Ethiopia is set to conquer the Italian capital once again at Sunday's&nbsp;ACEA Rome Marathon, the 22nd edition of this IAAF Gold Label Road Race, having enjoyed a proud tradition in the Italian capital since the days of Abebe Bikila&rsquo;s legendary Olympic title run in 1960.
More recently, Ethiopia has dominated the last two editions in both the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s races and their runners have arrived well prepared to do so again.
Tariku Jufar is the second fastest man in the field at 2:06:51, set in his 2012 victory in Houston. The 31-year-old, who hails from Debre Zeyit in the Oromia region, also won the Beijing Marathon in 2012 and has notched top-three finishes in Istanbul, Mumbai, Los Angeles, Lake Biwa and Hamburg.
Jufar will take on last year&rsquo;s Rome Marathon winner Abebe Negewo Degefa, who clocked a lifetime best of 2:08:46 in Beijing 2013; Debebe Tolossa, who ran his career best of 2:07:41 in Houston in 2012; and Adhana Gebretsadik, who has a best of 2:08:35.
The Kenyan challenge will be led by Cheboit Silas, who clocked 2:07:15 in Gyeong in 2014; Ezekiel Omullo, who ran 2:09:19 in Warsaw in 2015; and Robert Kipkemboi Kiplimo, who won the Padua Marathon in 2015 in 2:09:32.
Morocco will be represented by Rachid Kisri who clocked 2:06:48 in Paris in 2009 and is the fastest man in the field.
The leading Italian runners include the popular Rome taxi driver Giorgio Calcaterra, who won three 100km world titles and Martin Dematteis, a member of Italy's the 2015 world mountain running gold medal-winning team.
The favourite in the women&rsquo;s race is Kenya's Emily Chemutai Ngetich, who registered her 2:25:14 personal best at the Frankfurt Marathon in 2014.
She will take on an Ethiopian trio led by Mulu Diro (personal best of 2:29:10), Metaferiya Zeneba (PB 2:30:08) and Adhana Desalegn (PB 2:31:25). Another notable entry is Julia Andreeva, from Kyrgyzstan, with a best of 2:30:57.
In all, 16,764 runners from 115 countries have entered.
The course this year is similar to last year&rsquo;s, passing by some of Rome&rsquo;s most famous monuments. The start is on the Via del Teatro Marcello near Piazza Venezia with the finish on Via IV November in front of the Colosseum.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF

