Tolossa the winner in Tokyo

Making a decisive surge in the 36th kilometre, Ambesse Tolossa of Ethiopia won the Tokyo Marathon in 2:08:58.

Tolossa, who was sixth in this race in 2003, came just two seconds short of his marathon personal best, a 2:08:56 from the 2004 Paris Marathon.  In Paris, he also made his break at about the same point.

“My plan was to stay with the leaders until 35Km and then make my move around 36Km,” Tolossa said.”I figure that everyone will be tired by then.” 

Finishing second in 2:09:31 was Japan’s Toshinari Takaoka, who said before the race, “I don’t think 2:09 will win the race.”  As he had suspected, 2:09 was not fast enough to win.  “Winning was my foremost goal, but cracking the 2:10 barrier was good,” he said. Because of the very windy conditions, Tolossa’s winning time is quite impressive. 

Helped by the prevailing tail wind during the first half of the race, the race progressed at fast steady pace, close to the national record pace. After the pack of 20 runners passed 5Km in 15:04, four runners lost contact with the lead pack five kilometers later (30:02). The main casualty between 5Km and 10Km was Zebedayo Bayo of Tanzania, the Tokyo champion two years ago, who left the lead pack at 6Km. The fast pace continued with sixteen runners still together at 15Km (45:04).  After Joseph Kariuki (KEN), one of the pace setters, left the race at 18Km, the 20Km point was reached in 1:00:06. When the course reversed direction at the turn-around point, the pace dropped significantly, with the runners now facing a strong head wind.

At 25Km, another pace setter, Luis Jesus of Portugal, completed his chores, with four contenders and a pair of pacemakers at the head of the race at 30Km. The next to drop was Korean Kim Yi-Yong of Korea, followed by pacesetters Ben Kimoundiu of Kenya and Samson Ramadhani of Tanzania, leaving Tolossa, Takaoka, Kenyan Sammy Korir and Japan’s Satoshi Irifune.

Just before the 36Km mark, Takaoka made his move, but not a decisive one. He left Irifune behind, but 600m later, it was Tolossa’s turn to surge.  With a 2:53 kilometre, Tolossa made his break, stretching out the remaining leaders. By 40Km, Tolossa led Takaoka by 21 seconds, with Korir another 26 seconds behind.  Tolossa covered the uphill (elevation gain of some 30m) 5Km stretch between kilometres 35 and 40 in 15:30, impressive considering the gusty wind.  Never relinquishing his lead again, Tolossa won by 33 seconds. Korir, the second fastest Marathon runner in history, held on for third, another 36 seconds behind.

For Tolossa, it was his second marathon victory in Japan.  He also won the Hokkaido Marathon in 1998 in 2:10:13.

Ken Nakamura with assistance from Akihiro Onishi for the IAAF

Leading Results:
1. Ambesse Tolossa, ETH, 2:08:58
2. Toshinari Takaoka, 2:09:31
3. Sammy Korir, KEN, 2:10:07
4. Satoshi Irifune, 2:10:47
5. Kim Yi-Yong, KOR, 2:11:28
6. Toshiya Katayama, 2:14:36
7. Seiji Kobayashi, 2:16:52
8. Manabu Itayama, 2:17:01
9. Akinori Shibutani, 2:17:36

Note: Daniel Njenga (KEN) did not start.

Splits:
5Km - 15:04, Luis Jesus
10Km - 30:02   (14:48, Samson Ramadhani 
15Km - 45:04   (15:00, Luis Jesus
20Km - 1:00:06 (15:02, Samson Ramadhani
Half - 1:03:25, Samson Ramadhani
25Km - 1:15:30 (15:24, Luis Jesus
30Km - 1:31:00 (15:30, Samson Ramadhani
35Km - 1:46:54 (15:24, Sammy Korir
40Km - 2:02:24 (15:30, Ambesse Tolossa
Finish - 2:08:58 (6:34, Ambesse Tolossa