Patrick Makau, one of Kenya’s truly great marathon runners, won the famous Fukuoka International Marathon in Fukuoka, Japan, Sun., Dec. 7, in 2:08:22.

While this is a modest time for a runner of his caliber, it was a huge comeback for him considering he’s battled injury problems for the last 18 months and hadn’t won a marathon since Frankfurt in 2012.

You may remember that Makau set a world record in the marathon of 2:03:38 in winning the 2011 Berlin Marathon. The record has since been broken, of course, first by Wilson Kipsang, his fellow Kenyan, who ran 2:03:23 in Berlin last year. Then Dennis Kimetto, still another Kenyan, improved on Kipsang’s time when he ran 2:02:57 at Berlin earlier this year, becoming the first person in history to go under 2:03 in the marathon!

Born in Manyanzwani, Kenya, now living and training in Ngong, the 5’11½”, 137-pound Makau, who’s now 29, has an awesome series of personal bests that include 27:27 for the 10K, 41:30 for the 15K, and 58:52 for the half-marathon. How good is he? He’s run under 60 minutes for the half-marathon eight times! 

However, no runner, no matter how great, can stay at the top of his game while contending with injuries, and Makau has struggled to recapture his best form since his last marathon win in Frankfurt.

He’s still not back to his previous level, obviously, but in Fukuoka on Sunday, running in excellent conditions on a fast course with little wind, he broke away from Mongolia’s Ser-Od Bat-Ochir at around 38 kilometers and ran strongly to the finish to become the fourth successive Kenyan to win at Fukuoka.

Bat-Ochir, who had broken the race open by attacking at 30 kilometers, would eventually finish third behind Makau with a Mongolian record of 2:08:50. Ethiopia’s Raji Assefa finished strongly in the final kilometers to overtake Bat-Ochir for second as he finished two seconds ahead of him in 2:08:48.

Although Makau’s winning time was two minutes slower than he had said he was hoping to run and almost five minutes slower than his former world record, he was nevertheless happy to be running well again and to win such a prestigious race.

Prestigious and competitive race, as this year’s Fukuoka International Marathon featured a lot of tactical moves and surges, especially over the last half of the race.

A group of about 30 runners passed the 5K check point in 15:16, then the pace picked up as the leaders ran the next three 5K segments in 15:04, 14:47 and 15:01.

After the lead group reached halfway in 1:03:37, the assigned pace makers dropped out – yes, they have them at Fukuoka, too! – and the pace slowed down.

The tall Polish runner Henryk Szost and the Eritrean record holder Yared Asmerom took the lead briefly after halfway, then Japan’s Masakazu Fujiwara pushed the pace, but the lead group still numbered 20 runners. Szost and Asmerom soon regained the lead, but at 25 kilometers the pace was a sluggish 1:15:40.

That all changed at 30 kilometers when Mongolia’s Bat-Ochir surged in front. Only Asmerom was able or chose to go with him initially, but then fell back and Bat-Ochir was now alone in front.

After 32 kilometers, Makau and Ethiopia’s Assefa broke away from the pack and took off in pursuit of the Mongolian. Soon they caught him and the three of them reached 35 kilometers in 1:46:23.

Bat-Ochir wasn’t done! Just before 37 kilometers, he put in still another surge and was soon on his own again. Not for long, however, as one kilometer later Makau made his ultimate and closing move, a burst of effort which carried him up to Bat-Ochir and past. Makau passed 40K in 2:01:43 and was never challenged thereafter.

After all his valiant efforts at the front, Bat-Ochir would not be able to retain second place as Ethiopia’s Assefa closed faster over the final stretch. It was perhaps no surprise, given Bat-Ochir’s aggressive front-running tactics, which surely had to cost him precious energy, and the fact Assefa has a personal best in the marathon, 2:06:34, which is more than two minutes faster than Bat-Ochir’s best – the 2:08:50 he ran this very day in Fukuoka.

The defending Fukuoka champion, Kenya’s Martin Mathathi, who is based in Japan and won last year in 2:07:16, did not fare well this time as he faded all the way back to 21^st place.

So at Fukuoka on Sunday, one champion was dethroned, another champion is back. It’s good to have Patrick Makau back in winning form, and may his comeback continue.

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