Wilson Onsare
Encyclopedia
Wilson Onsare Ombui is a Kenya
n former long-distance runner who competed in half marathon
and marathon
races.
His time of 2:06:47 hours at the 2003 Paris Marathon
made his the fastest ever debut run at the time, but he never bettered the mark. His other marathon highlights included a runner-up performance at the 2005 Boston Marathon
and a third place finish at the Lake Biwa Marathon
in Japan.
His best time for the half marathon was 1:00:52 hours, and he had victories over that distance at the Paris Half Marathon
, America's Finest City Half Marathon
, and Reims Half Marathon.
, then claimed his first victories over the distance at the Reims Half Marathon and Saint Pol- Morlaix Half Marathon. He was based in the United States for 2001 and took wins at the Charleston Distance Run
15-miler and America's Finest City Half Marathon
.
He returned to France for the 2002 season and remained on form, recording a new best time of 1:01:33 hours to win at the Paris Half Marathon
. He had three consecutive runner-up finishes that year, being the second-best runner at the Nice Half Marathon, BIG 25 Berlin and Lille Half Marathon
. He ended the year with another win at the Reims Half Marathon. He set two career bests that year – a 10K best of 27:55 minutes at a race in La Courneuve and a 25K best of 1:14:51 hours in Berlin.
He stepped up to the full marathon distance in 2003 at the Paris Marathon
and he recorded the fastest ever time for a débutante as he came third in a time of 2:06:47 hours. He also set his half marathon best that year, claiming the Lille Half Marathon
title in a time of 1:00:52 hours. He ran two sub-2:10-hour marathons in 2004, coming third at the Lake Biwa Marathon
and fourth at the Berlin Marathon
, and also came fourth at that year's Bogotá Half Marathon
.
Onsare was one of the front runners at the 2005 Boston Marathon
and he took the runner-up spot half a minute behind winner Hailu Negussie
. He was selected to represent Kenya in the marathon at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
, but he did not manage to finish the race as he dropped out after 30 km. He also failed to match his early season form at the JoongAng Seoul Marathon
in November, as he finished nearly five minutes after the winner and ended the race in fifth. He was some way off his best times in the 2006 season as he was ninth in Boston (2:13:47) and 21st at the Chicago Marathon
, where he slowed in the second half of the race and crossed the line after 2:16:12 hours.
He was restricted to shorter, low level races in 2007 and his highlight was a win at the 10km de la Cité des Papes in Avignon
. He returned to the marathon distance in 2009 at the Tiberias Marathon
and he was seventh with a time of 2:13:43 hours. An appearance at the 2010 Annecy Marathon—one of the lesser European marathons—showed Onsare far outside of his previous elite standard, as he came seventh with a time of 2:29:51 hours.
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 former long-distance runner who competed in 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...
and 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...
races.
His time of 2:06:47 hours at the 2003 Paris Marathon
Paris Marathon
The Paris International Marathon is an annual marathon which takes place from the Champs-Élysées heading towards the Place de la Concorde and continuing through the city to finish at Foch Avenue....
made his the fastest ever debut run at the time, but he never bettered the mark. His other marathon highlights included a runner-up performance at the 2005 Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
and a third place finish at the Lake Biwa Marathon
Lake Biwa Marathon
The held in Otsu, Shiga, is one of the prominent Japanese marathon races of the year. It is a male only competition and has IAAF Gold Label status. First held in 1946 and having taken place every year since then, it is Japan's oldest annual marathon race...
in Japan.
His best time for the half marathon was 1:00:52 hours, and he had victories over that distance at the Paris Half Marathon
Paris Half Marathon
Paris Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held every March in Paris, France. It currently holds IAAF Bronze Label status....
, 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...
, and Reims Half Marathon.
Career
He began his major race career in 2000 with a series of half marathons in France. He was third at Le Lion Half Marathon, improved to second place at the Auray-Vannes Half MarathonAuray-Vannes Half Marathon
The Auray-Vannes Half Marathon is an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance which takes place in early September in Brittany, France. The point-to-point course begins in the commune of Auray and finishes in the Stade de Kercado in nearby Vannes. Nearly 5000 people...
