News13 Feb 2015


Worku will return to defend Lake Biwa Marathon title

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Bazu Worku after winning the 2014 Lake Biwa Marathon (© Victah Sailor / organisers)

Defending champion Bazu Worku will return to this year’s Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon on Sunday 1 March, organisers for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race announced on Friday (13).

Worku is also the fastest man in the field with a best time of 2:05:25 from when he finished second in the 2009 Paris Marathon.

His progress was temporarily cut short by several years of injury problems but another four of his career total of 14 marathons have been under 2:08:00.

One of those was earlier this year when he ran 2:07:09 for sixth place in the 2015 Dubai Marathon.

There are five other runners with personal bests below 2:09:00.

The next two men on the list behind Worku are Kenyan runners, Eric Ndiema and Samuel Ndungu.

Ndiema set his personal best on his marathon debut, running 2:06:07 for third place in the 2011 Amsterdam Marathon when still only 18, which at the time was a world junior best

Lake Biwa will potentially offer Ndiema a chance to finally win a marathon. He has never crossed the line first despite five of his seven races being 2:07:00 or faster.

Ndungu was the 2012 Lake Biwa Marathon winner in a still-standing personal best of 2:07:04. He also won the Lisbon Marathon last year in 2:08:21.

Even though he doesn’t have a fast time to his name, there will be a lot of interest in the performance of Italy’s 2014 European marathon champion Daniel Meucci, who set his personal best of 2:11:08 when winning the continental title in Zurich last summer.

He could be ready for a big breakthrough although the Italian national record of 2:07:22, set by Stefano Baldini in the 2006 London Marathon, may just be a bit beyond his reach on this occasion.

Six Japanese runners with personal bests under 2:11, led by three-time IAAF World Championships representative Kazuhiro Maeda, will also be in the race.

Phil Minshull and Ken Nakamura for the IAAF

Elite fields (with personal best times)

Bazu Worku (ETH) 2:05:25
Eric Ndiema (KEN) 2:06:07
Samuel Ndungu (KEN) 2:07:04 
Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (MGL) 2:08:50
Jose Antonio Uribe (MEX) 2:08:55
Jackson Kiprop (UGA) 2:09:32
Fikadu Girma (ETH) 2:09:34
Daniele Meucci (ITA) 2:11:08 
Wirimai Juwawo (ZIM) 2:12:38

Leading Japanese runners
Kazuhiro Maeda 2:08:00
Takayuki Matsumiya 2:09:14 
Satoru Sasaki 2:09:47
Bunta Kuroki 2:10:08
Tsuyoshi Ugachi 2:10:50
Soji Ikeda 2:10:59