64th Fukuoka International Marathon: Invited Runners (Overseas)

No.1 GHARIB,Jaouad [MAR] [DOB] 1972.5.22 [height] 176cm [weight] 63kg [personal best record] 2:05:27 (London 3rd / 2009.4.26) Jaouad Gharib is a top-class “superstar” runner who has always managed to shine when under pressure. He was the silver medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and won the World Championships on two consecutive occasions, in 2003 and 2005. He began track events quite late, at the age of 24, and recorded his personal best in the marathon, 2:05:27, in last year’s London Marathon. At the age of 38, Gharib is a veteran who shows no signs of slowing down. This is his second appearance in Fukuoka following the 2006 race, when he came third behind Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia), the current world record holder, and another runner. “I want to run under 2:06,” he says enthusiastically. “I intend to win in Fukuoka.”

No.2 BARANOVSKYY,Dmytro [UKR] [DOB] 1979.7.28 [height] 173cm [weight] 58kg [personal best record] 2:07:15 (Fukuoka 2nd / 2006.12.3) Dmytro Baranovsky’s rapport with the Fukuoka course is truly amazing. In 2008 he came 17th in the Lake Biwa Marathon in a time of 2 hours 16 minutes. In the 2009 Tokyo Marathon he came 7th in 2 hours 13 minutes. And in this year’s Boston Marathon he finished 17th in 2 hours 17 minutes. Those figures would seem to identify him as merely an ordinary runner. But his last three performances in Fukuoka have been terrific. In his first appearance in 2005 he won the race in 2:08:29, improving his personal best record by about three and a half minutes. In the following year, although beaten by Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia), he finished ahead of Jaouad Gharib (Morocco), the Beijing Olympics silver medalist, improving his personal best to 2:07:15. And last year he finished third in 2:08:19. In his fourth appearance too, Baranovsky is certainly likely to be up there among the front runners.

No.3 KEBEDE,Tekeste [ETH] [DOB] 1981.8.4 [height] 167cm [weight] 54kg [personal best record] 2:07:23 (Boston 2nd / 2010.4.19) When he decided to run in Fukuoka last year, Tekeste Kebede was still only a training partner for the Olympic bronze medalist Tsegaye Kebede (Ethiopia). Nevertheless, he finished second in that race in a time of 2:07:52, taking nearly two minutes off his personal best. He also displayed his talent at this year’s Boston Marathon, where he further improved his personal best by close to 30 seconds and finished second, ahead of the likes of Deriba Merga (Ethiopia), Ryan Hall (United States), and Meb Keflezighi (United States). Having set new personal best times in four consecutive marathons, Kebede, 29, has suddenly caught up with the world’s top runners. Much attention will be focused on how he does in his second appearance in Fukuoka.

No.4 DRACZYNSKI,Adam [POL] [DOB] 1976.1.3 [height] 178cm [weight] 59kg [personal best record] 2:10:49 (Wien 5th / 2010.4.18) In April of this year, Adam Draczynski, 34, finished fifth in the Vienna Marathon, clocking a personal best time of 2:10:49. In 2008 he won the World Military Marathon Championship sponsored by the International Military Sports Council (CISM) with a time of 2:12:21. Until now he has been racing mainly in Eastern Europe, but he decided to participate in Fukuoka because, he says, “I wanted to run in the world-famous Fukuoka International Marathon.” His goal is to run under 2:10 for the first time. He also hopes to represent Poland at the World Championships to be held in Daegu, South Korea, next year.

No.5 SAFRONOV,Dmitry [RUS] [DOB] 1981.10.8 [height] 190cm [weight] 70kg [personal best record] 2:11:51 (Podgorica 1st / 2009.11.1) At 190 centimeters, Dmitry Safronov is unusually tall for a top-class marathon runner. (Japanese runners known for their height include Toshinari Takaoka at 186 cm and Takeyuki Nakayama at 180 cm.) Safronov began full-fledged running in 2001, and for a time concentrated on races in the United States. His first marathon was the 2005 San Antonio Marathon in Texas, when he finished in 2:15:58. In 2009 he improved his personal best to 2:11:51, and in the European Athletics Championships held in August of this year he captured the bronze medal, finishing in 2:18:16.

No.6 FEITEIRA,Luis [POR] [DOB] 1973.4.21 [height] 175cm [weight] 55kg [personal best record] 2:11:57 (Praha 5th / 2009.5.10) Luis Feiteira has represented Portugal at the World Championships on two consecutive occasions. Last year, at the age of 36, he ran three marathons. In May he set a personal best of 2:11:57 in Prague. In August he finished 10th at the Berlin World Championships. And then in his first appearance at Fukuoka he finished sixth in a time of 2:13:07. This year his aim is to run under 2:10 and set a new personal best. Feiteira began running at the age of 14, and before switching to the marathon he appeared in the Olympics and World Championships in the 1,500-meter event. Nine years ago he clocked 3:34.20 in that event, which is more than three seconds faster than the Japanese record. He is an athlete of long standing, with his eyes still firmly set on reaching the top heights of the World Championships and Olympics.

No.7 LEMONCELLO,Andrew [GBR] [DOB] 1982.10.12 [height] 188cm [weight] 66kg [personal best record] 2:13:40 (London 8th / 2010.4.25) Andrew Lemoncello, 28, ran his first marathon in London in April of this year, finishing in eighth place in a time of 2:13:40. He was the fastest British runner in that race. His forte is the 3,000-meter steeplechase, in which he has clocked a time of 8:22.95. He represented Britain in that event at the 2005 Helsinki World Championships, the 2007 Osaka World Championships, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In a sense, visiting Fukuoka will be like coming home for Lemoncello, since he was born in Japan and lived until the age of five in Yokohama. “I’m looking forward to competing in Japan,” he says enthusiastically. “If possible, I want to run under 2:10. At London Marathon, I run most of the way on my own so I am excited to try and be competitive with other runners in Fukuoka.