Nephat Kinyanjui
Encyclopedia
Nephat Ngotho Kinyanjui is a Kenya
n long-distance runner who competes in road running
events including the marathon
. He is a three-time champion at the Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon
and has also won marathons in Nashville
, Dallas
, and Beijing
. He set his personal best of 2:08:09 hours at the latter race.
champion John Kagwe and is a training partner with 2008 Olympic champion Samuel Wanjiru
.
Kinyanjui began competing internationally in 2002, mainly in American
road races. He won the Buffalo 4-Mile Chase and made his marathon debut at the Dallas White Rock Marathon
, which he won in a time of 2:16:27 hours. He made his second appearance over the distance at the Country Music Marathon
, setting a personal record of 2:15:52, although he was the runner-up on this occasion. He was also second at the Fairfield Half Marathon but managed only ninth at the Virginia Beach Half Marathon. Kinyanjui returned to Dallas and improved his best further to 2:14:35 hours, but was beaten to the title by half a minute by fellow Kenyan Elly Rono
.
His 2005 season saw further improvements as he won the Country Music Marathon. He was top-three at the Utica Boilermaker in July and then won the America's Finest City Half Marathon
in San Diego the following month. He branched out beyond his US base for the first time that year and was 13th at the Berlin Marathon
, but he still ran a best time of 2:12:48 in the top-level race. He began to focus on East Asia
n races from 2006 onwards. In a closely contested race, he defeated Georgiy Andreyev by one second at the Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon
to record a personal record time of 2:11:18.
At the 2007 Nagano race the final stages proved to be a repeat of the previous year, as the Kenyan eked out the win at the line over Andreyev. He was invited to the Beijing Marathon
in October and he claimed first place with a significant new best time of 2:08:09 – over three minutes faster than he had run before. He took a third consecutive title in Nagano the following year, narrowly holding off Tomohiro Seto in a four-man sprint for the line.
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 competes 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...
events including the 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...
. He is a three-time champion at the Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon
Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon
The Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon is an annual marathon road race which takes place in mid-April in Nagano, Japan. It is an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race competition. The Nagano Marathon has races for both elite and amateur runners...
and has also won marathons in Nashville
Country Music Marathon
The Country Music Marathon is located in Nashville, TN. The route begins in Centennial Park and continues along many of Nashville's sights including music row, Belmont University, the State Capitol Building, the Cumberland River, Shelby Park, Shelby Bottoms Greenway, and ends outside LP Field,...
, Dallas
Dallas White Rock Marathon
The Dallas White Rock Marathon is a marathon that has taken place in December in Dallas, Texas since 1971. An official time from the Dallas White Rock Marathon can be used to qualify for the Boston Marathon. The course is both hilly and flat involving running through downtown Dallas as well as the...
, and Beijing
Beijing Marathon
The Beijing International Marathon is an annual marathon race of 42.195 km held in October in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The race was first held in 1981 and has been held every year since. The race begins at Tiananmen Square and finishes at the National Olympic Sports Centre stadium...
. He set his personal best of 2:08:09 hours at the latter race.
Career
He was trained by two-time New York City MarathonNew York City Marathon
The New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...
champion John Kagwe and is a training partner with 2008 Olympic champion Samuel Wanjiru
Samuel Wanjiru
Samuel Kamau Wanjiru was a Kenyan athlete, who specialized in long distance running. He became a professional at a young age and broke the world record in the half marathon when he was 18 years old...
.
Kinyanjui began competing internationally in 2002, mainly in American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
road races. He won the Buffalo 4-Mile Chase and made his marathon debut at the Dallas White Rock Marathon
Dallas White Rock Marathon
The Dallas White Rock Marathon is a marathon that has taken place in December in Dallas, Texas since 1971. An official time from the Dallas White Rock Marathon can be used to qualify for the Boston Marathon. The course is both hilly and flat involving running through downtown Dallas as well as the...
, which he won in a time of 2:16:27 hours. He made his second appearance over the distance at the Country Music Marathon
Country Music Marathon
The Country Music Marathon is located in Nashville, TN. The route begins in Centennial Park and continues along many of Nashville's sights including music row, Belmont University, the State Capitol Building, the Cumberland River, Shelby Park, Shelby Bottoms Greenway, and ends outside LP Field,...
, setting a personal record of 2:15:52, although he was the runner-up on this occasion. He was also second at the Fairfield Half Marathon but managed only ninth at the Virginia Beach Half Marathon. Kinyanjui returned to Dallas and improved his best further to 2:14:35 hours, but was beaten to the title by half a minute by fellow Kenyan Elly Rono
Elly Rono
Elly Rono is a former Kenyan long-distance runner. Rono attended the University of Southern Indiana where he was an NCAA Division II champion in cross country, the indoor 5,000 metres, and the outdoor 10,000 metres. He is a two-time winner of the California International...
.
His 2005 season saw further improvements as he won the Country Music Marathon. He was top-three at the Utica Boilermaker in July and then won the America's Finest City Half Marathon
America's Finest City Half Marathon
America's Finest City Half Marathon is an annual road running event over the half marathon distance which is held in mid-August on the streets of San Diego, California. The race was inaugurated in 1978 and has been held every year since then...
in San Diego the following month. He branched out beyond his US base for the first time that year and was 13th at the Berlin Marathon
Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...
, but he still ran a best time of 2:12:48 in the top-level race. He began to focus on East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
n races from 2006 onwards. In a closely contested race, he defeated Georgiy Andreyev by one second at the Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon
Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon
The Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon is an annual marathon road race which takes place in mid-April in Nagano, Japan. It is an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race competition. The Nagano Marathon has races for both elite and amateur runners...
to record a personal record time of 2:11:18.
At the 2007 Nagano race the final stages proved to be a repeat of the previous year, as the Kenyan eked out the win at the line over Andreyev. He was invited to the Beijing Marathon
Beijing Marathon
The Beijing International Marathon is an annual marathon race of 42.195 km held in October in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The race was first held in 1981 and has been held every year since. The race begins at Tiananmen Square and finishes at the National Olympic Sports Centre stadium...
in October and he claimed first place with a significant new best time of 2:08:09 – over three minutes faster than he had run before. He took a third consecutive title in Nagano the following year, narrowly holding off Tomohiro Seto in a four-man sprint for the line.