Daniel Njenga Muturi (born 7 May 1976) is a Kenyan

long-distance Long distance or Long-distance may refer to: *Long-distance calling *Long-distance operator *Long-distance relationship * Long-distance train *Long-distance anchor pylon, see dead-end tower Footpaths *Long-distance trail *European long-dista ...

runner, who specializes in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

. He had his first successes in 1995 as he won the

steeplechase SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

at the

1995 Summer Universiade The 1995 Summer Universiade, also known as the XVIII Summer Universiade, took place in Fukuoka, Japan. Emblem The symbol mark is a motif of "U", expressing passion and energy in the flickering flames of a burning torch. In the flames one sees bo ...

and also the

Chiba International Cross Country The Chiba International Cross Country is an annual cross country running competition which takes place in Chiba, Japan, in mid-February. It is one of the IAAF permit meetings which serve as qualifying events for the IAAF World Cross Country Ch ...

meeting. He was based in Japan from early on in his early career and won the steeplechase at the Japanese Championships on three occasions. Njenga turned to

running and made his debut in 1995 at the Saitama Marathon in

Ageo, Saitama file:Ageo Ageomaruyama-kouen Sakuramaturi 1.jpg, 260px, Ageo Maruyama Park is a Cities of Japan, city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. As of February 1, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 230,041 in 107,555 households and a popula ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, placing first, and then coming in tenth in his second marathon at the 1999

Fukuoka Marathon The is an IAAF Gold Label international men's marathon race held in Fukuoka, Japan. It was previously known as the Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship between 1947 and 2021, when it was announced the race would be discontinued on i ...

. His breakthrough year came in 2002 when he was the runner-up at the Beppu-Oita Marathon and

Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a road marathon held in October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the seven World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is one of the largest races by number of fini ...

. His time of 2:06:16 hours in Chicago made him the third fastest runner in the world for

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, behind only

Khalid Khannouchi Khalid Khannouchi () (born September 12, 1971) is a Moroccan-born American retired long-distance runner. He is the former world record holder for the marathon and held the former road world best for the 20 km distance. He is one of only five ...

and

Paul Tergat Paul Kibii Tergat (born 17 June 1969) is a Kenyan former professional long-distance runner. He became the first Kenyan man to set the world record in the marathon in 2003, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished l ...

. He is known for his consistent, close finishes in the Chicago Marathon, finishing as runner-up three times and third on two occasions, between 2003 and 2007.Njenga Daniel
Marathon Info. Retrieved 6 February 2011. He was the 2006 winner of the Sendai Half Marathon. He won the

Tokyo International Marathon The Tokyo International Marathon was a marathon for male elite runners held in Tokyo, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the wes ...

in 2004 and then the reformed

Tokyo Marathon The is an annual marathon sporting event in Tokyo, Japan. It is a World Athletics Platinum Label marathon and one of the seven World Marathon Majors. The latest edition of the race took place on . It is sponsored by Tokyo Metro. History The fi ...

in 2007. Njenga is a featured subject in the 2007 marathon documentary '' Spirit of the Marathon''. Njenga was victorious at the 2009

Hokkaido Marathon The Hokkaido Marathon held in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan, is one of the prominent marathon races of the year. The staging area as well as both the start and finish lines are in Odori Park starting between Nishi 3-chome and Nishi 4-chome and the fin ...

and took consecutive runner-up spots at the Beppu-Ōita Marathon in 2010 and 2011.

Achievements

Notes

*Daniel Njenga should not be confused with a similarly named Kenyan athlete, ''Daniel Mburu Njenga'', who was the winner of the 2008 Toronto Marathon and 2009 Mississauga Half Marathon.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Njenga, Daniel 1976 births Living people Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male marathon runners Kenyan male steeplechase runners Tokyo Marathon male winners Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) FISU World University Games gold medalists for Kenya Medalists at the 1995 Summer Universiade Japan Championships in Athletics winners