TOKYO, JAPAN, March 03 — Benson Kipruto kicked away from Timothy Kiplagat at 38K and stepped into the void created with Kelvin Kiptum’s passing as he went on to win the Tokyo Marathon in 2:02:16. In so doing, he jumped to No. 5 all-time with the No. 8 mark.
Kiplagat, a training partner of Kiptum, finished 2nd in 2:02:55 as =No. 7 performer ever. Vincent Kipkemoi finished 3rd in 2:04:18, with superstar Eliud Kipchoge 10th in 2:06:50 after running in the lead group through 19K.
The 32-year-old Kipruto picked up his third major win and not only bettered Kipchoge’s ’22 course record by 24 seconds, but he has also managed to best the Kenyan legend in all three of their marathon matchups, 6th to 7th in London ’20, 3rd to 6th in Boston ’23, and 1st to 10th here.
For his part, Kipchoge did his best to replicate his fast-starting 2:02:42 win in Berlin last September, as he and his pacers zipped the downhill opening 5K in 14:16, then kept up the tempo to hit 10K in 28:30 (2:00:15 pace).
The three pacers led the four Kips — Kipchoge, Kipruto, Kiplagat and Kipkemoi — past 15K in 42:52, a 2:00:35 clip that proved too much for Kipchoge’s lead pacer who stepped off at 16K. Just 3 kilometers later Kipchoge’s race began to unravel as he first moved off his prime drafting position, then slipped to the back, then away from the lead group.
As a second pacer retreated with Kipchoge, the trio of racers pressed on with the final pacer, passing 20K in 57:14, halfway in 60:20, and 25K in 1:11:39 — and then they were on their own — but on 2:00:56 pace and 25 seconds ahead of Kiptum’s WR tempo.
Focusing just on racing, Kipruto admitted later, “I didn’t know that we were on World Record pace. I knew that it was so fast, but I was ready for it, and I trained for it. I was ready for everything that would come, even World Record pace.”
Sans pacer, Kiplagat was more than ready to push the tempo, first dropping Kipkemoi, then opening up a 30m lead over Kipruto in the 29th kilometer. Three weeks before the race, Kiplagat had taken the Fluorspar Rift Valley climb with Kiptum and seemed both inspired and empowered by the training as he launched his body down the road.
Kiplagat crossed 30K in 1:26:08 (2:01:09 pace), 5 seconds ahead of the resurgent Kipkemoi, and 6 ahead of Kipruto. Even with the tragic loss of Kiptum, the wealth of Kenyan talent was on full display with athletes from three different backgrounds racing far ahead of the competition — and Kipchoge.
The 32-year-old Kipruto was the best-known athlete, a veteran of 15 marathons with major wins in Boston ’20 and Chicago ’21 and a PR 2:04:02 2nd-place finish to Kiptum last October in Chicago. Kipruto trains with coach Claudio Berardelli at his Kapsabet camp in the Nandi Hills southwest of Eldoret, where he has been the understudy to reigning Boston champ Evans Chebet. Kipruto is also the younger brother of Dickson Chumba who scored major wins in Chicago ’15 and Tokyo in both ’14 and ’18.
Those three headed into the final 12km hoping to become Kenya’s heir apparent 26-miler — but saddled with fatigue from the 60:20 opening half. The high pace soon took a toll as Kiplagat and Kipkemoi began to rock about their stride, while the steadier-striding Kipruto methodically worked his way back to the front, latching onto Kiplagat at 31.5K and moving to the front at 33.
As Kipruto made his push, Kipkemoi — who in his debut at Berlin last fall closed to within 31 seconds of winner Kipchoge — couldn’t keep up. Kiplagat, 13th in the Budapest ’23 WC race, held on and the two crossed 35K in 1:41:02 — 2:01:48 pace. At 37K, Kiplagat pushed himself back to the front but after a kilometer’s effort his stride grew more labored, and Kipruto moved past and quickly away from his rival.
While Kiplagat’s relentless pushing played out 4K short of the finish, Kipruto has learned to measure his efforts well and he cruised home to finish off a big PR and the fastest clocking ever in marathon-crazed Japan.
“The running was so good today,” the always smiling Kipruto exclaimed, “I didn’t know that it would be a new course record, but I am so happy for today’s run.” Finishing on the podium in six straight Majors, Kipruto looks ahead to the Olympics noting, “We have not yet to finalize the Kenyan team, I am waiting for that and I will be happy to be in Paris. I’m ready.”
— TOKYO MEN’S RESULTS —
1. Benson Kipruto (Ken) 2:02:16 PR (WL) (5, 8 W);
2. Timothy Kiplagat (Ken) 2:02:55 PR (8, x W);
3. Vincent Kipkemoi (Ken) 2:04:18; 4. Hailemariyam Kiros (Eth) 2:05:43; 5. Tsegaye Getachew (Eth) 2:06:25; 6. Bethwel Chumba (Ken) 2:06:26; 7. Haimro Alame (Isr) 2:06:27; 8. Simon Kariuki (Ken) 2:06:29 PR; 9. Yusuke Nishiyama (Jpn) 2:06:31 PR; 10. Eliud Kipchoge (Ken) 2:06:50; 11. Kenya Sonota (Jpn) 2:06:54; 12. Kyohei Hosoya (Jpn) 2:06:55; 13. Shungo Yokota (Jpn) 2:07:25 PR; 14. Shin Kimura (Jpn) 2:07:34 PR; 15. Victor Kiplangat (Uga) 2:07:44.
