2013 media guide - LA Marathon

THE COMPETITORS
THE COMPETITORS
MOSES KIGEN
KENYA
Age: 29 (Date of Birth: January 10, 1983)
Residence: Eldoret, Kenya
Personal Best: 2:07:45 (Dubai, 2012)
Affiliation: Nike
Kigen won the 2009 Nairobi Marathon, posting a time of 2:10:12. Not only did he
reach his then-­‐personal best and set a course record at that time, but Kigen also
set these records after recovering from injuries sustained in a motorcycle
accident the year before. In his marathon debut, he won in Arizona in the closest
ever men’s finish at that event by edging out Tekeste Kebede at the line. Both
men were credited with the same time.
WEGAYEHU GIRMA
ETHIOPIA
Age: 24 (Date of Birth: September 28, 1988)
Residence: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Personal Best: 2:08:25 (Seoul, 2010)
Affiliation: Nike
Girma reached his personal best of 2:08:25 in the 2010 Seoul Marathon, finishing
10 seconds behind the winner. He has competed three times in Seoul, including
his inaugural marathon in 2009, when he clocked a 2:11.35. Girma also ran the
2013 Jacksonville Marathon in 2:15:42 and the 2012 Chongqing Marathon in
2:10:52. He began his running career in 10 km road and half marathons.
PHILEMON BAARU
KENYA
Age: 31 (Date of Birth: May 20, 1981)
Residence: Nyahururu, Kenya
Personal Best: 2:07:49 (Kosice, 2012)
Affiliation: None
Baaru recorded his personal best of 2:07:49 at the 2012 Kosice Marathon in
Slovakia last October. He also won the Lewa Marathon (held in a wildlife
conservatory on a dirt track with quite a few hills and an average altitude of
5,500 feet) in Kenya last July when he overcame tough competition to finish with
a time of 2:19:52.
WELDON KIRUI
KENYA
Age: 24 (Date of Birth: December 2, 1988)
Residence: Kericho, Kenya
Personal Best: 2:09:06 (Eindhoven, 2012)
Affiliation: Skechers
Kirui won his first marathon in Kenya in 2012 at the Kass Marathon. As Kenya is
home to many of the world’s top runners, the Kass Marathon typically draws
from a highly competitive field of athletes. Kirui posted a time of 2:17:44. Kirui
has also finished second in the 2012 LA Marathon with a time of 2:13:40 and
placed eighth in the 2012 Eindhoven Marathon, where he made a personal best.
58 ASICS LA MARATHON
MEDIA GUIDE
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