Daniel Njenga, winning the 2007 Tokyo Marathon. He was second at the 2011 and 2010 editions of the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon (© Kazutaka Eguchi/Agence SHOT)
15 February 2008The 2008 Tokyo Marathon an IAAF Road Race Silver Label event - second edition of a mass city marathon that tours the metropolis is scheduled to be held this Sunday 18 February. The race also doubles as an Olympic qualifying for the men’s marathon.
The course starts in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan government office building, tours through some of the best known sites in Tokyo, like Imperial Palace, Ginza, Asakusa and finishes in front of the Tokyo BigSight, an international exhibition center. It is different from the original Tokyo Marathon course, which started and finished in the national stadium.
Defending champion Njenga poised for win
The fastest runner in the field is the defending champion Daniel Njenga, a former World Junior record holder (8:19.21 in 1994) and the 1995 World University Games gold medallist both at 3000m Steeplechase. Njenga made a breakthrough at the 2002 Chicago Marathon, when he finished second with 2:06:16. He returned to Chicago every year since and although he failed to win the race, Njenga recorded four consecutive sub 2:08 marathons in the windy city. He won twice in Tokyo in 2004 and 2007.
The second fastest runner in the field is Abel Kirui, who has improved his personal best in each of his last four marathons. He was ninth at the 2006 Berlin marathon with 2:17:47, third in the 2006 Singapore marathon with 2:15:22, and third in 2:10:41 in the 2007 Wien Marathon, before finishing second to World record setting Haile Gebrselassie with 2:06:51 in the 2007 Berlin Marathon. Can he improve his personal best once again in Tokyo?
Brown running for Olympic qualifier
The best championships runners in the field are Jon Brown, Viktor Röthlin and Eric Wainaina. Brown was fourth in both the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. Twice, Brown recorded sub 2:10 marathon. In the 1999 London Marathon, he was fourth in 2:09:44 and six years later in the 2005 London Marathon, Brown finished sixth in 2:09:31, a personal best. A superb track runner, he also recorded 27:18.14 for 10,000m, which is still a national record. Brown moved to Victoria in 1996 and gained Canadian citizenship in 2005. In order to qualify for the Canadian Olympic Marathon team he needs to run faster than 2:12:38.
Röthlin won a silver medal at the 2006 European Championships, and followed it up with a bronze medal in the World Championships. He also set the Swiss national record, 2:08:20, in the 2007 Zürich Marathon.
Perhaps the ultimate championships runner is Eric Wainaina, who won two Olympic medals (bronze in 1996 and silver in 2000) before he broke a 2:10 marathon barrier for the first time at the 2002 Tokyo Marathon. At the 2004 Olympics, Wainaina was seventh, the highest placing Kenyan.
Other invited runners are Samson Ramadhani and Hailu Negussie. Ramadhani, who competed at 1500m at the 2000 World Junior Championships made a stunning breakthrough when he won the Beppu-Oita Marathon in 2:09:24, and followed it up with 2:08:01 at the London Marathon, tying the Tanzanian record. He was fifth at the 2005 World Championships with 2:12:08, and won the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
Hailu Negussie won the 2002 Hofu Marathon in 2:08:16 and then recorded a near personal best when he was fifth at the 2003 Fukuoka Marathon with 2:08:21. Although he won the 2005 Boston Marathon, Hailu failed to finish the Olympic Marathon, and was only 31st in the 2005 World Championships. He dropped out of the last two Boston Marathons, and thus his return to the top form is awaited with much anticipation.
Japanese Olympic selection
Toshinari Suwa is the best Japanese in the field, and thus has a best shot to make the Olympic team. As attested by his sixth place finish in the 2004 Olympic Games as well as seventh place finish in the 2007 World Championships, Toshinari Suwa knows how to peak for the important races.
Furthermore Suwa’s personal best, 2:07:55 was recorded in the 2003 Fukuoka Marathon, the 2004 Olympic qualifying race and his second fastest time, 2:08:52, was recorded in the 2006 Fukuoka Marathon, the 2007 World Championships qualifying race. Although he has yet to win the marathon, Suwa only missed top seven finish once.
A premier track runner in late 1990’s to early 2000’s Satoshi Irifune competed at 10,000m in the 1999 World Championships and recorded personal bests at both 5000m (13:22.12) and 10,000m (27:53.92) in 2001. In 2002, Irifune made an anticipated marathon debut in the Lake Biwa Marathon, finishing 11th in 2:11:26, a respectable, but not exceptional time. His struggle with the marathon continued until he won the 2005 Beppu-Oita Marathon with 2:09:58.
Other domestic runners are Ken-ichi Kita, Kazushi Hara, Kenjiro Jitsui and Kurao Umeki. Among them Jitsui with the personal best of 2:08:50, is the fastest, but his PR is from 1996. Umeki also has a sub-2:10 marathon best, having recorded 2:09:52 in the 2003 Berlin Marathon.
Invited Runners
Daniel Njenga (KEN) 2:06:16 2002 Chicago
Viktor Rothlin (SUI) 2:08:20 2007 Zurich
Jon Brown (CAN) 2:09:31 2005 London
Eric Wainaina (KEN) 2:08:43 2002 Tokyo
Samson Ramadhani (TAN) 2:08:01 2003 London
Hailu Negussie (ETH) 2:08:16 2002 Hofu
Abel Kirui (KEN) 2:06:51 2007 Berlin
Japanese
Toshinari Suwa 2:07:55 2003 Fukuoka
Satoshi Irifune 2:09:58 2005 Beppu-Oita
Ken-ichi Kita 2:11:41 2006 Nobeoka
Kazushi Hara 2:12:11 2004 Lake Biwa
Kenjiro Jitsui 2:08:50 1996 Tokyo
Kurao Umeki 2:09:52 2003 Berlin
Koji Shimizu 2:08:28 2003 Lake Biwa
Other top runners
Kazuyoshi Tokumoto
Julius Gitahi (KEN)
Teruto Ozaki
Kazutoshi Takatsuka
Seiji Kobayashi
Manabu Itayama
Takayuki Nishida
Pace setters
Makoto Iwase
Joseph Kariuki (KEN)
Zebedayo Bayo (TAN)
David Kemboy (KEN)
Luis Jesus (POR)
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
