COURSE RECORD FOR KEBEDE AT FUKUOKA MARATHON
By David Monti with Ken Nakamura
(c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission.
Tsegaye
Kebede of Ethiopia smashed Samuel Wanjiru's course record at today's
Fukuoka International Marathon in Japan, capping the Olympic bronze
medalist's season with his second marathon victory of the year.
The
tiny Kebede, who weighs in at only 50 kg, covered the 5 km between 30
and 35 km in a sparkling 14:17, putting the rest of the field well
behind him and launching him to a 2:06:10 personal best. Not only did
he surpass Wanjiru's 2007 course record of 2:06:39, but Kebede's was
also the fastest marathon ever run in Japan, easily surpassing Gert
Thys's all-comers record of 2:06:33 set in Tokyo nearly ten years ago
in February, 1999.
Three Japanese finished in the next three
places behind Kebede: Satoshi Irifune (2:09:23), Arata Fujiwara
(2:09:47) and Tomoyuki Sato (2:09:59). They were trying to qualify for
their national team for the 2007 IAAF World Championship in Berlin next
August. Kenyan Felix Limo rounded out the top-5 in 2:10:59.
Pacemaker
John Kales of Kenya was with Kebede at the 30 km mark in 1:30:41.
Irifune and Yuko Matsumiya were just one second behind, and Sato was
just a second behind his two compatriots. Kales left the course after
31 km, and Kebede's sizzling speed left all of his rivals more than a
minute behind by the time the 35 km mark was reached. Although Kebede
slowed in the final seven kilometers, he had more than enough time in
the bank to break Wanjiru's record.
Kebede had one of the best
years of any marathoner in the world in 2008. He was the surprise
winner of Paris last April in a quick 2:06:40, and in Beijing he passed
his teammate Deriba Merga in the last kilometer to take the bronze
medal in 2:10:00. His mark today in Fukuoka makes him only one of
three men to break 2:07 twice this year (the other two are Haile
Gebrselassie and Wanjiru).
The race in Fukuoka marks the
pentultimate weekend for international marathon running this year.
Next weekend's Honolulu Marathon will effectively close the global
marathon season, the best year ever for fast marathon running with
record 16 sub-2:07 performances, more than double last year's total.
