Mekubo Mogusu
Encyclopedia
Mekubo Job Mogusu is a Kenya
n long distance runner who specialises in road running
, particularly the half marathon
. An emigrant to Japan, he has won the Sapporo Half Marathon
on three occasions and the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon
twice – he is the course record holder for both of the races. Mogusu was also part of the Kenyan ekiden
marathon relay team which set the world record time of 1:57:06 at the 2005 Chiba Ekiden. He has a half marathon best of 59 minutes and 48 seconds and competed at the 2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
.
. The decision to continue his studies further, rather than begin running professionally, confused his Kenyan peers. However, Mogusu emphasised the importance of continuing to compete in ekiden
marathon
road relay at college level, under the guidance of the University coach Ueda. He had his first major circuit win in July 2005 when he won the Sapporo Half Marathon
, recording a personal best time of 1:01:28 and beating Olympic medallist Erick Wainaina among others. Further success came in December when he teamed up with Josephat Ndambiri
, Martin Mathathi
, Daniel Mwangi, Onesmus Nyerere and John Kariuki to run at the Chiba Ekiden. Running the fourth leg of 10 km, Mogusu extended the Kenyan team's lead with a time of 27:56, helping the team to a new world record time of 1:57:06 for the marathon road relay event. He continued to have success in ekiden competitions, being defeated only once in nine races and recording stage records on five occasions.
He attempted to defend his Sapporo Half Marathon title in 2006, but managed only fourth place, almost a minute behind winner Cyrus Gichobi Njui. He made a breakthrough in February the following year, winning the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon
in a course record time of 59:48 – his first half marathon clocking under an hour. He continued his winning streak to take a second title at the Sapporo Half Marathon. He set another course record and his finishing time of 59:54 was the first sub-60 minute run of the course's 23-year history. His last road race of 2007 was the Ichinoseki International Half Marathon, which he won in another sub-hour clocking of 59:58.
In 2008 he competed in the Middle-East for the first time, taking fifth place and at the high-stakes Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon
with a season's best of 1:00:35. Mogusu won at the Kanto University Track and Field Championships, beating Daniel Gitau and recording a 10,000 metres personal best of 27:27.64 – a championship record and within the Olympic "A" standard for the distance. He did not make the Olympic team but he continued winning on the road racing circuit, leading the Sapporo Half Marathon from the 4 km onwards to take his third victory on the course. He was selected for the Kenyan team at the 2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
, but he failed to finish the race in Rio de Janeiro
.
At the 2009 Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon, only Daniel Gitau challenged Mogusu, but his front-running tactics prevailed as he maintained his lead to the finish to win his second title with a time of 1:00:37. Mogusu was driving in his native Kenya in March 2009 when he became involved in a car crash. While he, Daniel Gitau and Cosmas Ondiba were uninjured, their new Team Aidem coach Sho Kimura was hospitalised. Guilt and shock over the incident interrupted Mogusu's training that year. He set a 10,000 m track best of 27:26.56 in Niigata in May 2009. He made plans to make his marathon debut at the Fukuoka Marathon
in 2009, but he dropped out at around the 30 km mark.
He was runner up at the Kagawa Marugame race in February (losing to Daniel Gitau) and was again the second-placer at the Sendai Half Marathon in May, running 1:01:34 to finish behind Martin Mathathi. His third appearance over the distance that year came at the Sapporo Half Marathon, but finished out of the top three and had to settle for fifth place. He made his marathon debut at the Hokkaido Marathon
in August. Although he led the race at the 35 km point, he faded in the latter stages and finished in third place, recording 2:16:38 on the hot and humid course.
He took an early lead at the Marugame Half Marathon in February 2011, but slowed and ended up in third. The opposite occurred at the Sapporo race in June as he overtook runners in the second half of the race to claim a clear second place.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n long distance runner who specialises in road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
, particularly the half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
. An emigrant to Japan, he has won the Sapporo Half Marathon
Sapporo Half Marathon
The ' is an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance which takes place in July in Sapporo, Japan.First held in 1958, the race began as a full marathon competition for men under the moniker of the Hokkai Times Marathon. This lasted until 1973, as it was replaced with a...
on three occasions and the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon
Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon
The ' is an annual road running competition which takes place in early February in Marugame, Japan. It currently holds IAAF Silver Label Road Race status and the professional races attract over 1000 entries each year....
twice – he is the course record holder for both of the races. Mogusu was also part of the Kenyan ekiden
Ekiden
is a term referring to a long-distance relay running race, typically on roads. The Japanese term originally referred to a post-horse or stagecoach which transmitted communication by stages.-History:...
marathon relay team which set the world record time of 1:57:06 at the 2005 Chiba Ekiden. He has a half marathon best of 59 minutes and 48 seconds and competed at the 2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 12 October 2008.This event was first announced as the 2008 IAAF World Road Running Championships, but in November 2007, the IAAF announced that the name of the IAAF World Road Running Championships would revert...
.
Career
Mogusu emigrated to Japan as a youth and attended high school before moving on to Yamanashi Gakuin UniversityYamanashi Gakuin University
Yamanashi Gakuin University is a university in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.- Departments and courses :* Law Department: Law course and course in Politics & Administration...
