Yomi Omogbeja (25/11/2006)

Kenyan teams has won the annual Hanji Aoki Cup International Chiba Ekiden in Japan for the second successive year.

The men's and women's teams swept to comfortable victories over host Japan and Russia respectively, leading from start to finish to win the six-leg, 42.195-kilometer road relay in a dominant fashion.

The men’s team comprising Martin Mathathi, Gideon Ngatuny, Josephat Ndambiri, Sammy Korir, Mekubo Mogusu and Cyrus Njui clocked 1 hour, 57 minutes and 58 seconds ahead of the hosts Japan, who finished in 2:00:01.

The women’s team comprised of Philes Ongori, Evelyne Kimwei, Selly Chepyego, Catherine Ndereba, Jane Wanjiku and Lucy Wangui, beat Russia (2:14:51) to the second place in 2 hours, 13 minutes and 35 seconds, with Japan settling for third place in 2:17:00.

The Kenyan men’s squad ran 52 seconds outside the world record, which they set last year. Japan also failed to erase the Asian record (1:58:58) which they set whilst taking second place last year, falling short of the mark by a minute and three seconds.

The Chiba race is divided up into the standard six relay stages of 5km, 10km, 5km, 10km, 5km and 7.195km which are used for record purposes for the first time in 2005.

Ethiopia had won the International Chiba Ekiden for three consecutive years before Kenya took the title in 2005.

Chiba Ekiden 2006 Team Results:

Men
1. KEN  1:57:58
2)  JPN 2:00:01
3)  USA 2:01:56
4)  JPN College 2:02:03
5)  AUS 2:03:13
6)  RUS 2:03:58

Women
1. KEN 2:13:35
2)  RUS 2:14:51
3)  JPN 2:17:00
4)  JPN College 2:18:44
5)  GBR  2:20:49
6)  CHN 2:22:44