by Larry Eder
Deriba Merga at Lake Biwa Press conference, photo by PhotoRun.netThe
66th running of Japan’s Prestigious Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon will
take place on March 7th(Sunday) and could become the fastest race ever
held on this Marathon crazed island. Six invited foreign athletes have
broken the 2.09 barrier and tommorow could become a very special day
here in Otsu. Lake Biwa is situated very close to the famous temples of
Kyoto. Last October, Kenyan Wilson Kipsang joined the rare sub 2.05
marathon elite with a winning time of 2.04.57 at the BMW Frankfurt
Marathon. Kipsang stated, ” I am ready to run another 2.05″. It seems
this 28 years old knows how to run great marathons, first in Paris last
year with a disappointing 2.07.13 for 3rd place, with “not good pace
making”. When asked about the course, Kipsang told, “no rain and no
strong winds would be good”, well don’t worry, the forecast for Otsu at
1230 local time, is 50F(10C) and cloudy with a small wind from the NW.
homework, and had 6 long training runs amongst his workouts, the
furthest being 43km, and in his speed block at the famous Iten oval, he
did one workout at altitude of 12x 1km at 2.40 with a minute recovery,
when told about the pacemakers going at 3.00 per kilometer for the
first 30 Kilometers, a Japanese Journalist asked that he could not run
2.05 with this 63.18 half way split, Kipsang replied, “Automatically I
will run faster in the 2nd half and hope to break the Island record, of
2.05.18 by Tsegay
Kebede run at the 2009 Fukuoka Marathon. Kipsang is aware, that Kebede
ran around 90 minutes for the first 30km. Kipsang has had a meteroic
rise in the marathon world, and this comes after doing no sports at
school, and spending his first job of 3 years, by buying produce from
the farm and selling it at the market. But don’t give the win to him too
quickly, only 18 days ago, Deriba Merga set a couple of WR’s along the
way at the RAK Half Marathon, and this was only 5 days after running a
spectacular 15km, 41 minute plus race in Ethiopia. Merga ran the first
8km in 21.51 WR and kept it up for an apparent WR at 12km, but the
course was be found only 4 meters short.
2011 Lake Biwa Elite Press Conference, photo by PhotoRun.net chatted during their stay in Otsu and both want to run 2.05 or ??? But
as tenacious as Merga is, can he stay with the pacemakers and run what
has been his undoing in many races, as he DNF’d in 2 fall marathons.
This could be a dual along the lake, unless someone else steps and joins
the fray, which is always the case when those at the front wish to run
very very fast.
here, so 1.30 at 30km is perfect, I don’t think Merga will wait that
long, he will take off at 23-25km, he will bring Kipsang along, and
Kipsang will win in 2.04.45, Merga in a solid 2.05.15.
