Two
time Olympic medallist Eric Wainaina wins 2002 Tokyo International Marathon
K. Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
10 February 2002 – Tokyo - Two time Olympic medallist
Eric Wainaina of Kenya won the 2002 Tokyo International Marathon on Sunday in 2:08:43.
Wainaina surged hard over the hill leading up to 40Km and left Alberto Juzdado behind. Wainaina broke the magical 2:10 barrier for the first time; his personal best going into the race stood at a quite modest 2:10:17 from the 2000 Nagano Marathon. How the runner who ran 2:10:31 on the tough Sydney Olympic course has failed to break 2:10 until now, might be considered as one of the mystery for marathon fans.
In the pre-race interview on Friday, Wainaina told Tatsuo Terada: “I really want to break 2:10, but somehow I have failed to do so until now. I don’t know why. Perhaps it was because I lacked speed or hill work. I have done them both, however, for Sunday’s race since the end of the last year. I really wanted to break the barrier.”
Wainaina who said, “I am going to run 2:07 or 2:08 and win the race on Sunday,” in the pre-race interview delivered what he promised.
Eric Wainaina who moved to Japan in 1993 as a 19-year-old won his marathon debut in the 1994 Hokkaido Marathon, and then followed it up with another win at the 1995 Tokyo Marathon. His hallmark accomplishments, of course, were his two medals - silver in Sydney and bronze in Atlanta - at the Olympic Games. Wainaina has been a member of Konica track team since 1993, lives in Japan, and speaks quite good Japanese. Because of his personality, he is very well liked by his co-workers at Konica.
Three Spaniards were in the race. Despite his exceptional track record - third (2:08:46) in 1996, first (2:08:01) in 1998 and third (2:08:08) in 2000 - at the Tokyo International marathon, Juzdado attracted less attention than his Spanish teammates - Julio Rey and Francisco Cortez, who finished first (2:07:46) and second (2:07:48) in the 2001 Hamburg Marathon. However, it was Juzdado who delivered again on street of Tokyo as he finished second in 2:08:59.
What is generally considered as the Tokyo Marathon is actually consists of two marathons - the Tokyo International Marathon which takes place on even years, and Tokyo - New York Friendship International Marathon which takes place on odd years. In the inaugural year, 1981, both marathons took place. However, because it is not possible to support two marathons a month apart in the same city, from 1982, the current format went into effect.
The Japanese invitees are quite weak, perhaps because the race is neither an Olympic nor World Championships selection race. Hence, all the eyes were on one runner, Nobuyuki Kamiya, who was making his marathon debut. He is a senior at Komazawa University, where the runners have quite a good reputation of succeeding at the marathon distance. Atsushi Fujita, an Asian marathon record holder and Takayuki Nishida, ninth in Edmonton, were class of 1999 and 2000 respectively at Komazawa University.
Leading foreign invitees consist of three Spaniards and an Ethiopian.
In the pre-race interview, both Julio Rey and Francisco Cortez who turned in dismal results in Edmonton (37th and 40th respectively) claimed to be in great shape for the Tokyo Marathon.
Said Rey: “Having trained 200-220Km/week since Christmas, I feel I am in better shape than when I recorded 2:07 in Hamburg.”
Alemayehu Simretu of Ethiopia has run sub 2:10 marathon twice - 2:07:45 and 2:08:33. Ken Young of Analytical Distance Runner, however, points out that both of Simretu’s sub 2:10 marathons were recorded in Torino, and he is essentially untested on other courses. Simiretu who finished tenth in Edmonton finished a disappointing 13th.
On this cold day with occasional snow flurry, the race started quite slowly, passing 2Km in 6:16. However, with Andreas Espinoza in front, the pace soon picked up perhaps because of the 30m elevation loss from 3Km to 7Km; the lead pack of approximately 20 runners passed 5Km in 15:13, and 10Km in 30:11. By half way (1:03:52), the lead pack had reduced to 16 runners, but all the major contenders were still running together. After the turn around point, Nobuyuki Kamiya, one of the young promising runner running his debut marathon was trailing the lead pack, and by 23Km, he was falling apart. Kamiya finished 38th in 2:25:54.
After passing 25Km in 1:15:54 with Espinoza still in front, a debutante Tatsumi Morimasa went into the lead and start to push the pace. By 28Km, the lead pack was down to five runners - Alberto Juzdado, Tatsumi Morimasa, Baek Seung-do of Korea, Eric Wainaina, and Julio Rey. It was Eric Wainaina, two-time Olympic medallist, who surged and broke the race open at 29Km; only Juzdado stayed with Wainaina. Wainaina and Juzdado passed 30K together in 1:31:24, while Julio Rey and Tatsumi Morimasa were nine seconds and 17 seconds behind. respectively. Wainaina and Juzdado ran together for the next 7Km until Wainaina took over the lead at the steepest part of the hill, which began at 36Km.. A Km later, Wainaina was pulling away from Juzdado. Wainaina passed 40Km in 2:01:58, ten seconds ahead of 1998 Champion Alberto Juzdado, with Rey and Cortez filling the next two positions. Covering the final 2.195Km in 6:45, Wainaina won in 2:08:43, while Juzdado finished 16 seconds behind.
Results (JPN unless otherwise noted):
1) Eric Wainaina (KEN) 2:08:43
2) Alberto Juzdado (ESP) 2:08:59
3) Julio Rey (ESP) 2:11:14
4) Francisco Cortez (ESP) 2:13:02
5) Toshio Mano 2:14:13
6) Baek Seung-do (KOR) 2:14:29
7) Daiki Sudo 2:15:26
8) Andrew Leatherby (AUS) 2:15:54
9) Andre Ramos (BRA) 2:16:37
10) Katsuhiko Fukunaga 2:16:45
11) Yasuhiro Maeda 2:16:53
12) Salaho Ngadi (TAN) 2:16:57
13) Alemayehu Simiretu (ETH) 2:16:58
Leaders splits
5Km 15:13 Andreas Espinoza
10Km 30:11 (14:58) Andreas Espinoza
15Km 45:22 (15:11) Andreas Espinoza
20Km 1:00:30 (15:07) Andreas Espinoza
Half 1:03:53
25Km 1:15:54 (15:24) Andreas Espinoza
30Km 1:31:24 (15:30) Eric Wainaina
35Km 1:46:29 (15:05) Alberto Juzdadao
40Km 2:01:58 (15:29) Eric Wainaina
42.195K 2:08:43 (6:45) Eric Wainaina
