Skip to main content

Kipruto and Chepkemoi Take 2013 Lille Half Marathon Titles

by Brett Larner

Daegu World Championships marathon silver medalist Vincent Kipruto and Diane Chepkemoi made it a Kenyan double at the Aug. 31 Lille International Half Marathon, winning close men's and women's races in 1:00:39 and 1:10:14. After a slow opening 5 km, Kipruto, Philemon Rono Cherop (Kenya), Habtamu Assefa (Ethiopia) and a handful of others stepped up the pace, grinding the pack down over the middle stages of the race until only three remained.  Halfway through the second lap of the two-loop course Kipruto and Cherop shook free of Assefa, running side by side all the way to a sprint finish that saw Kipruto, this year's Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon winner, take the title in a lean across the line. Assefa faded over the final quarter of the race but held on to 3rd in 1:01:05. Four top-placing Japanese men from March's National Corporate Half Marathon Championships also raced Lille with support from JRN, Muryo Takase (Team Nissin Shokuhin) finishing first in 1:02:55 for 16th place.

The four Japanese women in Lille made a bigger impact on the race.  23-year-old Rei Ohara (Team Tenmaya) took control of the first loop of the course, leading until near 10 km when 2013 National Corporate Half Marathon winner and London Marathon 3rd-placer Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren) took over with a surge that broke up the leading pack of seven women.  Running just six days after finishing 2nd at the Hokkaido Marathon, Akaba pushed the pace for 4 km and dropped competitors one by one until Chepkemoi responded with an aggressive surge of her own.  Monica Jepkoech (Kenya) responded as Akaba fell behind, but over the next two km Akaba worked her way back up into contact. Heading into the park around the Citadel of Lille for the final 5 km of the race Jepkoech slipped back as Chepkemoi threw in a series of surges to get rid of Akaba.  Each time Akaba returned, but over the final two km Chepkemoi proved too strong and pulled away to win by a margin of 10 seconds.  Jepkoech was another 16 seconds back in 3rd, with early leader Ohara taking 4th in 1:11:24.

Having set the course record at July's Gold Coast Airport Marathon and finished 2nd in Hokkaido last weekend prior to Lille, Akaba seems to be experimenting with a Yuki Kawauchi-style high-volume racing approach.  She next heads to Boulder for altitude training ahead of October's Chicago Marathon, her fourth marathon of 2013 and third in 3 1/2 months.

The Japanese team at the 2013 Lille International Half Marathon:
front, L-R: Yukiko Akaba, Ayumi Sakaida, Rei Ohara, Nanami Matsuura
back, L-R: Minato Oishi, Muryo Takase, Akihiko Tsumurai, Kenji Yamamoto


2013 Lille International Half Marathon
Lille, France, 8/31/13
click here for complete results

Women
1. Diane Chepkemoi (Kenya) - 1:10:14
2. Yukiko Akaba (Japan/Team Hokuren) - 1:10:24
3. Monica Jepkoech (Kenya) - 1:10:40
4. Rei Ohara (Japan/Team Tenmaya) - 1:11:24
5. Fatuma Sado (Ethiopia) - 1:12:27
6. Ayumi Sakaida (Japan/Team Daihatsu) - 1:12:36
7. Afera Godfay (Ethiopia) - 1:13:19
8. Letebrhan Haylay (Ethiopia) - 1:13:28
9. Chaltu Dida (Ethiopia) - 1:13:42
10. Nanami Matsuura (Japan/Team Tenmaya) - 1:13:57

Men
1. Vincent Kipruto (Kenya) - 1:00:39
2. Philemon Rono Cherop (Kenya) - 1:00:39
3. Habtamu Assefa (Ethiopia) - 1:01:05
4. Atsedu Tsegay (Ethiopia) - 1:01:31
5. Abraham Cheroben (Kenya) - 1:01:32
6. Dominic Ondoro (Kenya) - 1:01:45
7. Bonisa Dida (Ethiopia) - 1:01:54
8. Evans Korir (Kenya) - 1:01:55
9. Lawrence Kimaiyo (Kenya) - 1:02:00
10. Mulue Andom (Eritrea) - 1:02:12
-----
16. Muryo Takase (Japan/Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 1:02:55
21. Minato Oishi (Japan/Team Toyota) - 1:04:09
22. Kenji Yamamoto (JapanTeam Mazda) - 1:04:21
28. Akihiko Tsumurai (Japan/Team Mazda) - 1:06:27

text and photos (c) 2013 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Hakone Ekiden

The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...
3 comments
Read more