Skip to main content

Kawauchi Joins Elite Club of 11+ Sub-2:10 Marathoners

by Brett Larner

With his 2:09:54 at Sunday's Ehime Marathon Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) became the fifteenth runner in history to run sub-2:10 eleven times or more in his career.  The achievement puts him in distinguished company, including two marathon world record setters, seven Olympic marathon medalists, seven World Championships marathon medalists, three World Marathon Majors champions and eight winners of the six races now making up the World Marathon Majors.

Kawauchi is one of only three non-African athletes to make the list, one of four on the list without either an Olympic or World Championships medal or a win at one of the Big Six, one of four to have not broken 2:07, and, with a PB of 2:08:14, the only one who has not run sub-2:08.  A sub-2:08 PB and a World Championships medal remain the major goals of his career.

Tsegaye Kebede (Ethiopia) - 16 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:04:38
  • 2013 World Marathon Majors champion
  • 1st, 2013 London Marathon
  • 1st, 2012 Chicago Marathon
  • 1st, 2010 London Marathon
  • bronze, 2009 Berlin World Championships
  • bronze, 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

Emmanuel Mutai (Kenya) - 14 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:03:14
  • 2011 World Marathon Majors champion
  • 1st, 2011 London Marathon
  • silver, 2009 Berlin World Championships

Jaouad Gharib (Morocco) - 14 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:05:27
  • silver, 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
  • gold, 2005 Helsinki World Championships
  • gold, 2003 Paris World Championships

Yemane Tsegay (Ethiopia) - 13 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:04:48
  • silver, 2015 Beijing World Championships

Feyisa Lelisa (Ethiopia) - 13 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:04:52
  • silver, 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games
  • 1st, 2016 Tokyo Marathon
  • bronze, 2011 Daegu World Championships

Abdelkader El Mouaziz (Morocco) - 13 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:06:46
  • 1st, 2001 London Marathon
  • 1st, 2000 New York City Marathon
  • 1st, 1999 London Marathon

Stefano Baldini (Italy) - 13 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:07:22
  • gold, 2006 Goteborg European Championships
  • gold, 2004 Athens Olympic Games
  • bronze, 2003 Paris World Championships
  • bronze, 2001 Edmonton World Championships
  • gold, 1998 Budapest European Championships

Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) - 12 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:03:13
  • world record setter
  • 2014 World Marathon Majors champion
  • 1st, 2014 New York City Marathon
  • 1st, 2014 London Marathon
  • 1st, 2013 Berlin Marathon
  • bronze, 2012 London Olympic Games
  • 1st, 2012 London Marathon

Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) - 12 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:03:59
  • 2-time world record setter
  • 1st, 2009 Berlin Marathon
  • 1st, 2008 Berlin Marathon
  • 1st, 2007 Berlin Marathon
  • 1st, 2006 Berlin Marathon

Sammy Korir (Kenya) - 12 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:04:56

Bernard Kiprop (Kenya) - 12 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:06:19

Abel Kirui (Kenya) - 11 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:05:04
  • 1st, 2016 Chicago Marathon
  • silver, 2012 London Olympic Games
  • gold, 2011 Daegu World Championships
  • gold, 2009 Berlin World Championships

Benson Barus (Kenya) - 11 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:07:07

Bong-ju Lee (South Korea) - 11 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:07:20
  • gold, 2002 Busan Asian Games
  • 1st, 2001 Boston Marathon
  • gold, 1998 Bangkok Asian Games
  • silver, 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games

Yuki Kawauchi (Japan) - 11 times sub-2:10
  • PB: 2:08:14
  • bronze, 2014 Incheon Asian Games

© 2017 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

Comments

Brett Larner said…
Additions and corrections welcome.
Ange said…
So who was the youngest I am wondering...
TokyoRacer said…
Thanks, very interesting. Uh, Benson Barus?
Brett Larner said…
Yes, Benson made the list too.

Most-Read This Week

Morii Surprises With Second-Ever Japanese Sub-2:10 at Boston

With three sub-2:09 Japanese men in the race and good weather conditions by Boston standards the chances were decent that somebody was going to follow 1981 winner Toshihiko Seko 's 2:09:26 and score a sub-2:10 at the Boston Marathon . But nobody thought it was going to be by a 2:14 amateur. Paris Olympic team member Suguru Osako had taken 3rd in Boston in 2:10:28 in his debut seven years ago, and both he and 2:08 runners Kento Otsu and Ryoma Takeuchi were aiming for spots in the top 10, Otsu after having run a 1:01:43 half marathon PB in February and Takeuchi of a 2:08:40 marathon PB at Hofu last December. A high-level amateur with a 2:14:15 PB who scored a trip to Boston after winning a local race in Japan, Yuma Morii told JRN minutes before the start of the race, "I'm not thinking about time at all. I'm going to make top 10, whatever time it takes." Running Boston for the first time Morii took off with a 4:32 on the downhill opening mile, but after that  Sis

Saturday at Kanaguri and Nittai

Two big meets happened Saturday, one in Kumamoto and the other in Yokohama. At Kumamoto's Kanaguri Memorial Meet , Benard Koech (Kyudenko) turned in the performance of the day with a 13:13.52 meet record to win the men's 5000 m A-heat by just 0.11 seconds over Emmanuel Kipchirchir (SGH). The top four were all under 13:20, with 10000 m national record holder Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) bouncing back from a DNF at last month's The TEN to take the top Japanese spot at 7th overall in 13:24.57. The B-heat was also decently quick, Shadrack Rono (Subaru) winning in 13:21.55 and Shoya Yonei (JR Higashi Nihon) running a 10-second PB to get under 13:30 for the first time in 13:29.29 for 6th. Paris Olympics marathoner Akira Akasaki (Kyudenko) was 9th in 13:30.62. South Sudan's Abraham Guem (Ami AC) also set a meet record in the men's 1500 m A-heat in 3:38.94. 3000 mSC national record holder Ryuji Miura made his debut with the Subaru corporate team, running 3:39.78 for 2n

Police Arrest 20-Year-Old Man Charged With Assaulting Female Runner at Popular Tokyo Running Spot

A 20-year-old man has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a female runner along the banks of the Tama River in Ota Ward, Tokyo. "I've been stuck at home because of the coronavirus, so I wanted to go for a walk and move my body a bit," the man told police. Local resident Hirai Muroyama , 20, of no known occupation, was arrested on charges of sexual assault. He is accused of acts including grabbing the breasts of a woman in her 20s at around 10 p.m. on May 31 along the banks of the Tama River. According to police, the woman was taking a break in her run when Muroyama approached her silently from behind and grabbed her breasts before running away. Under police interrogation Muroyama told investigators, "I've been stuck at home because of the coronavirus, so I wanted to go out for a walk and move my body. I'd had a few drinks and was feeling pretty hype. She was totally my type." source article: https://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newsey