http://www.pjnews.net/news/291/20111030_2 translated and edited by Brett Larner Stretching from Osaka City Hall to the south part of Osaka Bay, 27,000 runners took part in Kansai's first mass-participation marathon, the Oct. 30 Osaka Marathon. With a surge at 30 km Elijah Sang (Kenya) became the race's first champion, winning in 2:12:43. In post-race comments Sang told the media, "I think this will be a very fast course. The cheering was incredibly loud, so I never got tired or had to back off. Things went as planned and I made a move at 30 km. I was able to win because I was running for the win." Veteran Lidia Simon (Romania) won the women's race in 2:32:48. "The course is an easy one without any difficult sections," she said, "but I had trouble maintaining my speed after the turnaround. I wasn't able to hit my target of a sub-2:30 time, but I did manage to achieve my other goal of winning. My next goal will ...
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