Chicago and Twin Cities Marathon Results

by Brett Larner
photo by Dr. Helmut Winter

In a superb race led by Fukuoka Marathon course record-holder Tsegaye Kebede's world record-pace second half 2:04:38 course record win, relatively unknown 23-year-old Koji Kobayashi (Team Subaru) was the top Japanese man, 14th in a PB of 2:10:40 in his second marathon. While national record-holder Toshinari Takaoka-coached 2:12 runner Hiroki Kadota (Team Kanebo) started the race off in the first pack and 2:11 man Yuki Moriwaki (Team JFE Steel) struggled from the start, Kobayashi, 2:10 runner Takeshi Kumamoto (Team Toyota) and 2:09:16 veteran Takashi Horiguchi (Team Honda) stuck with top American hopeful Dathan Ritzenhein on low-2:07 pace. Kadota soon dropped back to join the pack, but when Ritzenhein accelerated into high-2:06 territory near halfway the pack splintered. Kobayashi, coached by 2:08 man Wataru Okutani at Subaru, was the last to hang on, losing touch just before 30 km but holding on to 2:08 pace through 40 km. Kobayashi faded badly over the last two kilometers but still managed a good 2:12 PB, his 2:10:40 the fastest time by a Japanese man in Chicago in recent memory and marking him as a name to watch. Kumamoto was next across the line in 2:11:47, with Kadota a ways back in 2:13:39, both men missing their bests by a minute. Horiguchi and Moriwaki struggled, neither breaking 2:20.

2012 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon winner Samuel Ndungu (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) and 2012 Tokyo Marathon winner Michael Kipyego (Kenya) were part of the lead pack until late in the race, Ndungu taking 7th in 2:07:26 and Kipyego 13th in 2:10:02.  In the women's race, Aomori Yamada H.S. graduate and former Suzuki runner Lucy Wangui Kabuu was 3rd in 2:22:41 behind a close duel between winner Atsede Baysa (Ethiopia) and Rita Jeptoo (Kenya) in 2:22:03 and 2:22:04.

Starting 30 minutes later and quite a few degrees colder, the Twin Cities Marathon was a pack race until late in the game, seven of the top ten negative splitting after a slow 1:08:43 opening half.  Making his U.S. marathon debut with assistance from JRN, 2011 Lake Saroma 100 km winner Kiyokatsu Hasegawa fell behind in the late-race surge by eventual winner Christopher Kipyego (Kenya) but pushed on to overtake several runners who went after Kipyego.  7th with just a few km to go, Hasegawa advanced to 4th by the line to finish in 2:15:32, 39 seconds behind Kipyego.  American Jeanette Faber won the women's race in 2:32:37.

2012 Chicago Marathon
Chicago, U.S.A., 10/7/12
click here for complete results

Men
1. Tsegaye Kebede (Ethiopia) - 2:04:38 - PB, CR
2. Feyisa Lilesa (Ethiopia) - 2:04:52 - PB
3. Tilahun Regassa (Ethiopia) - 2:05:27 - debut
4. Sammy Kitwara (Kenya) - 2:05:54 - PB
5. Wesley Korir (Kenya) - 2:06:13 - PB
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7. Samuel Ndungu (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 2:07:26
14. Koji Kobayashi (Team Subaru) - 2:10:40 - PB
15. Takeshi Kumamoto (Team Toyota) - 2:11:47
17. Hiroki Kadota (Team Kanebo) - 2:13:39
30. Takashi Horiguchi (Team Honda) - 2:20:32
31. Yuki Moriwaki (Team JFE Steel) - 2:20:49

Women
1. Atsede Baysa (Ethiopia) - 2:22:03
2. Rita Jeptoo (Kenya) - 2:22:04
3. Lucy Wangui Kabuu (Kenya) - 2:22:41
4. Liliya Shobukhova (Russia) - 2:22:59
5. Caroline Rotich (Kenya) - 2:23:22

2012 Twin Cities Marathon
Minneapolis-St. Paul, U.S.A., 10/7/12
click here for complete results

Men
1. Christopher Kipyego (Kenya) - 2:14:53
2. Berhanu Girma (Ethiopia) - 2:15:04
3. Sean Quigley (U.S.A.) - 2:15:06
4. Kiyokatsu Hasegawa (Team JR Higashi Nihon) - 2:15:32
5. Francis Muendo (Kenya) - 2:15:36

Women
1. Jeannette Faber (U.S.A.) - 2:32:37
2. Hirut Guangul (Ethiopia) - 2:34:02
3. Melissa Johnson-White (U.S.A.) - 2:34:02
4. Weldegebrael Tinbit Gidey (Ethiopia) - 2:34:43
5. Yiihunlish Delelecha (Ethiopia) - 2:35:05

(c) 2012 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

photo (c) 2012 Dr. Helmut Winter
all rights reserved