, then claimed his first victories over the distance at the Reims Half Marathon and Saint Pol- Morlaix Half Marathon. He was based in the United States for 2001 and took wins at the Charleston Distance Run
Charleston Distance Run
The Charleston Distance Run is a 15 mile road running event held annually in Charleston, West Virginia. The race starts at the corner of Virginia Street and Civic Center Drive. The course winds through Charleston's South Hills for six miles before crossing back over the South Side Bridge...
15-miler and 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...
.
He returned to France for the 2002 season and remained on form, recording a new best time of 1:01:33 hours to win at the Paris Half Marathon
Paris Half Marathon
Paris Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held every March in Paris, France. It currently holds IAAF Bronze Label status....
. He had three consecutive runner-up finishes that year, being the second-best runner at the Nice Half Marathon, BIG 25 Berlin and Lille Half Marathon
Lille Half Marathon
The Lille Métropole Half Marathon is an annual half marathon foot race which takes place in Lille, France in early September. First organised by the Association de Promotion des Événements Lillois in 1986, the race began as a marathon event before switching to the shorter distance in 1996...
. He ended the year with another win at the Reims Half Marathon. He set two career bests that year – a 10K best of 27:55 minutes at a race in La Courneuve and a 25K best of 1:14:51 hours in Berlin.
He stepped up to the full marathon distance in 2003 at the Paris Marathon
Paris Marathon
The Paris International Marathon is an annual marathon which takes place from the Champs-Élysées heading towards the Place de la Concorde and continuing through the city to finish at Foch Avenue....
and he recorded the fastest ever time for a débutante as he came third in a time of 2:06:47 hours. He also set his half marathon best that year, claiming the Lille Half Marathon
Lille Half Marathon
The Lille Métropole Half Marathon is an annual half marathon foot race which takes place in Lille, France in early September. First organised by the Association de Promotion des Événements Lillois in 1986, the race began as a marathon event before switching to the shorter distance in 1996...
title in a time of 1:00:52 hours. He ran two sub-2:10-hour marathons in 2004, coming third at the Lake Biwa Marathon
Lake Biwa Marathon
The held in Otsu, Shiga, is one of the prominent Japanese marathon races of the year. It is a male only competition and has IAAF Gold Label status. First held in 1946 and having taken place every year since then, it is Japan's oldest annual marathon race...
and fourth 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...
, and also came fourth at that year's Bogotá Half Marathon
Bogota Half Marathon
The Bogotá International Half Marathon is an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance which takes place in Bogotá, Colombia in late July or early August. Established in 2000, it holds IAAF Gold Label Road Race status, making it the first and thus far only South American...
.
Onsare was one of the front runners at the 2005 Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
and he took the runner-up spot half a minute behind winner Hailu Negussie
Hailu Negussie
Hailu Negussie was the winner of the 109th Boston Marathon in 2005. He finished with a time of 2:11:45 and became the first Ethiopian to win the Boston Marathon since Abebe Mekonnen won the race in 1989. His personal best for the marathon is 2:08:16.Negussie tried to defend his Boston title in...
. He was selected to represent Kenya in the marathon at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
, but he did not manage to finish the race as he dropped out after 30 km. He also failed to match his early season form at the JoongAng Seoul Marathon
JoongAng Seoul Marathon
The JoongAng Seoul Marathon is an annual footrace that takes place in Seoul, South Korea, usually in early November. First held in 1999, the race was established as a commemoration of Olympic marathon race which was held as part of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. It features a men's marathon elite race,...
in November, as he finished nearly five minutes after the winner and ended the race in fifth. He was some way off his best times in the 2006 season as he was ninth in Boston (2:13:47) and 21st at the Chicago Marathon
Chicago Marathon
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...
, where he slowed in the second half of the race and crossed the line after 2:16:12 hours.
He was restricted to shorter, low level races in 2007 and his highlight was a win at the 10km de la Cité des Papes in Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
. He returned to the marathon distance in 2009 at the Tiberias Marathon
Tiberias Marathon
The Tiberias Marathon is an annual marathon road race held along the Sea of Galilee in Israel with a field in recent years of approximately 1000 competitors. The competition was first held in 1977 and also hosts the annual Israeli marathon national championship...
and he was seventh with a time of 2:13:43 hours. An appearance at the 2010 Annecy Marathon—one of the lesser European marathons—showed Onsare far outside of his previous elite standard, as he came seventh with a time of 2:29:51 hours.