Jufar and Chemutai lead Rome Marathon Fields

Jufar and Chemutai lead Rome Marathon fields

Kenya’s Laban Korir and Ethiopia’s Mulu Seboka triumphed despite frigid temperatures and a headwind at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, winning at the IAAF Silver Label Road Race in 2:08:15 and 2:23:15 respectively on Sunday (19).Korir chased down the race leaders in the final three kilometres to win the $20,000 first prize with Tariku Jufar holding on for second place in 2:08:36 and his Ethiopian compatriot Shami Abdulahi third in 2:08:41.&nbsp; It was 3 degrees Celsius at the start and the men’s favourites all followed the pacemakers bravely through the halfway point in 1:03:15, precisely the requested time. However, the pace slowed at 25km as the course turned uphill slightly. Hopes of the course record of 2:07:05, set by Ethiopia’s Derissa Chimsa last year – and the Canadian all-comers' record of 2:06:54 – faded at this point as the race soon became a battle among the leading Ethiopians and Kenyans in the field. The pacemakers dropped out at 30km, passed in 1:30:28, and it was Peter Some of Kenya, the 2:05:38 winner of the 2013 Paris Marathon, who surged into the lead, breaking away with only his countryman Patrick Terer in tow. They appeared to have the first places on the podium but Korir, who had experienced a pain in his left calf and briefly slowed, suddenly appeared in the picture with Jufar tagging along.“I was not expecting to win the race; I was targeting to be in the top three as I said at the press conference,” said the happy Korir after crossing the line.“At first the pace was OK. First we went through halfway in 63 and I was thinking it would be a 2:06 winning time. My target was 2:06. I see my fellow (training) colleagues running so well like Emmanuel Mutai (second in Berlin) and Eliud Kipchoge (Chicago winner), they ran good. They are the guys who train with me.“After 30km I felt something tender in my legs so I decided to set my own pace and that was ok. I was looking back and I saw the Ethiopian guy was behind me. I was worried because I saw the guy (Jufar) who had won some races and I thought he might beat me.”Korir was one of five men who have beaten the 2:07 mark in recent years and although few would have bet on him to win this race, clearly his preparation was spot on.&nbsp; In total, five men dipped under 2:10 with Terer fourth in 2:08:58 and Ukraine's Vitaliy Shafar fifth in 2:09:53. Some, after his courageous mid-race break, faded to sixth in 2:10:07. Seboka regains Toronto Waterfront title after six-year gap The women’s field also went out hard and it was Kenya’s Rael Kiyara who led them in single file through the early stages before Seboka, the 2008 Toronto Waterfront Marathon winner, took over with just her compatriot Amane Gobena for company, just before the halfway point.The pair reached 21.1km in 1:10:53 with Kiyara now third and six seconds in arrears.The pair increased the gap between themselves and their Kenyan rival up to 30km, which was reached in 1:41:12.Shortly afterwards, Seboka made her decisive move and was never headed, crossing the line in a personal best of 2:23:15, 28 seconds faster than she had run before and a tantalising 32 seconds short of the course record set by her compatriot Koren Jelela in 2011. Belarus’ Aliaksandra Duliba, sixth in Boston in 2:21:29 this year, came through the field strongly in the latter stages to claim second in 2:24:43 while Kiyara was rewarded for her courage in the first half of the race and persistence in the second half with third place in 2:27:10.“I am so happy but the weather was a problem and because of that I didn’t make a good time,” said Seboka. “For sure if the weather is better I can get a good time. Everybody came here to win. When I took the lead, I felt I was going to win.”For her part, Duliba was bitterly disappointed.“I am not going to lie to you,” said the Belarusian. “I am very disappointed with the result but now, when I think about, it is a good lesson for me. I will run fast in another marathon, but I am going to use this as a good experience.”Gobena, who had beaten Seboka to win at the 2009 Toronto Waterfront Marathon, faded to fourth in 2:28:29 here.Paul Gains for the IAAF

Kenya’s Laban Korir and Ethiopia’s Mulu Seboka triumphed at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, winning at the IAAF Silver Label Road Race in 2:08:15 and 2:23:15 respectively on Sunday (19).

Korir and Seboka triumph in Toronto as weather ruins record attempts

With the addition of Ethiopia’s Tariku Jufar to the 2014 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, organisers of the IAAF Silver Label Road Race on 19 October can proudly point to the fact that four men in the field have beaten 2:07 in the past three years. Two of them have also gone faster than 2:06.Jufar set a course record in the 2012 Houston Marathon with a personal best time of 2:06:51. Along with Kenya’s Peter Some (2:05:38) and Laban Korir (2:06:05) as well as fellow Ethiopian Shami Abdulahi (2:05:42), Jufar will focus on attacking the Canadian all-comers’ record of 2:06:54, set in Ottawa this year by Jufar's compatriot Yemane Tsegay, and the course record of 2:07:05 set a year ago.“Of course! If I break the course record I hope it will be as the winner,” said the 30-year-old Jufar. “I plan to run to my shape and if I win then I will be happy.”Jufar has won several major marathons during his accomplished marathon career. Last year, he became the first Ethiopian man to win the Ottawa Marathon setting a then course record of 2:08:05. He also won the 2012 Beijing Marathon. Most recently he finished fourth in the 2014 Seoul Marathon in a time of 2:07:02. Consistent training with an outstanding group of athletes at high altitude has obviously contributed to this success.“I train under Coach Haji Adillo of ESMI (Elite Sports Management International) in Ethiopia,” he explained. “I train with some very strong athletes like Lelisa Desisa (best of 2:04:45), Tadese Tola (2:04:49), Feyisa Lilesa (2:04:52) and Endeshaw Negesse (2:04:52). They push all of us and make us all stronger. I feel very good coming into this year’s race.”Like many of the elite Ethiopian marathon runners, Jufar benefits from daily training at high altitude sites just outside the country’s capital Addis Ababa. Training is all done at roughly 8000 feet above sea level with the training group numbering about 80 athletes. Time for tea“We arrive for training at 7:00am, and train and recover and stretch until 10:00am, then I eat and rest. In my free time I like to visit with friends and enjoy tea with my family,” added the affable Jufar.“I come from Debre Zeyit which is known in Oromo as Bishoftu. It is known for the crater lakes there, it is a beautiful region. My family are farmers. Some of them are still living in Bishoftu. Farming and running have been my life.”Jufar, of course, remembers a previous visit to Toronto in 2008 and not so fondly. He struggled to a 13th-place finish in 2:18:47 on that day. He has put that disappointment behind him with some pragmatic thinking.“Honestly, I have been in the marathon for some years now and I learned that it is a very unpredictable event,” he said. “Sometimes it’s just not your day and the race gets away from you and you cannot control it. A 2:18 was not anything I ever expected from myself. “But Toronto is a beautiful city and has very nice people. The water (along Lake Ontario) was nice too! “A year after his last visit, Jufar was hit by a car while training in Addis. Some thought he would not run again but he proved the skeptics wrong with a series of meaningful results beginning with a time of 2:09:32 in Los Angeles, which was good enough for second place. Considering he had missed out on training most of the year, he showed his immense talent.The Toronto course has been slightly altered this year. Several twists and turns that were added out of necessity due to downtown construction projects last year have now been removed, and it is thought to be even faster. Jufar knows he will have a tough time against the strong assembled field but, with a commitment from all of them and the right conditions, the course record could fall. He’d like nothing more than to cross the line first with that record.Paul Gains (organisers) for the IAAF

