Skip to main content

'Paul Kuira Pulls a Ryan Hall'

http://www.letsrun.com/news/2015/02/zane-robertson-pulls-ryan-hall-alberto-salazar-track-fields-bill-belichick-will-claye-not-canadian-good-sport-tweet-week/

translated by Brett Larner

Kenya’s “Ryan Hall Moment” – Paul Kuira’s Dream Comes True

Last week, Kenya’s Paul Kuira pulled an absolute stunner, as in his half-marathon debut he ran a 59:47 to win the Marugame Half-Marathon, making him the first Kenyan athlete and and [sic] first non-African-based runner under 60:00 this year (New Zealand's Zane Robertson has also done it).

When we saw the result, we instantly thought, “Wow, Kenya has found their Ryan Hall.”

Paul after the Finish of His 59:47 Half via @mi102014 (click for large image)

The parallels between the two are striking. Both come from unconventional training backgrounds and both have spent a considerable time at altitude. Hall great up [sic] in Big Bear, California which is at 6,700 feet and did twenty mile runs as a high schooler and ten mile tempo runs (For an interesting LRC interview with Ryan as a high schooler in 2000 click here). Paul, at the age 16, in search of being the best in the world, moved to Japan by himself to train and has lived for the last nine years in Japan or Kenya at altitude pursing [sic] his dream. Both Ryan Hall and Paul Kuira initially tried to make their mark at 1500 before reluctantly moving up to moderate success at 5000, before becoming a totally unexpected sensation in the half-marathon.

The parallels between the two are eerie:

Hall ran 3:42.70 at 18, 13:16.03 at 22 and 59:43 in his half marathon debut at 24.
Kuira ran 3:44.21 at 18, 13:22.38 at 20, and 59:47 in his half marathon debut at 25.

It will be fun to see if Paul goes on to have great success at the 26.2 distance in the years to come.

Translator's note: In a related article on Marugame, Alberto Stretti wrote, "Last Sunday in Marugame (Japan) he did one of the most amazing and fast debuts on halfmarathon in the history...he ran 59.47 at the first time on distance showing everyone another time his growing talent.."  Stretti went on to point out in capital letters that he was not speaking about Kuira's world leading course record-setting 59:47 winning debut.

photo (c) 2015 mi102014, all rights reserved

Comments

Anonymous said…
hahaha this made my day
TokyoRacer said…
Unbelievable, and disappointing, that Let's Run could write an article about the race and not even mention that Robertson got beat by Kuira. I guess only white guys count with them.
Anonymous said…
Zanes is significant in NZ, kuira's means nothing in Kenya. I doubt it's making highlights in Kenya, why should it in the US?
Brett Larner said…
I don't know, because your president is Kenyan?
Tenkrunner said…
Our President is American

Most-Read This Week

Keita Satoh Running New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile

1500 m U20 NR holder Keita Satoh (Nike Swoosh TC) is running this weekend's New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile , the first time that a Japanese man has been invited in the race's 45-year history. In university Sato had to change focus away from middle distance to the half marathon-scale lengths of the Hakone Ekiden stages, but since graduating in March and relocating to Flagstaff he has refocused on the 1500 m, going from 3:43.19 in April in his first 1500 m in almost 4 years to 3:38.30 over the course of 5 races. Fifth Avenue will be his last race before heading back to Japan for one more track 1500 m and some down time. Men's entries with best 1500 m times in last 3 years: Stefan Nillessen (NED) - 3:29.23 (2025) Flavien Szot (FRA) - 3:30.74 (2025) Oliver Hoare (AUS) - 3:31.07 (2024) Jake Heyward (GBR) - 3:31.18 (2026) Titouan Le Grix (FRA) - 3:31.46 (2026) Romain Mornet (FRA) - 3:31.62 (2025) Adam Spencer (AUS) - 3:31.83 (2026) Pieter Sisk (BEL) - 3:31.85 (2025) Gary Martin (...

Multiple National Records This Weekend

Olympic and World champion Haruka Kitaguchi got the biggest headlines among Japanese athletes this weekend, overcoming a rough last year and a half that included injury and a coaching change to break her own javelin throw NR by over a meter and a half to win the inaugural WA Ultimate Championship in Budapest. U20 WR and Asian AR holder Ziyi Yan opened with a big 68.05, 0.67 m further than Kitaguchi's best-ever from back in 2023. That could have been the end, but Kitaguchi came back from a 61.15 m first attempt to throw a massive 68.92 m NR on her next one, ultimately enough for the win. She still has a long way to go to match the 18-year-old Yan's 71.74 m from May, but it was a clear statement that Kitaguchi is back. Back home at the National Corporate Track and Field Championships in Kyoto, women's pole vault NR holder Misaki Morota continued a solid comeback season of her own, bettering her NR from May by 1 cm with a 4.51 m on her first attempt. Morota took another 3...