Augustus Mbusya Kavutu

Last updated

Augustus Mbusya Kavutu (born December 31, 1977) is a Kenyan long-distance runner and marathoner who has won several long-distance races and finished in the top ten of multiple international marathons. [1] He ran one of the fastest half-marathons in the world in 2003, clocking 1:01:19. [2]

Contents

Running career

Kavutu ran his first marathon on June 12, 1999, in Stockholm. In Sweden, he also ran several races on the track. In 2002, he ran a 13:50 5,000 meters and 28:23.51 10,000 meters. [3] He built his early career winning many races in Scandinavia, where he was living. In 2002, he was the champion of the famed Lidingöloppet, a 30K run in Lidingö, Sweden, which draws thousands of runners. He finished the race in 1:36:51, the seventh-fastest time in event history. [4] [5]

The same year, he placed third (a short distance behind winner Mustafa Mohamed) in the largest annual running competition in the world (in terms of entries): The Göteborgsvarvet (Swedish: jœtɛbɔ̂rjsvarvɛt). [5]

At the start of 2003, Kavutu ran the Kenya Armed Forces 30K road race. He went out fast, pacing the other Kenyan runners through the 25K mark. But at the end, he lost steam and was passed by Onesmus Kilonzo and Boniface Usisivu, but hung on to beat Getuli Bayo and finish in third with a time of 1:30:48. [6]

On March 2, 2003, Kavutu completed the Los Angeles Marathon in sixth place out of nearly 17,000 contestants in a time of 2:12:39. [7] He returned in 2008 and ran with three other Kenyans (led by winner Mark Yatich) to a fourth-place finish in 2:16:01, [8] setting him up for a cash prize. [9] In December, he was in Dallas with his training partner, Nephat Kinyaniui. The two Kenyans paced the field at the 34th Dallas Marathon in sub-freezing temps. They finished just seconds apart for first and second place. [10] That year, he also finished in the top 15 at the New York City marathon. [11]

During 2004, Kavutu became well known in the marathon world by winning the Twin Cities Marathon with a 2:13:33 run, just seconds ahead of Ukrainian Mykola Antonenko. He did not lead the race, but stayed back from the pacesetters until overcoming Elarbi Khattabi near the 25th mile. He won $25,000 for first place. [12] [13] [14] The prize might not have come to him, as the marathon organizers had planned to only give prize money to US citizens as a way of showing support for national runners. But the community pushed back, and the organizers agreed it would be best to award the cash to whoever won, regardless of nationality. [13]

He was in Hamburg, Germany in 2005 for the running of the 11th Hamburg Half Marathon (German:Hamburg Halbmarathon). He beat the competition, which included Carsten Schütz  [ de ] and other Kenyan runners, for the win in 1:05:57. [15] He was also top five in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on a course-record-breaking day, where he ran 2:18:16 to finish in front of Danny Kassap and thousands of others. [16]

Kavutu's best personal time in the marathon also came in 2005: 2:11:39 at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon. [17] [18]

He was fifth in the 2006 Edinburgh Marathon [19] and second in the 2006 Hanover Marathon.

He was back in Dubai on a cool morning in January 2007, where he lined up with Kenyans and Ethiopians to race the flat marathon course. William Rotich  [ nl; de ] would win in near record time (and Askale Magarsa did set a woman's course record); Kavutu would take 10th in 2:14:25, just seconds behind James Koskei. [20] In April, he ran to a third-place finish at the international Madrid Marathon in 2:14:54. [21] [22] Following this victory, Kavatu won third place at the 2007 Twin Cities Marathon in 2:21:13 [23] —this time behind Antonenko. [24]

Also in 2007, he won the Fort-de-France Half Marathon and came in second in a Barbados half. Between 2008 and 2009, Kavutu finished in the top 10 at LA Marathon, Nashville Marathon, Istanbul Marathon, [25] Houston Marathon, San Diego Marathon, and Las Vegas Marathon. [26] And he won the 2009 Little Rock Marathon. [5]

He returned to the Twin Cities Marathon again in 2009 to cross the finish line in second place with a 2:13:03 time [27] behind Jason Hartmann. [28]

In 2010, he entered the Košice Peace Marathon in eastern Slovakia. He finished in the top 10 with a time of 2:23:45. During his career, his total earnings equaled $106,210. [29]

Early and personal life

August Mbusya Kavutu was born in Kenya on December 31, 1977. After the Timmins Golden Trails Festival in 2007, Kavutu revealed that he sends his race money home to his family and community in Kenya in order to provide them with clean water and electricity. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Ndereba</span> Kenyan marathon runner

Catherine Nyambura Ndereba is a retired Kenyan marathon runner. Between 2003 and 2008, she finished in the top two in five successive global championship marathons. Ndereba has twice won the marathon at the World Championships in Athletics and won silver medals at the Summer Olympic Games in 2004 and 2008. She is also a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon and a two-time winner of the Chicago Marathon. It was at the latter in 2001 that she broke the women's marathon world record with a time of 2:18:47.