With the addition of Ethiopia’s Tariku Jufar to the 2014 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, organisers of the IAAF Silver Label Road Race on 19 October can proudly point to the fact that four men in the field have beaten 2:07 in the past three years. 

Jufar returns to Toronto Waterfront Marathon 

No Ethiopian man had previously won the Ottawa Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, but Tariku Jufar accomplished that and more, setting a new course record of 2:08:05 despite cool and windy conditions on Sunday (26).Jufar was chased to the finish by Kenya’s Luka Rotich who had originally been hired to take the pace through 30km; but as there was no restriction on how far he could run, and, there were just three athletes left in contention at that point, the 24 year old Kenyan kept going. Shortly after, Jufar waved him to the front again to continue the pace making and Rotich graciously continued despite no longer being under any obligation.Rotich claimed second place in his surprising debut in 2:08:12 with Ethiopia’s Geshaw Melese third in 2:10:24. “I did better than I expected, I didn’t expect it to be this fast. I am very happy with my time,” said Jufar, who won USD $20,000.“I expected that the pacemaker (Rotich) was going to drop out around 30km. He kept going at 35km and got stronger. It was very crucial to us running fast.”The winner was lucky to be to be in Ottawa at all. His original visa application was denied but his manager Hussein Makke and the race director Manny Rodrigues petitioned on his behalf. They explained he has a home, children and a taxi business back in Addis and, therefore, would be unlikely to claim refugee status.Rotich was pleased with his impromptu marathon debut and grinned when asked if he now considered himself a marathoner. Prior to his Ottawa outing, he ran 60:14 in the Lago Maggiore Half Marathon when winning the event.“I was pacing that guy through 35km,” said Rotich quietly, “I was feeling good so I said I have to complete the race. I was feeling strong at 30km and 35km so I had to finish. I am happy. Until now, I have run half marathons and run good times”“I arrived here (in Ottawa) on Friday. I flew to London Heathrow then Toronto then Ottawa. This is my first time in North America. I was tired from the travel but I recovered very fast.”Race director Manny Rodrigues confirmed that in addition to his second place prize of USD $12,000, Rotich will receive an undisclosed sum for his pace making duties. Rodrigues was hoping to pay out another bonus, for the fastest time ever run on Canadian soil, but Jufar finished just outside the 2:07:58 set by Kenya’s Kenneth Mungara at the 2010 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.Kenya’s defending champion Laban Moiben, who set the previous course record of 2:09:12 a year ago, was chasing his third consecutive victory and in contention until shortly after the 30km mark. However, shortly after, he began to fade and eventually finished sixth in 2:11:45.Esayias makes it an Ethiopian doubleShortly after Jufar jogged back up Queen Elizabeth Drive in the Canadian city, waving to the appreciative crowd with an Ethiopian flag draped around his shoulder, his compatriot Yeshi Esayias also crossed the line in a personal best and women’s course record of 2:25:31.Her previous best was 2:26:00 from the 2012 Tokyo Marathon.Ethiopians, in fact, swept the first four places with Misiker Mekonnen second with 2:25:45, Sechele Delasa third in 2:25:31 and Netsanet&nbsp; Achamo fourth in 2:27:44.“This was my fastest time I am very proud of this.After 32km I decided I could win. I was ready to win. I was watching the (Ottawa) 10km last night carefully and it helped me (with motivation). I could have run faster but the pacemakers didn’t go past 25km. I could have run 2:24,” claimed Esayias.The winner enjoys training in Sendafa with her famous coach Getananeh Tessema and counts Tiki Gelana the London 2012 Olympic Games champion amongst her friends. Both Jufar and Esayias picked up USD $10,000 course record bonuses as well as their USD $20,000 first prize cheques.Paul Gains (organisers) for the IAAF

