kilel took the stage best honors on the third leg of the final Yokohama International Women's Ekiden before crashing in March's Nagoya International Women's Marathon.
A sizeable Japanese contingent in the men's race also took four of the top ten spots, with Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) the best Japanese man in 5th. Former Team Honda ace Hailu Mekonnen of Ethiopia was the runner-up in 1:01:29, ten seconds behind winner Jason Mbote of Kenya.
2009 Great Scottish Run - Top Finishers
Women
1. Caroline Cheptonui Kilel (Kenya) - 1:09:03
2. Everusalem Kuma Mutal (Kenya) - 1:10:42
3. Megumi Seike (Team Sysmex) - 1:10:45
4. Etalemahu Kidane Demissie (Ethiopia) - 1:11:12
5. Maki Suzawa (Team Kyocera) - 1:18:24
6. Toni McIntosh - 1:18:31
7. Alison Doherty - 1:18:36
8. Morgan Murphy - 1:21:28
9. Leane Hamilton - 1:22:57
10. Claire Arthur - 1:23:19
Men
1. Jason Mbote (Kenya) - 1:01:19
2. Hailu Mekonnen (Ethiopia) - 1:01:29
3. Dereje Tesfaye (Ethiopia) - 1:01:44
4. Nicholas Chelimo (Kenya) - 1:02:25
5. Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 1:02:37
6. Tesegzeab Woldemichael (Scotland) - 1:03:00
7. Bene Zama (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 1:03:33
8. Naosato Yoshimura (Team Toyota) - 1:04:00
9. Takahiro Aso (Japan) - 1:04:13
10. Tewelderberhan Mengisteab (Scotland) - 1:05:35
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15. Takeshi Takahashi (Japan) - 1:08:14
(c) 2009 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
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