. The decision to continue his studies further, rather than begin running professionally, confused his Kenyan peers. However, Mogusu emphasised the importance of continuing to compete in ekiden
Ekiden
is a term referring to a long-distance relay running race, typically on roads. The Japanese term originally referred to a post-horse or stagecoach which transmitted communication by stages.-History:...
marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
road relay at college level, under the guidance of the University coach Ueda. He had his first major circuit win in July 2005 when he won the Sapporo Half Marathon
Sapporo Half Marathon
The ' is an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance which takes place in July in Sapporo, Japan.First held in 1958, the race began as a full marathon competition for men under the moniker of the Hokkai Times Marathon. This lasted until 1973, as it was replaced with a...
, recording a personal best time of 1:01:28 and beating Olympic medallist Erick Wainaina among others. Further success came in December when he teamed up with Josephat Ndambiri
Josephat Ndambiri
Josephat Muchiri Ndambiri is a Kenyan long-distance runner. He represented his country at the World Championships in Athletics in 2007....
, Martin Mathathi
Martin Mathathi
Martin Irungu Mathathi is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who competes in track, cross country and road running events. Mathathi won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka. He represented his country in the same event at the 2008 Summer Olympics...
, Daniel Mwangi, Onesmus Nyerere and John Kariuki to run at the Chiba Ekiden. Running the fourth leg of 10 km, Mogusu extended the Kenyan team's lead with a time of 27:56, helping the team to a new world record time of 1:57:06 for the marathon road relay event. He continued to have success in ekiden competitions, being defeated only once in nine races and recording stage records on five occasions.
He attempted to defend his Sapporo Half Marathon title in 2006, but managed only fourth place, almost a minute behind winner Cyrus Gichobi Njui. He made a breakthrough in February the following year, winning the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon
Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon
The ' is an annual road running competition which takes place in early February in Marugame, Japan. It currently holds IAAF Silver Label Road Race status and the professional races attract over 1000 entries each year....
in a course record time of 59:48 – his first half marathon clocking under an hour. He continued his winning streak to take a second title at the Sapporo Half Marathon. He set another course record and his finishing time of 59:54 was the first sub-60 minute run of the course's 23-year history. His last road race of 2007 was the Ichinoseki International Half Marathon, which he won in another sub-hour clocking of 59:58.
In 2008 he competed in the Middle-East for the first time, taking fifth place and at the high-stakes Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon
Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon
Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.The first edition, in 2007, saw Samuel Wanjiru breaking the world record, but Wanjiru himself set a new world record only a month later in another race...
with a season's best of 1:00:35. Mogusu won at the Kanto University Track and Field Championships, beating Daniel Gitau and recording a 10,000 metres personal best of 27:27.64 – a championship record and within the Olympic "A" standard for the distance. He did not make the Olympic team but he continued winning on the road racing circuit, leading the Sapporo Half Marathon from the 4 km onwards to take his third victory on the course. He was selected for the Kenyan team at the 2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 12 October 2008.This event was first announced as the 2008 IAAF World Road Running Championships, but in November 2007, the IAAF announced that the name of the IAAF World Road Running Championships would revert...
, but he failed to finish the race in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
.
At the 2009 Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon, only Daniel Gitau challenged Mogusu, but his front-running tactics prevailed as he maintained his lead to the finish to win his second title with a time of 1:00:37. Mogusu was driving in his native Kenya in March 2009 when he became involved in a car crash. While he, Daniel Gitau and Cosmas Ondiba were uninjured, their new Team Aidem coach Sho Kimura was hospitalised. Guilt and shock over the incident interrupted Mogusu's training that year. He set a 10,000 m track best of 27:26.56 in Niigata in May 2009. He made plans to make his marathon debut at the Fukuoka Marathon
Fukuoka Marathon
The , held in Fukuoka, Japan, is an international men's marathon race established in 1947. It is usually held on the first Sunday in December.The course record is held by Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia, running 2:05:18 in 2009 to best his own record from the previous year.-Men's winners:Winners of the...
in 2009, but he dropped out at around the 30 km mark.
He was runner up at the Kagawa Marugame race in February (losing to Daniel Gitau) and was again the second-placer at the Sendai Half Marathon in May, running 1:01:34 to finish behind Martin Mathathi. His third appearance over the distance that year came at the Sapporo Half Marathon, but finished out of the top three and had to settle for fifth place. He made his marathon debut at the Hokkaido Marathon
Hokkaido Marathon
The Hokkaido Marathon held in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan, is one of the prominent marathon races of the year.The starting point for the race is on the east side of Nakajima Park and the race finishes at Nishi 8-chome of Odori Park...
in August. Although he led the race at the 35 km point, he faded in the latter stages and finished in third place, recording 2:16:38 on the hot and humid course.
He took an early lead at the Marugame Half Marathon in February 2011, but slowed and ended up in third. The opposite occurred at the Sapporo race in June as he overtook runners in the second half of the race to claim a clear second place.
Personal bests
| Event | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5000 m | 13:27.14 | Tokyo Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family... , Japan |
15 May 2005 |
| 10,000 m | 27:26.56 | Niigata, Japan | 31 May 2009 |
| Half marathon Half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a... |
59:48 | Marugame, Japan | 4 February 2007 |
| Marathon Marathon The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race... |
2:16:38 | Sapporo, Japan | 28 August 2010 |
- All information taken from IAAF profile.