CHIBA, Japan, November 23 – Kenya won the marathon-distance Chiba international mixed road-relay race Wednesday, with two male stars overwhelming their rivals.
Kenya finished the race in two hours, four minutes and 40 seconds, followed by Japan in 2:04:59 and the Japanese student selection in 2:07:26.
The race is divided into six sections of the men’s 5km, women’s 5km, men’s 10km, women’s 5km, men’s 10km and women’s 7.195km, making up a full marathon distance.
Strong performances by Kenya’s third and fifth runners Patrick Mutunga Mwikya and Edwin Nyandusi Mokua gave them a commanding lead over their rivals.
It was more than enough to shrug off a stellar showing by the Japanese women, who consistently clocked top times for their sections.
This was the first victory for Kenya since the race became mixed in 2007.
