Satoshi Irifune wins the 2005 Beppu-Oita Marathon (© Kazutaka Eguchi)
Kenyans Peter Kiprotich and John Kemboi will take on a solid domestic field at the 58th edition of the The Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon on Sunday.
The Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon is an IAAF Silver Label Road Race.
The Marathon will be held over a course that takes runners from Oita municipal stadium to Beppu and then back to the stadium. The course may be hampered by wind, but if the weather is right, it could be very fast. In 1963, Toru Terasawa set the world best time of 2:15:15.8, 0.4 seconds faster than the time Abebe Bikila recorded at the 1960 Olympic Games. In 1978, Shigeru Soh ran 2:09:05.6, the second fastest marathon at the time. The current course record is 2:08:30 by Gert Thys recorded in 1996.
Kiprotich and Kemboi lead international charge
Six runners have been invited from abroad. Kenyan Peter Kiprotich, who recorded 2:08:49 at the 2007 Frankfurt Marathon, is the fastest runner from overseas. In his latest Marathon, Kiprotich was second at the 2008 Toronto Marathon last September with 2:11:03. Since he ran the first 32Km as a pace maker in 2007, Kiprotich is familiar with the course. He may be the favorite.
John Kemboi is the second fastest runners from abroad, having recorded 2:09:29 at the 1999 Amsterdam Marathon. However, his personal best was recorded more than nine years ago, and since 1999 Kemboi has not cracked 2:15. Scott Westcott, who twice ran well at the Beppu-Oita Marathon, may have a better chance. He was third in 2008 and second in 2005. Furthermore Westcott recorded his personal best of 2:11:36 in the race’s 2005.
Other invited runners from abroad are Adil Annani, who has a best of 2:11:05 from the 2008 Marrakech marathon; Dale Warrander, who recorded a personal best of 2:12:58 in Fukuoka in 2003; and Joseph Keino, who ran 2:13:35 at the 2008 Carpi Marathon. Annani won the Casablanca Marathon last October in 2:12:03, so he has been a consistent marathon runner.
Solid Japanese line-up
Although three Japanese have sub-2:10 bests to their credit, the best Japanese hopes are Tomoya Adachi and Keita Akiba.
Adachi is the defending champion, having won in his debut over the distance last year by coming from behind to take over the lead just before 39Km. Adachi, who is from Oita, has been superb in this winter’s ekiden races, having recorded fastest stages four times in the “around the Kyushu Ekiden,” and never finished worse than third all season long at the ekiden. He also recorded a personal best of 28:29.24 at 10,000m in 2008. It should be noted that only two runners – Toru Terasawa (1963 to 1966) and Kenji Kimihara (1970-1971) – have successfully defended their titles in race’s 58 year history.
Like Adachi last year, Marathon debutant Akiba is attracting lots of attention. Akiba was also superb in the ekiden this season. He was the fastest in the longest stage (22.3Km stage 4) of the New Year Ekiden on January 1st of this year. He also recorded the stage best in the 22Km stage of the 2007 New Year Ekiden. So he is superb at the half marathon distance. The big question is whether he can stay with the leaders after 25Km?
Takashi Ohta, who has a Marathon best of 2:12:10 recorded in the 2008 Tokyo Marathon, is another runner attracting lot of media attention. He has a 10,000m best of 28:06.22 and a half marathon best of 1:01:50, and thus he should be capable of much faster Marathon. Seiji Kobayashi was faster than Ohta in the 2008 Tokyo Marathon, finishing seventh in 2:11:02. However, in his last marathon, in Fukuoka in December, he was a dismal 20th in 2:20:46.
The fastest runner in the field is Takayuki Nishida, who won the 2001 Beppu-Oita Marathon with 2:08:45. In the same year, Nishida finished ninth in the World Championships in Edmonton. However, Nishida has not run a decent marathon since. The second fastest domestic as well as third fastest runner in the field is Yukinobu Nakazaki, who was fourth in the 2004 Tokyo Marathon with 2:09:28. Although he was second in the 2005 Beijing marathon, like Nishida, his last three marathons left a lot to be desired. He has failed to crack the 2:20 barrier since 2005. Michitane Noda, another sub 2:10 runner, is also struggling to find the form he had in Fukuoka in 2003. He ran last year’s Beppu-Oita marathon, but struggled home in 7th place with 2:16:00.
Four other 2:12 runners – Kazushi Hara, Takehisa Okino, Yusuke Kataoka and Tomonori Onitsuka - are invited. However, after their respective 2:12 performances, they all have run slower than 2:20 at least once, which implies that they are not consistent.
After a dismal performance by Japanese marathons at the Beijing Olympics, Japanese Marathon fans are longing for the emergence of a new Marathon star. Who could be the new star? On any given Sunday, anybody can have a big day.
Marugame Half Marathon slated for Sunday as well
The Beppu-Oita Marathon is not the only major race scheduled in Japan this Sunday. The 63rd Marugame Half Marathon, where Naoko Takahashi, who recently retired from elite competitions, will be a guest runner, is also scheduled on the same day.
Jon Brown, Andrew Leatherby, Young-Joon Ji and Francis Kirwa are invited from abroad, but the main protagonists are Kenyans who run for colleges in Japan. The favourite is Mekubo Mogusu, who won the 2007 race in 59:48. He will be challenged by Daniel Gitau, who has a 10,000m best of 27:44.73, and Atsushi Sato, an Asian Half Marathon record holder. Although Gitau has not run a Half Marathon race officially, he has actually run further in an ekiden. On 2 January at the Hakone Ekiden, Gitau ran a hilly 23.2Km ekiden stage in 1:07:04. However, Mogusu covered the same course in 1:06:04, and thus Mogusu is the favorite in Marugame.
Mara Yamauchi, Luminta Talpos, Evelyne Wambui and Yuri Kano are the big names in the women’s field. Yamauchi is the fastest in the field with an 1:08:45 personal best, while Talpos has a best of 1:09:01, and Kano has recorded 1:08:57. Wambui, the fastest 10,000m runner (31:14.08) in the field, is making her half marathon debut.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
Beppu-Oita Marathon Invited Runners -
Peter Kiprotich 2:08:49 - 2007 Frankfurt
John Kemboi 2:09:29 - 1999 Amsterdam
Adil Annani 2:11:05 - 2008 Marrakech
Scott Westcott 2:11:36 - 2005 Beppu-Oita Marathon
Dale Warrander 2:12:58 - 2003 Fukuoka
Joseph Keino 2:13:35 - 2008 Carpi
Japanese -
Takayuki Nishida 2:08:45 - 2001 Beppu-Oita
Yukinobu Nakazaki 2:09:28 - 2004 Tokyo
Michitane Noda 2:09:58 - 2003 Fukuoka
Seiji Kobayashi 2:11:02 - 2008 Tokyo
Tomoya Adachi 2:11:59 - 2008 Beppu-Oita
Takashi Ota 2:12:10 - 2008 Tokyo
Kazushi Hara 2:12:11 - 2004 Lake Biwa (Oita)
Takehisa Okino 2:12:24 - 2006 Beijing
Yusuke Kataoka 2:12:28 - 2007 Beijing
Tomonori Onitsuka 2:12:48 - 2005 Beppu-Oita
Keita Akiba Debut 1:02:35 - half marathon in 2005 Kyoto