Jufar and Esayias make Ethiopia's day at the Ottawa Marathon

Once again athletes from across the planet will converge upon Ottawa for the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend on 25-26 May for the 10km and Marathon – both of them IAAF Silver Label Road Races – and among them will be a large contingent of Ethiopians. Half a dozen Ethiopians are part of a group trained in Addis Ababa by renowned coach Haji Adilo and managed by Hussein Makke, who is based in Pennsylvania. By the end of the weekend their presence will no doubt be felt.After consulting the coach, Makke believes Firehiwot Dado, the 2011 New York City Marathon winner, is a good bet to win the Ottawa women’s 10km and heavily touts Tariku Jufar to defeat the world-class Marathon field, thus defying history.Despite the nation’s extraordinary long distance prowess, no Ethiopian man has ever won the Ottawa Marathon.The 28-year-old Jufar is among a group of roughly 100 athletes who are part of Haji’s training group in Addis. Several times a week they meet to run and to push each other to greater fitness. The competitiveness on display is conducive to world-class running, and all of their training is done at altitudes of 2500m and above.Of the several choice locations in which to run, Jufar says he prefers running along the forest trails in Sululta, which is a 20-minute drive from downtown Addis. It is a popular spot for many top Ethiopian athletes. Indeed, Kenenisa Bekele, the current 5000m and 10,000m World record-holder, owns two hotels in the small town and legendary runner Haile Gebreselassie is a partner in a training centre there called Yaya Village. It is along these trails that Jufar and his compatriots have trained recently in preparation for the various city Marathons.“I’m well prepared and have been running 160km a week,” said Jufar. “I am in shape. It depends on the weather and course. If it is fine then I will look for the course record.”Kenya’s Laban Moiben set that record (2:09:12) a year ago. Jufar set a course record at the 2012 Houston Marathon running a time of 2:06:51. Although he relies on Makke to provide race details, he is aware that the field includes one other man, Kenya’s Nathaniel Kipkosgei (2:06:28), who has also broken 2:07 for the Marathon distance. Several others are knocking at the door.Like many of his compatriots, Jufar has benefited from the great Marathon-running tradition in Ethiopia. He singles out two-time Olympic 10,000m champion and former Marathon World record-holder, Haile Gebrselassie, as a great influence.“I was born in Debre Zeyit and started living in Addis nine years ago,” said Jufar. “My family still lives there in the town. I started running after seeing Haile and the other athletes at the World Championships and Olympic Games.”Ottawa will be Jufar’s 18th Marathon since he debuted in 2007. But he is lucky to be able to compete at all. In 2009, while out training on a busy road in Addis, he was struck by a car and rushed to hospital with a broken neck. The accident came at a time when his career was starting to flourish. Did he ever believe it was the end?“Never!” he says. “My coach Haji Adillo and my family and friends encouraged me to continue. Now I want to represent my country at the World Championships as well as the Olympics.”Jufar knows the Ottawa field will be deserving of its IAAF Silver Label status and it won’t be easy. But this is the man who battled back from that horrific accident to finish second at the 2010 Los Angeles Marathon and win the Beijing Marathon last year.He is a tough competitor who will give everything to emerge victorious and collect the $20,000 first place prize. And, if he’s successful it will be grounds for great celebration among Ottawa’s Ethiopian community. After all, writing history is what Ethiopian runners enjoy most.Paul Gains (organisers) for the IAAF

