Mekubo Mogusu Kenyan track and field athlete Date of Birth: 25.12.1986 Country: Kenya

1. Mekubo Mogusu: A Kenyan Distance Running Star
2. Early Years and Career
3. Ekiden Success and World Record
4. International Breakthrough and Half Marathon Dominance
5. Middle East Debut and World Championship Appearance
6. Return to Winning Ways and Tragic Accident
7. Comeback and Near-Misses
8. Later Career and Retirement

Mekubo Mogusu: A Kenyan Distance Running Star

Mekubo Mogusu is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in road running, particularly the half marathon. He is a three-time winner of the Sapporo Half Marathon and a two-time winner of the Marugame Half Marathon. Mogusu was part of the Kenyan team that set the world record in the ekiden (a marathon-distance relay race) with a time of 1:57:06 in Chiba in 2005. Mogusu's personal best for the half marathon is 59:48. He has competed in the 2008 World Half Marathon Championships.

Early Years and Career

Mekubo Job Mogusu emigrated to Japan as a teenager and attended high school before enrolling at Yamanashi Gakuin University. His decision to continue his education puzzled his Kenyan colleagues, who expected him to pursue a professional running career. However, Mogusu emphasized the importance of continuing to compete in ekiden at the collegiate level. Mogusu's first major victory came in July 2005, when he won the Sapporo Half Marathon in a personal best of 1:01:28. He defeated Olympic medalist Erick Wainaina and several other top runners.

Ekiden Success and World Record

In December 2005, Mogusu teamed up with Josephat Ndambiri, Martin Mathathi, Daniel Mwangi, John Kariuki, and Onesmus Nyerere to compete in the Chiba Ekiden. Running the fourth leg, Mogusu helped the Kenyan team take the lead by posting a time of 27:56. The Kenyans won the race with a combined time of 1:57:06, which set a new world record. Mogusu continued to excel in ekiden, winning six out of nine races and setting five course records during that period.

International Breakthrough and Half Marathon Dominance

Mogusu attempted to defend his Sapporo Half Marathon title in 2006 but finished only fourth, trailing the winner by almost a minute. He returned with a vengeance in February 2007, winning the Marugame Half Marathon in a course record time of 59:48. Mogusu had broken the 60-minute barrier in the half marathon for the first time in his career.

Mogusu continued his winning streak, claiming his second Sapporo Half Marathon victory in July 2007. He set another course record of 59:54, becoming the first runner to break the 60-minute mark on the course in its 23-year history. Mogusu also ran another impressive half marathon at the Ichinoseki Half Marathon in 2007, finishing in a time of 59:58.

Middle East Debut and World Championship Appearance

In 2008, Mogusu competed in his first race in the Middle East, placing fifth in the prestigious Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in a time of 1:00:35. He also won the Kanto Region University Athletic Championships, beating Daniel Gitau and setting a personal best in the 10,000m with a time of 27:27.64. Mogusu failed to qualify for the Olympic team but continued to win road races. He won the Sapporo Half Marathon for the third time and earned a spot on the Kenyan team for the 2008 World Half Marathon Championships. Unfortunately, Mogusu did not finish the World Championships race in Rio de Janeiro.

Return to Winning Ways and Tragic Accident

At the Marugame Half Marathon in 2009, Mogusu faced his toughest competition yet from Daniel Gitau. Mogusu successfully employed 'front-running' tactics to win the Marugame race for the second time, finishing in a time of 1:00:37.

In March 2009, Mogusu was involved in a car accident while driving in his native Kenya. He, Daniel Gitau, and Cosmas Ondiba were unharmed, but their new coach, Sho Kimura, was hospitalized. Shaken and guilt-ridden, Mogusu took a short break from training.

Comeback and Near-Misses

He returned to win a 10,000m race in May 2009, setting a personal best for the distance with a time of 27:26.56. Mogusu planned to qualify for his debut Fukuoka Marathon in 2009 but failed to meet the qualifying time in a 30km time trial.

Mogusu finished second at the Marugame Half Marathon in February 2009, losing to Daniel Gitau, and then finished as runner-up again at the Sendai Half Marathon in May of that year, where he ran 1:01:34 and was defeated by Martin Mathathi.

Mogusu could only manage a fifth-place finish at the Sapporo Half Marathon later that year. He made his debut at the Hokkaido Marathon in August 2009, leading the race for the first 35km but fading towards the finish and finishing in third place with a time of 2:16:38.

Later Career and Retirement

Mogusu had a disappointing Marugame Half Marathon in February 2011, where he took an early lead but faded to finish third. However, he reversed his fortunes in Sapporo the following June, surging past other runners in the second half of the race to finish in a comfortable second place.

Mogusu returned to Sapporo the following year, finishing second once again, this time to Martin Mathathi. Mogusu retired from competitive running in 2013, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most successful half marathon runners of his generation.