by Larry Eder
Patrick Makau, winning Frankfurt in 2012, photo by PhotoRun.net
Makau wins, Mongolian record
FUKUOKA (JPN, Dec 7): Former world record holder Patrick Makau ran what he needed to score the win in his return to the 68th marathon in Fukuoka, sitting back in the pack throughout the race before dropping the competition in the last 4 km to win in 2:08:22. But the star of the show did not hail from Kenya, or Africa, or Japan, informs Brett Larner. It was Mongolian record holder Ser-Od Bat-Ochir who pushed for the pace (30 km 1:31:10). At the end he was third in another national record 2:08:50. Winning Makau clocked 2:08:22 and second Ethiopian Raji Assefa 2:08:48. Fourth best Japanese Masazaku Fujiwara 2:09:06, fifth Tomoya Adachi 2:09:59 PB and sixth best European Henryk Szost of Poland 2:10:02 ahead of Chiharu Takada 2:10:03 PB and Eritrean Yared Asmerom 2:10:09. Also to note US Sean Quigley 14th with 2:13:30 PB, Kenyan Johana Maina debuted in 2:13:46 as 15th ahead of Joseph Gitau 2:15:13. Among non-finishers Ukraine Dmytro Baranovskyy, US Jeff Egglestone and Kenyan Isaac Macharia. With info from Brett Larner and Ken Nakamura.
(Editor’s note: Nice to see Patrick Makau on the winners’ seat once again. Fukuoka International is one of many global marathons now. The 68th running of Fukuoka featured a strong field, but not the fields of the past. For many years, in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Fukuoka was the race where ONLY the big boys ran. Shorter won four in Fukuoka, Clayton set WR there, DeCastella set WR there, the list could go on and on. While I applaud the advance of the sport, I miss the icons such as Fukuoka ending the year always with such fine performances. Now 2:08 marathons seem so, normale, and they are anything but.)
