Martin Irungu Mathathi (born 25 December 1985 in

Nyahururu Nyahururu (formerly known as Thomson Falls) is a town in Kenya, lying north east of Nakuru. The town derives its name from the Maasai word e-naiwurruwurr, meaning waterfall or windy or place of storms. It is located in both Laikipia County and ...

) is a Kenyan

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

, who competes in track, cross country and

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ru ...

events. Mathathi won the

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

in the

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship-level events. The ...

at the 2007 World Championships in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

. He represented his country in the same event at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

. He holds the 10 miles world junior record of 44:51. He trains with PACE Sports Management. He was schooled at Sipili secondary school. Mathathi was the 2010 winner of the men's short race at the Chiba Cross Country in Japan. He won the Sendai Half Marathon in a personal best time of 59:48 minutes, easily beating second placed

Mekubo Mogusu Mekubo Job Mogusu (born 25 December 1986) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in road running, particularly the half marathon. An emigrant to Japan, he has won the Sapporo Half Marathon on three occasions and the Kagawa Marugame H ...

. He gained selection for the

2011 World Championships in Athletics The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011. The United States topped the medal standings in the ...

and came fifth for Kenya in the men's 10,000 m. That year, Mathathi set a course record for the

Great North Run The Great North Run (branded the AJ Bell Great North Run for sponsorship purposes) is the largest half marathon in the world, taking place annually in North East England each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shie ...

half marathon, finishing in a time of 58 minutes 56 seconds. Two weeks later he also won the

Great Edinburgh Run The Great Edinburgh Run was an annual ten-mile road running race in the city centre of Edinburgh in Scotland from 1993 to 2017. It was part of the Great Run series of competitions, a event which extended to from 2014. The race was first run i ...

10K in course record time. At the start of 2012 he finished second at the Chiba Cross Country meet. He won the 10,000 m at the Hyogo Relays with a world-leading time of 27:35.16 minutes, but said that he intended to miss the Olympics and focus on a

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 ...

debut at the

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 ...

instead. He won the Gifu Half Marathon for a second time in May and won the

Sapporo Half Marathon The was an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance which took place each July in Sapporo, Japan. First held in 1958, the race began as a full marathon competition for men under the moniker of the Hokkai Times Marathon. T ...

in July. Mathathi attempted to run the fastest

debut at the

but he dropped out of the race after 38 km. He attempted to extend his undefeated streak at the Gifu Half Marathon and although he finished in 1:00:54 hours he was runner-up to world champion

Zersenay Tadese Zersenay Tadese Habtesilase ( Tigrinya: ዘርእሰናይ ታደሰ; born 8 February 1982) is an Eritrean former long-distance track and road running athlete. He held the men's half marathon world record from 2010 to 2018. His bronze medal i ...

Achievements

Personal bests

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a sta ...

- 13:03.84 min (2004) *

- 26:59.88 min (2009) *

Half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

- 58:56 min (2011) *

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 ...

- 2:07:16 (2013)

References

External links

* __NOTOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathathi, Martin 1985 births Living people Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male marathon runners Olympic athletes for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics People from Rift Valley Province World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics record holders (relay) Kenyan male cross country runners 21st-century Kenyan sportsmen