Tariku Jufar’s historic mission at the Ottawa Marathon

World silver medallist Vincent Kipruto, the fastest runner in the field with the marathon best of 2:05:13, lived up to expectations in Otsu to win the 68th annual Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon but the time was a relatively slow 2:08:34.“It was cold,” said Kipruto after a race where the weather was cloudy and temperatures never climbed above 7°C. “It was really windy, so I did not want to make a move early.”It was Kipruto’s second Marathon victory to date, following the 2009 Paris Marathon which he won in 2:05:47. Although he has broken 2:06 on two other occasions, he was unable to win a Marathon until today at Lake Biwa. Having failed to break 2:10 in his past three races, today Kipruto showed that he is back in form.The race developed into a duel between the Africans, but not between Kipruto and Peter Kirui, as was expected before the race. Instead it was between Kipruto and Tariku Jufar of Ethiopia.Sixty one runners passed 5km in 15:11, which was reduced to 49 runners by 10km (30:16) and 40 runners by 15km (45:20). Thirty-six runners passed 20km in 1:00:38 before reaching the half-way mark in 1:04:05.At 22km Jufar made his move and surged ahead of the pacemakers by covering that kilometre in 2:52, but no one was willing to follow him. The pacemakers soon reeled him in as the lead pack regrouped.Twenty-two runners were left in the lead pack at 25km (1:15:53), but after 26km Kirui suddenly fell off the pace. He manage to get back to the lead pack but only temporarily before falling back for good.As the pace makers dropped out at 30km (1:31:37) the lead pack started to disintegrate and by 32km, only seven runners –Kipruto, Jufar, James Mwangi, Ryo Yamamoto, Masakazu Fujiwara, Suehiro Ishikawa, and Kohei Matsumura – were left in front.Soon Fujiwara started to share the lead with Kipruto and a few minutes later both Yamamoto and Matsumura started to lose contact with the leaders.At 37.6km Jufar surged into the lead and only Kipruto was able to cover him. Mwangi slowly tried to regain contact and he finally re-joined the leaders before 40km, only to be left behind again.The duel between Kipruto and Jufar continued to the track. With little more than 400m left in the race, Jufar took over the lead but Kipruto wouldn’t let him go. Then with 100m remaining, Kipruto sprinted ahead and won with 2:08:34. “At 41km I felt confident that I could win the race,” said Kipruto.For the Japanese athletes, Lake Biwa was the all-important final Marathon selection race for the World Championships. Ten years after making his Marathon debut in Lake Biwa, Fujiwara was the highest Japanese finisher with a time of 2:08:51, just 17 seconds behind the winner. Since his splendid 2:08:12 debut ten years ago, Fujiwara had showed flashes of brilliance from time to time, but he was not considered back in form until today.The race was also the national championships for the men’s marathon, so Fujiwara was crowned as the national champion. “When I was left behind at 37km, I was not breathing hard, but my leg was heavy already, and that was the reason why I could not cover the move,” explained Fujiwara at the post-race press conference.The domestic qualifying battle for men is now over, but the JAAF will consider the results from London and Boston, after which the Moscow marathon team will be announced on April 25.“I look forward to hearing my name in the team list,” said Fujiwara after the race. Yamamoto followed Fujiwara fifteen seconds later and thus his dream of making the Marathon team is probably dashed.Ken Nakamura for the IAAFLEADING RESULTS: 1 Vincent Kipruto (KEN) 2:08:34 2 Tariku Jufar (ETH) 2:08:37 3 James Mwangi (KEN) 2:08:48 4 Masakazu Fujiwara (JPN) 2:08:51 5 Ryo Yamamoto (JPN) 2:09:06 6 Suehiro Ishikawa (JPN) 2:09:10 7 Kohei Matsumura (JPN) 2:10:12 8 Viktor Rothlin (SUI) 2:10:18 9 Tomoya Adachi (JPN) 2:10:22 10 Hideaki Tamura (JPN) 2:10:54SPLITS 5km: 15:11 10km: 30:16 (15:05) 15km: 45:20 (15:04) 20km: 1:00:38 (15:18) Half: 1:04:05 25km: 1:15:53 (15:15) 30km: 1:31:37 (15:44) 35km: 1:46:54 (15:16) 40km: 2:02:00 (15:06) Finish: 2:08:34Weather: cloudy, temperature 6.3°C, humidity: 55%, wind 2.5m/s NNW

