Tsegaye Kebede set a course record in Fukuoka on Sunday. © www.photorun.net
Twenty-two-year-old Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia ran a Japanese all-comer’s record to win the historic Fukuoka Marathon on Sunday. He clocked 2:05:18 to improve his own course record by almost a minute in the 63rd edition of the historic elite men’s race—a race which for many years was considered an unofficial World championship race. In 2008, Kebede broke the course record with 2:06:10 hours.
Kebede finished ahead of Ethiopian Tekeste Kebede (no relation to Tsegaye), who finished second in 2:07:52. Ukrainian Dmytro Baranovsky took third place in 2:08:19. Conditions were good at the start with temperatures around 50 degrees Fahrenheit and a breath of wind. Two more athletes also broke 2:10 hours in Fukuoka: Dereje Tesfaye (Ethiopia/2:08:36) and the 2008 Chicago champion, Evans Cheruiyot (Kenya/2:09:46). Leading the Japanese contingent was Tadashi Shitamori who ran 2:14:42—good for ninth.
“I’m delighted to have run faster than even I expected,” said Tsegaye Kebede afterwards. His time in Fukuoka puts him at number five on the list of the world’s fastest performances this year. “At 30 kilometers I was sure I could win and when I saw the split time for 40K, I knew I could break my personal best,” Kebede said. He did just that and by a mere two seconds.
The early pacemakers, John Kales (Kenya) and Samson Ramadhani (Tanzania), carried out their role to perfection, taking the leading group through halfway in 63:05 minutes. Tsegaye Kebede then seized the initiative and began to force the pace between 25 and 30K. He went through 30K in 1:29:47, followed by Dereje Tesfaye, Evans Cheruiyot, and Tekeste Kebede. The chase pack couldn’t catch Tsegaye Kebede who ran each of the following kilometers in under three minutes.
This latest triumph by Tsegaye Kebede comes as no surprise. After running 2:08:16 for eighth place in Amsterdam as a 20-year-old two years ago, the Ethiopian’s big breakthrough came in 2008. He finished third in the Olympic Marathon in Beijing after winning the Paris Marathon in April. He followed up his 2008 victory in Fukuoka with a second place showing in London this year, improving his best time to 2:05:20. At the World Championship marathon in Berlin this past August, Kebede won another bronze. Next April, he’ll be running London.
Another reason that Kebede’s time in Fukuoka is so remarkable is the fact that his time of 2:05:18 is faster than the greatest Ethiopian marathoner Haile Gebrselassie’s fastest time this year.
All times aside, what’s perhaps most telling about Kebede is his personal story. While most runners in the elite field on Sunday have been training for decades, Kebede has only been competitively running for less than three years! Before that, Kebede lived a difficult and challenging life. To help his family survive, Kebede was forced to collect firewood—a job that earned him just 20 cents a day.
Now one of the fastest marathoners ever, Kebede has persevered and demonstrated that hard work certainly does pays off.
Mikitenko and Wanjiru Set to Defend London Titles
Irina Mikitenko and Sammy Wanjiru after their 2009 London Marathon victory. © www.photorun.net
Irina Mikitenko and Sammy Wanjiru will return to defend their titles at the Virgin London Marathon on April 25 next year. Both champions also wear the mantle of World Marathon Majors (WMM) series winners. Wanjiru, the Olympic Marathon champion from Kenya, set a course record in London this April with 2:05:10. Mikitenko of Germany hopes to become the second woman to achieve the hat trick in London, tying fellow German Katrin Dörre-Heinig’s unbeaten record from 1992 to 1994. Race director Dave Bedford has not made the task easy for Wanjiru and Mikitenko by recruiting a high-quality field of competitors.
Despite his impressive personal best of 2:05:10 in London, Wanjiru will only be the third fastest runner in the field—a telling statistic that demonstrates the field’s depth. Six more sub-2:05:30 marathoners are entered in the race. The fastest among them is Duncan Kibet of Kenya who improved his best to 2:04:27 when he won the Rotterdam Marathon this year. This makes Kibet the fastest in the world this year. Another runner is the current world champion, Abel Kirui of Kenya. Kirui will arrive in London with a personal best of 2:05:04. Martin Lel (Kenya/2:05:15), Tsegaye Kebede (Ethiopia/2:05:18), and the former world champion, Jaouad Gharib (Morocco/2:05:27) have also run under 2:05:30.
“I’m delighted to be coming back to London,” said the 23-year-old Wanjiru recently, who in addition to last year’s win, finished second behind Martin Lel in 2008. “London always has the best athletes in the world on the start line. With opponents like Duncan, Abel and Martin it will be harder than ever. I shall be doing all I can to retain my title.”
The defending women’s champion also has the fastest time for next year’s race: German record holder Irina Mikitenko ran 2:19:19 in Berlin in 2008. “My ambition is to win London for the third time although I know that it’s going to be very tough, given the level of the competition,” announced Mikitenko. Always optimistic, Mikitenko added, “I love running in London and will be going all out to be in top shape on April 25 to meet this challenge.”
There are six women on the London start list that have run under 2:22 and 12 that have run sub-2:25. They include Deena Kastor (USA) who ran an American record of 2:19:36 in the 2006 race, the 2008 Olympic champion in Beijing, Constantina Dita (Romania), and the winner of the world title in Berlin in 2009, Bai Xue of China. Another contender definitely not to be overlooked is Liliya Shobukhova. The Russian marathoner was third on her debut at the distance in London this April and won the Chicago Marathon in October. While Mara Yamauchi (runner-up to Mikitenko in April) will be running again, another British runner is absent: Paula Radcliffe. The world record holder (2:15:25) is planning to have a second child this year, so competitive appearances are not going to be her top priority.
