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Ishikawa and Fujiwara Crack Top Ten in Manchester

by Brett Larner

Running in their first road race since clocking 2:08:51 and 2:09:10 at March's Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, teammates Suehiro Ishikawa and Masakazu Fujiwara of the Honda corporate team both cleared the top eight at the May 26 Great Manchester Run, Ishikawa improving on his 8th-place finish at last year's race with a 28:56 clocking for 6th but Fujiwara, a member of Japan's marathon squad for August's World Championships, running 29:32 for 8th after coming down with a cough on race morning.  Double Commonwealth Games gold medalist Moses Kipsiro (Uganda) won in 27:52 in a tight sprint finish over London Olympics marathon bronze medalist Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) and multi-world record-holder Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia), who set a 40+ world record of 28:00.  Unusually for a gold label race, athletes from nine different countries placed in the top ten.

Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) soloed a course record of 30:49 in the women's race, running a stunning 15:40/15:09 negative split to clear the rest of the field by over a minute and a half.  2003 Honolulu Marathon winner Eri Hayakawa (Team Toto) took 8th in 34:12.

2013 Great Manchester Run
Manchester, U.K., 5/26/13
click here for complete results

Men
1. Moses Kipsiro (Uganda) - 27:52
2. Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) - 27:53
3. Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) - 28:00
4. Stephen Mokoka (South Africa) - 28:12
5. Sergiy Lebid (Ukraine) - 28:28
6. Suehiro Ishikawa (Team Honda/Japan) - 28:56
7. Jonny Mellor (England) - 29:21
8. Masakazu Fujiwara (Team Honda/Japan) - 29:32
9. Stephen Scullion (Ireland) - 29:48
10. Meles Okbazghi (Eritrea) - 29:48

Women
1. Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) - 30:49 - CR
2. Jelena Prokopcuka (Latvia) - 32:21
3. Christelly Daunay (France) - 32:33
4. Gemma Steel (England) - 33:02
5. Alessandra Aguilar (Spain) - 33:03
6. Helen Clitheroe (England) - 33:14
7. Katie Brough (England) - 34:03
8. Eri Hayakawa (Team Toto/Japan) - 34:12
9. Susan Partridge (England) - 34:20
10. Amanda Crook (England) - 34:23

(c) 2013 Brett Larner
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