japan running news

by Brett Larner Team Hokuren's Philes Ongori, who ran the fastest women's half marathon in the world last year, set a new PB of 1:07:50 at the Feb. 20 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in the UAE. Ongori ran among the leaders until the final kilometers when Ethiopia's Dire Tune broke away to a new national record of 1:07:18. Ongori was outkicked by Ethiopian Aselefech Mergia, settling for 3rd. Team Aruze's Julia Mumbi Muraga was a distant 10th in 1:09:40. Men's winner Patrick Makau of Kenya ran 58:52, the second-fastest half marathon time ever recorded, breaking world record holder Samuel Wanjiru's course record by 1 second. Yamanashi Gakuin University's Mekubo Mogusu did not start the race after a recent car accident in Kenya, and his friend Daniel Gitau of Nihon University likewise failed to start. A detailed recap of both the women's and men's races and a link to complete results are available here . (c) 2009 Brett Larner all rights reserved

http://iaaf.org/LRR09/news/newsid=49362.html

by Brett Larner Five Japan-based Kenyans are scheduled to compete in the Feb. 20 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in the United Arab Emirates, a race which in only its third running is well on its way to become one of the world's premier events. University ekiden circuit rivals Mekubo Mogusu (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) and Daniel Gitau (Nihon Univ.) will face each other in the men's race alongside nearly a dozen men with half marathon times under the hour mark. Mogusu, who clocked three sub-hour times within Japan in 2007, made his international debut at last year's 2nd Ras Al Khaimah but finished disappointingly down the field in 5th place with a time of 1:00:35. This year's race will be Gitau's international debut. In the women's race, Philes Ongori (Team Hokuren) leads the way after running the fastest time in the world last year with her 1:07:57 win at the 2008 Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon. Julia Mumbi (Team Aruze) and Lucy Wangui Kabuu will join her. Mumbi won th...

by Brett Larner photo by http://statuehunter.way-nifty.com/blog/ used with permission Mekubo Mogusu on his way to a course record at the Yosenkai 20 km in Tachikawa, Japan, 10/20/07. The Kenyan men's team for the 2008 World Half Marathon Championships to be held Oct. 12 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is undoubtedly the best in the field, with four of its five members sporting sub-hour marks within the last year. Possibly the least well-known, with only one international race to his name, is Mekubo Mogusu. Paradoxically Mogusu also has probably the largest fan base thanks to his status as a publicly-beloved figure in Japan. Who is this man Mogusu? Mekubo Mogusu calls Kenyan Olympic marathon gold medalist and half marathon world record holder Samuel Wanjiru both his biggest rival and his biggest inspiration. Mogusu was born Dec. 25, 1986 in Kiyomitay, Kenya, six weeks after Wanjiru. Like Wanjiru, Mogusu was selected as an 'exchange student' by one of Japan's powerhouse runnin...