Skip to main content

Ikebe Tops Weekend Overseas Half Marathon Results at Great North Run

by Brett Larner

Three Japanese men from two rival companies were on the roads in Europe this weekend competing over the half marathon distance.  At the Great North Run former Meiji University captain Minoru Ikebe (Team Honda) had the fastest time of the three, running just off his PB in 1:03:48, the fastest time ever by a Japanese man on the Great North Run course even though far off winner 2011 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon winner and London Olympics bronze medalist Wilson Kipsang's winning time of 59:06.  Former Team Denso runner and 2012 Olympic Marathon gold medalist Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) took 3rd in the women's race behind the outstanding debut of Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) and runner-up Edna Kiplagat (Kenya), the 2011 World Championships marathon gold medalist.

In the Czech Republic at the Usti nad Ladem Half Marathon, 2011 World Championships men's marathon team member Yoshinori Oda (Team Toyota) ran almost 30 seconds off Ikebe's GNR time, clocking 1:04:18 for 4th, far behind winner Henry Kiplagat's solo 1:01:26.   His teammate Shingo Mishima (Team Toyota) was 30 seconds back in 1:04:48 for 6th.  Another former Team Denso Ethiopian, Betelhem Moges, won the women's race in 1:11:51.

2012 Great North Run Half Marathon
Gateshead, U.K., 9/16/12
click here for complete results

Men
1. Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) - 59:06
2. Micah Kogo (Kenya) - 59:07 - PB
3. Imane Merga (Ethiopia) - 59:56 - debut
4. Mike Kigen (Kenya) - 1:00:18
5. Emmanuel Bett (Kenya) - 1:00:56 - debut
6. Chris Thompson (U.K.) - 1:01:00 - PB
7. Collis Birmingham (Australia) - 1:01:25 - PB
8. Ryan Vail (U.S.A.) - 1:02:04 - PB
9. Nick McCormick (U.K.) - 1:02:44 - PB
10. Mustafa Mohamed (Sweden) - 1:03:12
-----
13. Minoru Ikebe (Team Honda) - 1:03:49

Women
1. Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) - 1:07:35 - debut
2. Edna Kiplagat (Kenya) - 1:07:41
3. Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) - 1:07:48
4. Jelena Prokopcuka (Latvia) - 1:08:09
5. Jo Pavey (U.K.) - 1:09:20
6. Rene Kalmer (South Africa) - 1:10:13
7. Gemma Steel (U.K.) - 1:10:46
8. Caryl Jones (U.K.) - 1:11:18
9. Freya Murray (U.K.) - 1:12:23
10. Amy Whitehead (U.K.) - 1:13:15

2012 Usti nad Labem Half Marathon
Czech Republic, 9/16/12
click here for complete results

Men
1. Henry Kiplagat (Kenya) - 1:01:26
2. Adugna Tekele (Ethiopia) - 1:03:38
3. Boniface Kirui (Kenya) - 1:04:10
4. Yoshinori Oda (Team Toyota) - 1:04:18
5. John Kiprotich (Kenya) - 1:04:48
6. Shingo Mishima (Team Toyota) - 1:04:48

Women
1. Betelhem Moges (Ethiopia) - 1:11:51
2. Tadelech Bekele (Ethiopia) - 1:12:01
3. Pamela Lisoreng (Kenya) - 1:13:13
4. Olga Kotovska (Ukraine) - 1:15:07
5. Yulia Ruban (Ukraine) - 1:15:30

text and photo (c) 2012 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Osaka Marathon Elite Field

With 3 weeks to go the elite fields for the Feb. 22 Osaka Marathon are out. Given Osaka's history as the elite men-only Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon the women's field is small, with only one entrant, Sinhala Kureshi , having broken 2:21 with her 2:19:53 in Hamburg last spring. Afera Godfay , Mare Dibaba and Rose Chelimo have all run 2:21 to 2:22 in recent races, and Esther Chemtai is an interesting debut off a 1:08:09 at last fall's Cardiff Half. Kaede Kawamura is the highest-level Japanese woman in the field with a 2:25:44 in Osaka 2 years ago. Last year's men's champ and CR breaker Yihunilign Adane is back, his main competition being fellow Ethiopians Bute Gemechu , Mulugeta Asefa Uma and South Africa's Elroy Gelant . 4th last year in 2:05:58, Kyohei Hosoya leads the front of the super deep Japanese field along with Ichitaka Yamashita , Kenta Sonota , Kiyoto Hirabayashi , Yuhei Urano , Yusuke Nishiyama and Daisuke Doi . But where Osaka excels is in deb...
1 comment
Read more

Etir Breaks Marugame CR, Catrofe Sets Uruguay NR, Omare 3rd-Straight Win

On the one hand it was too windy for really fast times at the Marugame Half , but on the other it wasn't, apparently. It was pretty much a strong tailwind over the first 10 km and just a strong a headwind over the last 10, so it wasn't a surprise that the lead group of men went through 5 km in 13:59 and 10 km in 27:51. Up front in it were 59:30 collegiate record co-holders Richard Etir and Kotaro Shinohara , and sub-59:30 guy Emmanuel Maru . But with the National University Half Marathon having moved to Marugame last year there were a million fast Hakone kids up in it to, Hiromichi Nonaka from Koku Gakuin University leading the way but lots more right behind. Etir and Maru opened up on the field after the turnaround, and by 15 km Etir was alone, 9 seconds ahead of Maru and on sub-59 pace running into the wind. Like everyone else he struggled to keep pace in the wind, sub-59 slipping away but easily taking the win in 59:07, a CR and new collegiate record by 23 seconds. Maru e...
1 comment
Read more

'Kobe 2024: Aitchison, Athmani Lead Record-Breaking Thursday'

  https://www.paralympic.org/news/kobe-2024-para-athletics-world-championships-aitchison-athmani-lead-record-breaking-thursday Complete results and daily schedule from the Kobe World Para Athletics Championships are here .
Post a Comment
Read more