Former Suzuki Teammates Kabuu and Mathathi Win Great North Run Half Marathon

by Brett Larner

Former teammates at Shizuoka-based Suzuki Hamamatsu AC, Kenyans Lucy Wangui Kabuu and Martin Irungu Mathathi staged dominating performances to win the women's and men's races at the rolling downhill Great North Run half marathon on Sept. 18. Wangui, a graduate of Aomori Yamada H.S. before running for Suzuki and winning 10000 m gold and 5000 m bronze at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, showed no sign of her near-absence from competition since the Beijing Olympics as she made an early surge at world record pace to easily crush the field, winning in 1:07:06 over two minutes up on runner-up Jessica Augusto (Portugal). 2011 Yokohama International Women's Marathon 3rd-placer Marisa Barros (Portugal) was 3rd again only four weeks after finishing 9th in the Daegu World Championships marathon. Formerly Japan-based Mara Yamauchi (Great Britain), in training for November's third edition of Yokohama, was a DNF after dropping from the lead pack early.

Mathathi, the 2007 World Championships 10000 m bronze medalist, 2006 World XC bronze medalist and junior world record holder over 10 miles, ran the Great North Run three weeks after finishing 5th at the Daegu World Championships. Responding to an aggressive move from Jonathan Maiyo (Kenya), Mathathi reeled Maiyo in and then pushied on alone on course record pace. Checking his watch repeatedly in the final kilometer, Mathathi took nearly a minute off his 59:48 debut as he won in a course-record 58:56 to become one of a select club of men to have broken 59 minutes for the marathon. Maiyo held on to 2nd, while 2011 London Marathon champion Emmanuel Mutai (Kenya) ran down former road 10 km world record holder Micah Kogo (Kenya) for 3rd, making it a Kenyan sweep of the top four positions.

2011 Great North Run
Newcastle, U.K., 9/18/11
click here for complete results

Women
1. Lucy Wangui Kabuu (Kenya) - 1:07:06
2. Jessica Augusto (Portugal) - 1:09:27
3. Marisa Barros (Portugal) - 1:10:29
4. Jo Pavey (Great Britain) - 1:10:49
5. Helen Clitheroe (Great Britain) - 1:10:57
6. Irene Jerotich (Kenya) - 1:11:03
7. Irene Mogaka (Kenya) - 1:11:13
8. Rene Kalmer - 1:11:46
9. Krisztina Papp - 1:12:08
10. Freya Murray (Great Britian) - 1:12:44
DNF - Mara Yamauchi (Great Britian)

Men
1. Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 58:56 - CR
2. Jonathan Maiyo (Kenya) - 59:27
3. Emmanuel Mutai (Kenya) - 59:52
4. Micah Kogo (Kenya) - 1:00:03
5. Abdellatif Meftah (France) - 1:01:02
6. Jaouad Gharib (Morocco) - 1:01:31
7. Juan Luis Barrios (Mexico) - 1:03:09
8. Yared Hagos - 1:03:31
9. Daniel Chaves - 1:03:37
10. Keith Gerrard - 1:03:39

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...

Hakone Ekiden Qualifying Race Entry Roster Sizes Increased from 14 to 16

Hakone Ekiden organizers KGRR have announced details for the qualifying half marathon for next year's 103rd Hakone Ekiden. The Yosenkai qualifying race will be held Oct. 17 in Tachikawa, Tokyo. The combined times of the 10 fastest finishers from each participating team will be used for team scoring, with the 10 fastest teams going on the the main event next January and top-placing individuals from teams that do not qualify being names to the Kanto Region Student Alliance select team. One change from previous years is that the number of runners each school can enter has been increased from 14 to 16. Teams will still only be allowed to have from 10 to 12 athletes on the starting line, but the move gives coaches greater flexibility in making the final decision on their starting rosters. No changes have been made to the qualifying times of 34:00 for 10000 m or 1:13:00 for the half marathon, and the new earlier starting time of 8:30 a.m. introduced last year in an effort to mitigate ...

Nomura and Odagiri Go 3-4 at Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km

2010 Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km Nijmegen, Netherlands, 11/21/10 Women click here for complete women's results 1. Genet Getaneh (Ethiopia) - 47:53 2. Florence Kiplagat (Kenya) - 48:07 3. Sayo Nomura (Meijo Univ.) - 49:43 4. Aki Odagiri (Meijo Univ.) - 51:37 5. Benita Willis (Australia) - 51:51 Men click here for complete men's results 1. Leonard Patrick Komon (Kenya) - 41:13 - WR 2. Abera Kuma (Ethiopia) - 42:01 3. Ayele Abshiro (Ethiopia) - 42:01 4. Abraham Kiplimo (Uganda) - 43:03 5. Berhanu Delale (Ethiopia) - 43:08 ----- 14. Kazuya Watanabe (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 45:31

japan running news

Search This Blog