Kipruto out-sprints Jufar to win Lake Biwa Marathon

World silver medallist Vincent Kipruto will square off against fellow Kenyan Peter Kirui at the 68th Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon – an IAAF Gold Label Road Race – in Otsu, Japan, on Sunday (3).Kipruto has broken 2:06 for the Marathon three times in his career, his fastest being his 2:05:13 in Rotterdam in 2010. But the 25-year-old, who clocked 61:36 at the Egmond Half Marathon last month, hasn’t broken 2:10 for the marathon for nearly two years, so there’s something of a question mark over his current form.If Kipruto is unable to recapture his form of 2010-2011, it could make fellow Kenyan Peter Kirui the favourite. Kirui has only completed two Marathons to date – 2:06:31 in Frankfurt two years ago and 2:09:15 in Amsterdam last year.But Kirui has bags of potential and boasts impressive speed. In 2011 he ran 27:32.1 for 10,000m in the altitude of Nairobi before going on to finish sixth in that event at the IAAF World Championships. He also has two sub-60 Half-marathons to his credit, including his 59:39 victory in New York last year, so his current form may be better than Kipruto’s.If either of the top two Kenyans falter, then Tariku Jufar could steal the show. The Ethiopian recorded three consecutive sub-2:10 Marathons last year, starting with a 2:06:51 win in Houston and rounded out the year with a victory in Beijing.Viktor Rothlin and Abderrahim Bouramdane both have 2:07 PBs to their credit. With bags of experience, Rothlin and Bouramdane will be ready to pounce if any of the top Africans aren’t at their best.James Mwangi, who has PBs of 27:49.27 for 10,000m and 60:34 for the Half-marathon, is surely capable of running a faster Marathon than his current PB of 2:08:38. But his DNF in the Fukuoka Marathon in December suggests he might not be ready to improve on his lifetime best this weekend. Moscow team places up for grabs for Japanese athletesFor Japanese men, the Lake Biwa Marathon is the final qualifying race for the IAAF World Championships marathon team, and the fierce battle will be the main focus of the race in Japanese media.So far there are now automatic qualifiers as no one ran 2:07 in either Fukuoka or Tokyo. As things stand, Kazuhiro Maeda, who ran 2:08:00 in Tokyo, Yuki Kawauchi, who won the Beppu-Oita Marathon in 2:08:15, Horiyuki Hirobata, second in Fukuoka Marathon in 2:08:24, and Kentaro Nakamoto, second in Beppu-Oita in 2:08:35, are the front runners in the race to make the marathon team for Moscow.Ryo Yamamoto, Tomoyuki Morita, Takashi Horiguchi and Masashi Hayashi – fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth respectively in this race last year – return to the venue of their personal bests. But they will need to improve on those PBs this Sunday should they wish to impress the selectors.There is also the chance that new Marathon talents may emerge on Sunday. Shinobu Kubota, who will be making his Marathon debut on Sunday, is one of the best current collegiate runners in Japan. It’s quite rare for Japanese men to make their marathon debut at a young age following the success of national record-holder Toshinari Takaoka, who delayed his marathon debut until in his thirties. But if Kubota is successful this weekend, the tide could shift and more runners may tackle 26.2 miles at a younger age.Although they aren’t officially among the elite invited runners, former national record-holder (2:06:51) Atsushi Fujita and Masakazu Fujiwara, who boasts the fastest Marathon debut of any Japanese man (2:08:12), should not be counted out.Ken Nakamura for the IAAFELITE ATHLETES Vincent Kipruto (KEN) 2:05:13 Peter Kirui (KEN) 2:06:31 Tariku Jufar (ETH) 2:06:51 Viktor Rothlin (SUI) 2:07:23 Abderrahime Bouramdane (MAR) 2:07:33 Alexey Reunkov (RUS) 2:09:54 James Mwangi (KEN) 2:08:38 Ryo Yamamoto (JPN) 2:08:44 Tomoyuki Morita (JPN) 2:09:12 Takashi Horiguchi (JPN) 2:09:16 Masashi Hayashi (JPN) 2:09:55 Paulo Roberto Paula (BRA) 2:10:23 Koji Kobayashi (JPN) 2:10:40 Shinobu Kubota (JPN) debut

