Mutai leads the field for the Beppu-Oita Marathon

Oita Marathon is scheduled to be held on Sunday February 3 on a course from Oita to Beppu and back. Because this is an Olympic year and since the Marathon is not one of the Olympic qualifying races, the Japanese field is not as strong as last year, when the showdown between Atsushi Sato and Atsushi Fujita was the highlight.

The fastest runner in the field is Elijah Mutai, who has a Marathon best of 2:09:27, recorded in the 2005 Chunchon Marathon. Mutai was also sixth in the 2005 Rotterdam Marathon with 2:10:27, and won the Chunchon Marathon from 2003 to 2006. More recently Mutai won the Zhengzhou Marathon in 2007. He was also an invited runner last year, but failed to finish the race. Mark Yatich, who recorded 2:09:52 in the 2003 Los Angeles Marathon, is another sub 2:10 runner in the field. He ran in the 2002 Berlin Marathon, finishing 10th in 2:10:55. More recently Yatich was second in the 2007 Istanbul Eurasia Marathon with 2:11:02.

Italian Ruggero Pertile, who twice ran in the World Championships, has a Marathon best of 2:10:12, which was recorded in 2004 in Roma.  More recently, he was sixth in the 2007 New York Marathon with 2:13:01 and was 32nd in the 2007 World Half Marathon Championships with 1:02:17, a personal best. Rachid Kisri, who was fifth in the 2:12:45 in the 2007 Beppu-Oita Marathon, is back again this year. His personal best is 2:10:34, recorded in 2006 Treviso Marathon. Kisri ran in the 2007 World Championships, but was only 44th. However, he bounced back with 2:13:28 in November’s Shanghai Marathon. Scott Westcott, who has a best of 2:11:36, recorded in the 2005 Beppu-Oita Marathon, is back in the race where he set his personal best in 2005. He was fourth in the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and more recently, Wescott was 17th in the 2007 Berlin Marathon with 2:15:02. 

Three Japanese runners are invited.  Michitane Noda has the fastest personal best, 2:09:58, but it was recorded back in the 2003 Fukuoka Marathon. More recently, Noda was 12th in the 2007 Fukuoka Marathon with 2:14:08. Through the race website, Noda writes, “My goal is running a 2:10 Marathon. I would like to stay with the leaders past 30Km point.”

Noriyuki Mizuguchi, who has the best of 2:14:26 recorded in the 2003 Nagano Marathon is also invited. The best Japanese hope was a Marathon debutante Kenta Oshima, who has the 10,000m personal best of 27:53.95 and the half Marathon best of 61:48.  However, he pulled out of the race in the last minute. Takayuki Ota is another Marathon debutante. His best credential is his fifth place finish with 1:30:14 in the Kumanichi 30Km road race last February.

Ken Nakamura for the IAAF  

Invited Runners for Beppu Oita Marathon:
Elijah Mutai  (KEN) 2:09:27 - 2005 Chunchon
Mark Yatich (KEN) 2:09:52 - 2003 Los Angeles
Ruggero Pertile (ITA) 2:10:12 - 2004 Roma
Rachid Kisri (MAR) 2:10:36 - 2006 Treviso
Scott Wescott (AUS) 2:11:36 - 2005 Beppu-Oita
John Kabia (KEN)   
Asheber Girma (ETH) 2:16:39 - 2007 Addis Ababa

Japanese:
Michitane Noda 2:09:58 - 2003 Fukuoka
Noriyuki Mizuguchi 2:14:26 - 2003 Nagano
Kenta Oshima  1:01:48 - 2003 JPN Corporate Half Marathon
Takayuki Ota 1:02:50 - 2006 Kyoto Half Marathon

Other top runners:
Daniel Mwangi (KEN)
Akira Kiniwa

Pace Makers:
Elias Maindi  (KEN), 1:01:53 - Venlo Half Marathon    
Stephen Chelimo (KEN), 1:01:03 - Den Haag Half Mararthon
Koichiro Nagata, 2:16:22 - 2007 Shanghai
Muneyuki Ojima, 2:08:43 - 1998 Lake Biwa
Tatsumi Morimasa, 1:01:38 - Half Marathon

Other scheduled road races on 3 February

It will be a busy weekend for road races in Japan. In addition to the Beppu-Oita Marathon, the 62nd Marugame Half Marathon and 42nd Oume 30Km road races are scheduled.

Toshinari Takaoka will be running the Oume 30Km road race, and the anticipation for the new course record is high. The current record is 1:29:32 by Toshihiko Seko, recorded in 1981. Akane Taira, who was 12th in the 2007 World Road Running Championships, is a featured women’s runner.  

The field in the Marugame Half Marathon is loaded. The men’s race features:
- Takayuki Matsumiya, 30Km world record (1:28:00) holder, who has Half Marathon best of 1:01:32, recorded in the 2002 All JPN Corporate team Half Marathon Championships
- Tomoo Tsubota, who has the half Marathon best of 1:01:16, also recorded in the 2002 All JPN Corporate team Half Marathon Championships
- Ryoji Matsushita, who has the half Marathon best of 1:01:57, recorded in the 2005 All JPN Corporate team Half Marathon Championships, and
- Laban Kagika of Kenya who won Marugame Half Marathon in 2005 with 1:01:36.

The women’s race features:
- Harumi Hiroyama, who has the half Marathon best of 1:09:41, recorded in the 2001 Kyoto Half Marathon
- Mari Ozaki, who has the half Marathon best of 1:09:33, recorded in the 2002 Marugame Half Marathon
- Mikie Takanaka, who has the half Marathon best of 1:08:32, recorded in the 2002 Miyazaki Half Marathon, and
- Yoshimi Ozaki, who has the half Marathon best of 1:09:26, recorded at the 2007 World Road Running Championships.

Ongori Philes, with a 1:09:50 half Marathon best, recorded in the 2007 All JPN Corporate team Half Marathon Championships, may be the favorite, for she was eighth at 10,000m in the World Championships in Osaka.

Ken Nakamura for the IAAF