Previews13 Apr 2012


Course record under threat in Nagano - PREVIEW

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Francis Kibiwott edges David Mandago Kipkorir in Seoul (© organisers)

The 14th annual Nagano Olympic Memorial Marathon, Nagano, Japan, takes place on Sunday 15 April.  


The inaugural edition was staged a year after the 1998 Winter Olympics was hosted by Nagano.  Like the Hokkaido Marathon held every August in Sapporo, the Nagano race is a mass marathon with several invited elite runners. This year, 10000 runners will start the race, and they have 5 hours to complete the 42.195Km course.


The Nagano Olympic Memorial Marathon is not the first major marathon to be held in the city of Nagano.  Historically, the Shinmai marathon, a semi elite marathon, was held forty-one times from 1958 to 1998. Then the baton was passed to Nagano Olympic Memorial Marathon in 1999.


The Nagano Olympic Memorial Marathon is an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race.


Although the number of elite invited runners is limited, historically some quite well known runners have run the Nagano Marathon since 1999. The winners of this race include two-time Olympic marathon medallist Eric Wainaina, who won Nagano in 2000 and 2003, 1992 Olympic champion Valentina Yegorova, who won in 1999, and 1996 Olympic champion Fatuma Roba, who won in 2004.    


This year while the Japanese men’s field is very weak the four invited runners from abroad indicate that the course record (2:10:17 by Eric Wainaina) should be in danger. Francis Kibiwott, who was second in 2012 Tiberias Marathon with 2:07:32, Moses Kangogo who won 2010 Dublin marathon with 2:08:58, Silas Sang, who was fourth in 2011 Ottawa marathon, and Alexey Sokolov who was fifth in 2011 Zurich marathon in 2:11:53.


Kibiwott may be the favourite, for besides his 2:07 marathon earlier this year, he has broken 2:10 three times. He also has sub 60 minutes half marathon to his credit, at 2007 Berlin Half Marathon. Kangogo also has multiple sub-2:10 marathons to his credit. Beside the 2:08 marathon in Dublin, Kangogo ran 2:09:48 in the 2011 Lake Biwa Marathon.  Although Sang has not broken 2:10 for the Marathon yet, his credentials include a 27:52 10000m, so he may be gifted with more speed than his competitions.


Africans have won the men’s race every year and their dominance is likely to continue this year.  


WOMEN


The best runner in the women’s field is Belaynesh Zemedkun, who was fourth in 2011 Chicago marathon with 2:26:17.  She seems also to be in shape this year, for Zemedkun was third in January’s Houston Half Marathon with the personal best of 68:51.  She has also run sub-70 minutes half marathon, twice in 2011 and once in 2010.


Two other runners in the field from abroad have broken 2:30 for the marathon. They are Anastasia Ndereba who won Venice Marathon with 2:29:03, and Rose Nyangacha who was second in Hamburg marathon with 2:29:22.


The fastest Japanese in the field is Yumiko Hara, who was sixth in 2005 IAAF World Championships; she has a personal best of 2:23:48.  However, Hara may not be in shape, for she was only 19th with 2:44:52 in February’s Tokyo Marathon. Other sub-2:30 Japanese runners in the field are Risa Hagiwara (2:28:14 in 2003), Chihiro Tanaka (2:29:30 in 2002), and Yuko Machida (2:29:35 in 2009).  Among them perhaps Machida may have best chance to challenge the Africans, but she too did not fare well in Tokyo Marathon where she was only 15th with 2:40:26.  


Unlike men’s race, the last time an African won the women’s race was back in 2004 when Fatuma Roba was victor. The only other African winner is Elfnesh Alemu in 2000.


Finally, the race features guest runners and this year it is Naoko Takahashi, 2000 Olympic marathon champion.  


Ken Nakamura for the IAAF


Invited Runners:


Men

Francis Kibiwott (KEN)

Moses Kangogo (KEN)

Silas Sang (KEN)  

Alexey Sokolov (RUS)


Women

Belaynesh Gebre Zemedkun (ETH)

Anastasia Ndereba (KEN)

Rose Kerubo Nyangacha (KEN)

Pauline Wangui (KEN)


Japanese:


Men

Norihiro Nomiya

Kiyokatsu Hasegawa

Sohei Wada

Koji Matsuoka

Yu Chiba


Women

Yumiko Hara

Risa Hagiwara

Chihiro Tanaka

Yuko Machida

Yumi Sato  

Yoshimi Hoshino


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