Kipruto faces Kirui in Lake Biwa, Japan’s final qualifying race for Moscow

25 November 2012 – Tariku Jufar of Ethiopia and China’s Jia Chaofeng were with winners of the Beijing Marathon on Sunday. Jufar won the men’s contest in 2:09:39 while Jia Chaofeng clocked 2:27:40 to claim top honours in the women’s.The 32nd edition of this IAAF Gold Label Road Race was staged in freezing conditions. The competition was held much later than the normal mid-October date and that really made life difficult for the runners. The weather forecast promised temperatures down to -3 degrees Celsius, and fortunately for the runners the mercury didn’t dip that low. Temperature was around 2 degrees C during the competition with most of the runners equipped with hats and gloves at the start.Some 30,000 started the race at 8.30am and the script was the same on both the men’s and women’s sides. In the men’s race there were no big moves until the second half. Kenyan Emmanuel Samal lead the field through 22 kilometres in about 1:08; the group stayed together until the 24Km mark when countryman Eliud Kiptanui took the lead. The 2011 World Championships number six whose 2:05:39 was the fastest personal best in the field, it seemed only natural for him to break away from the others after 30 kilometres right next to the National Tennis Center.But this wasn’t the last move of the race as two runners, Ethiopians Jufar and Solomon Molla were able to follow Kiptanui’s kick. The trio travelled together until 35 km which they passed in 1:52. Going slightly downhill at this stage, it was a perfect spot for the race’s decisive moment to transpire. The 28-year-old Jufar, who won the Houston Marathon in an impressive 2:06:51 personal best in January 2012, moved to the front and quickly opened a big gap to while the 25-year-old Molla, in his first Marathon this year, moved into second with Kiptanui now dropping back to third.Just two kilometres after Jufar left the others standing, he could not even see the others when he looked back at the 37 kilometre mark. At the same time Kiptanui had reached Molla again and overtook him for second place. Things stayed this way until the finish line with no real sprint finish in the competition. Jufar won in 2:09:39, his second big Marathon win this season and third sub-2:10 race in three tries in 2012 for a good first race career outing in China. 23-year-old Kiptanui was second in 2:10:15 while Molla’s first outing this season ended with a third place finish in 2:10:20, the second best result of his career behind the 2:08:46 personal best from 2008.The best Chinese Marathon runner right now was the best home athlete in this race too. 27-year-old Yin Shujin ran his fifth Marathon this year and second in two months clocking 2:12:30 to finish sixth with a personal best.Women’s raceIn the women’s race the leading group was together until the 20 kilometre mark, which was passed 1:11:20, and the race still remained pretty much open after 35 kilometres where Sun Lamei and Jia Chaofeng were running side-by-side in the lead with Sun Weiwei following close behind. Jia made the change in pace quite close to the same place where Jifar took the lead and just like in the men’s race, she quickly left Sun behind and was really not threatened in the long final straight.The 24-year-old Jia Chaofeng, from city of Lanzhou in Gansu province, has fast 5000/10,000m personal best from the 2009 National Games with 15:27.07 and 31:45.67 respectively, and it took her three years to mature into a good Marathon runner. In 2011 she finished fourth in the national championships with a 2:29:40 personal best, which remained her PB until Sunday. She also represented China in the 2011 World Championships Marathon where she was 16th, and also has a ninth place finishing from the 2010 Chicago Marathon to her credit. On Sunday she finished in 2:27:40 cutting exactly two minutes off her PB to win the first Beijing International Marathon title of her career.21-year-old Army athlete Sun Lamei grabbed an impressive runner-up finish in her second career Marathon in a big personal best 2:27:55, more than 13 minutes faster than her debut in 2009 at the age of 18. Sun used to be a promising middle distance runner as a junior reaching times like 9:14.68 in 3000m in 2007 as a 16-year-old and 4:15.06 in the 1500m in 2009 at the age of 18. 27-year-old Sun Weiwei in third place is a very different runner in comparison to the pair that finished ahead of her. The Liaoning runner clocked her personal best 2:25:15 for fifth place in Beijing 2002 at the age of 17 in her Marathon debut. Despite not reaching her PB after that first race, Sun has gone on to win in Beijing in 2006 and has represented China twice at World Championships - in Osaka 2007 (21st) and Berlin 2009 (12th). Her finishing time 2:28:03 is a season’s best and the fourth best clocking of her career. China grabbed the first nine places in the women’s competition and home runners have now won 21 in a row in this race beginning in 1992.Mirko Jalava for the IAAF

