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Njoroge, Morimoto win Hokkaido marathon

Dunya News

Morimoto run past Kaori Yoshida of Japan with just over two kilometres of the women's race.

Japanese-based Kenyan Harun Njoroge Mbugua won the Hokkaido marathon on Sunday with Japans Tomo Morimoto taking the womens title.Njoroge, the runner-up last year, moved into top gear at around the 39-kilometre (24-mile) mark to cross the finishing line in two hours 14 minutes and 10 seconds.Seiji Kobayashi came in second in 2:14:22, followed by his compatriot Chiharu Takada in 2:14.39.Njoroge formed a six-man front group, including defending champion Cyrus Njui of Kenya, at the 30km mark. But Njui started to slow down at the 35km mark, leaving the rest of the race to Njoroge, Kobayashi and Takada. Njui ended at seventh place in 2:19:14.Im tired. I have a problem with my leg, said Njoroge, who belongs to a Japanese athletics club.Morimoto overtook front-running Kaori Yoshida of Japan with just over two kilometres of the womens race to go and went on to win in 2:33:45.Yoshida was far ahead of the rest of the field for most of the course, running among a group of men, but eventually slipped back to fourth, crossing the line in 2:35:49 behind Kiyoko Shimahara in 2:34:26 and Yoko Shibui in 2:35:10.I was surprised because Id never expected to win, said Morimoto, 27, who has come back from injury to claim her first win since the Vienna marathon in 2006.It is important to do well in the races this winter (to qualify for the London Olympics), so Im going to work hard for them, she added.
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