Jufar and Jia Chaofeng triumph in Beijing

The promise of an excellent re-match between 31-year-old returning champion, John Kelai of Kenya, and 24-year-old Tariku Jufar of Ethiopia, highlights the strongest-ever men&rsquo;s field announced for the 9th edition of the for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon to be run on 28 September.&nbsp; The race is an IAAF Silver Label Road Race.Kelai is an athlete who knows how to winKelai created major excitement across Canada last year when he triumphed in a thrilling, come-from-behind, sprint to the line over fellow countryman Daniel Rono. His time of 2:09:30 was the fastest marathon ever on Canadian soil. It eclipsed the previous All-comers mark of 2:09:55 that had stood for 31 years since the Montreal Olympics in 1976 -- run 4 months before Kelai was born. Kelai and Rono made Scotia Toronto Waterfront one of only four sub 2:10 marathons in North America in 2007 and helped propel the event into the top ranks of world marathons with the awarding of an IAAF Silver Label for 2008. Since last autumn, Kelai has maintained his winning ways, running to victory in Mumbai for the second year in a row, in January. Again, he used his patented strong finish to defeat a young Ethiopian, Tariku Jufar, by a scant 5 seconds, 2:12:23 to 2:12:28. This was only 20 seconds off the course record at Mumbai and reminiscent of his thrilling, 6-second victory at Toronto Waterfront &lsquo;07. Jufar then went on to record an impressive 2:08:11, for 3rd place in Hamburg in April. Daniel Rono was 2nd place again, in Rotterdam this Spring, but in a remarkable 2:06:58. Jufar now has the time, but no victories.Kelai clearly knows how to win.&nbsp; &ldquo;I am training hard for Toronto Waterfront and will be ready to defend my title, and run a new PB (2:09:09, Eindhoven 2005),&rdquo; says Kelai.&nbsp; Thanks to Scotiabank sponsorship, the Toronto Waterfront prize purse has been increased again for 2008, to $20,000 for first place, with money going down to 8th in the Open division. There are extra $20,000 cash bonuses for new &ldquo;fastest time on Canadian soil&rdquo; records that were so alluring last year-- now sub 2:09:30 for men and sub 2:26:01 for women. The men&rsquo;s bonus will be increased to $25,000 if the new mark is under 2:09:00. The total purse is just over $180,000, plus time bonuses.The increased purse and growing reputation of the flat, fast, Waterfront course as a place where young up-and-comers can get a fast time, have attracted the event&rsquo;s deepest men&rsquo;s field to date. Besides Kelai, Kenya will be well represented by Peter Kiprotich, Jonathan Yego, Phillip Sanga, Kenneth Mungara, David Tarus and Samuel Ndereba. The 29-year old Kiprotich, from Iten, ran his PB of 2:08:49 last October in Frankfurt, placing third. Yego, just 30 years old, won Rome on a windy morning this March in his best time of 2:09:58 -- winning a good battle with Sanga who was 2nd in 2:10:02. The 27 year-old Tarus was 6th at Rome in a best of 2:11:18. Mungara also knows how to win, crossing the line first in Prague in May, after a 2:10:37 for 2nd at Tiberius in January. Samuel Ndereba, younger brother of Olympic silver medallist Catherine &ldquo;The Great&rdquo;, has run only one previous marathon, a 2:17:04 for 9th in the &ldquo;monsoon&rdquo; that was Boston &rsquo;07, where Robert K. Cheruiyot ran 2:14 for victory. Ndereba&rsquo;s 61:50 half PB, and good, build-up performances at Falmouth and The Crim this summer suggest he is ready to run in the sub-2:10 pack.Besides Jufar, Ethiopia will also be represented by Amersisa Ketema who finally faded to 4th in Mumbai (2:13:29) in January, behind Kelai and Jufar, after staying with them until a decisive incline at 35k. Alan Brookes for the IAAFFor entries and information, go to <a href="http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/" mce_href="http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/">www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com</a>

The promise of an excellent re-match between 31-year-old returning champion, John Kelai of Kenya, and 24-year-old Tariku Jufar of Ethiopia, highlights the strongest-ever men’s field announced for the 9th edition of the for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon to be run on 28 September.&nbsp; The race is an IAAF Silver Label Road Race.