Lucy Wangui Kabuu is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 and 10,000 metres events. She has represented Kenya twice at the Summer Olympics, finishing in the top ten of the 10,000 m race in both 2004 and 2008. Her personal bests of 14:33.49 minutes for the 5000 m and 30:39.96 minutes for the 10,000 m make her one of Kenya's fastest ever runners in the events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athens Classic Marathon</span> Annual race in Greece held since 1972

The Athens Classic Marathon The Authentic is an annual marathon road race held in Athens, Greece, normally in early November, since 1972. It also often serves as Greece's national marathon championships. The race attracted 43,000 competitors in 2015 of which 16,000 were for the 42.195 kilometre (26.2 mile) course, both numbers being an all-time record for the event. The rest of the runners competed in the concurrent 5 and 10 kilometres road races and the racewalking contest.

Irina Permitina is a Russian long distance runner, who won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg. She is the women's course record holder for the Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, along with fellow Russian Zinaida Semenova, who ran the same time in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tallinn Marathon</span> Annual race in Estonia since 2010

The Tallinn Marathon is an annual road marathon, held in Tallinn, Estonia. It is held in September and is the biggest annual marathon in Estonia. Both the marathon and the half marathon held the day before are categorized as Bronze Label Road Races by World Athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Cherop</span> Kenyan long-distance runner

Sharon Jemutai Cherop is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. She won a bronze medal at the age of sixteen in the 5000 metres at the World Junior Championships. She was the bronze medal winner in the marathon at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and won the Boston Marathon in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seoul International Marathon</span> Marathon held in Seoul, South Korea

The Seoul International Marathon, also known as the Dong-A Ilbo Seoul Marathon or Seoul Marathon is an annual marathon race that takes place in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of two annual races over the 42.195 km classic distance in the city, alongside the JoongAng Seoul Marathon which is held in November. It holds World Athletics Platinum Label Road Race status. First held in 1931, it is the third longest-running road running competition in Asia after the Hakone Ekiden and Chugoku Yamaguchi Ekiden in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Svetlana Ponomarenko</span> Russian long-distance runner

Svetlana Ponomarenko is a Russian long-distance runner who competes professionally in marathon races. She has a best of 2:29:55 hours for the distance. She won six consecutive marathons—going unbeaten from 2006 to 2008—winning in Frankfurt, Dallas (twice), Minneapolis, Nashville and Athens, Greece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Düsseldorf Marathon</span> Annual race in Germany held since 2003

The Düsseldorf Marathon is an annual road marathon in Düsseldorf, Germany in early May, first held in 2003.

The Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic, formerly known as the Ogden Newspapers 20K is a series of races held each May in Wheeling, West Virginia. Winners have included: Caroline Rotich, Augustus Mbusya Kavutu, Jemima Sumgong and Rolando Vera. The distance changed in 2011 due to declining numbers.

Dominic Ondoro is a Kenyan long-distance runner best known for holding the course records at Minnesota's Grandma's Marathon and the Twin Cities Marathon. He has won many other major marathons, some multiple times, such as the 2017 and 2023 Houston Marathon in Texas, his two Melbourne Marathon wins in Australia and his unrivaled four Twin Cities Marathon wins in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mykola Antonenko</span> Ukrainian runner

Mykola Antonenko is a Ukrainian middle- and long-distance runner, and Ukrainian national champion in the 10K. He is the winner of multiple notable road races and a top finisher in major international races.

The 25K run is a long distance running footrace that is between the distance of a half marathon and a marathon. It was formerly an official world record distance in road running by World Athletics, but has since been downgraded to world best status. Separately, the Association of Road Racing Statisticians retains world records in the 25K distance. The ARRS holds different standards for records than World Athletics, with exclusions for certain point-to-point races and mixed sex races. As a result its women's world record is 1:26:34 by Nancy Conz, set in 1982.

Christopher Kipyego is a runner from Kenya who has won multiple major marathon races, including the Mexico City Marathon in 2006 with a time of 2:17:23.

Serkalem Biset Abrha, also known as Abrha Serkalem Biset, is a runner from Ethiopia who competes in long distance running and has won several major international marathons.

Pavel Andreyev is a Russian middle-distance and long-distance runner who has won multiple US and European road races including the Dallas, Helsinki, St. Petersburg White Nights and Grandma’s marathons. He was also the silver medal winner in the 1997 Russian Athletics Championships 10,000 meters.

Helen Jepkurgat is a Kenyan-born athlete competing in middle- and long-distance running who has won major races in Africa, the United States, France and Italy. In the 2019 African Games, Jepkurgat was one of three women chosen to compete for Kenya in the African Half Marathon Championship. She was the top Kenyan competitor in a race that saw Ethiopians sweep the podium. She finished in fourth place with a time of 1:12:29, a few seconds behind Tola Mesetey Belete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kigali International Peace Marathon</span> Annual race in Rwanda since 2005

The Kigali International Peace Marathon is an annual road-based marathon hosted by Kigali, Rwanda, since 2005. It is a World Athletics Label Road Race and a member of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races. During the race weekend, a half marathon and a 10K fun run are also offered. A night run is also associated with the event, though not held during the same weekend.

Philemon Kiprono Kemboi is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who competed in Africa, China, Europe and the United States, where he won the Grandma's Marathon in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brașov Running Festival</span> Annual 10 km race in Romania since 2021

The Brașov Running Festival is an annual road-based 10K run hosted by Brașov, Romania, since 2021. The race is a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race. A 5K run is also offered earlier in the day.

References

  1. "Augustus Kavutu Mbusya". Association of Road Running Statisticians. 14 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  2. "World Fastest Times". AIMS. Athens, Greece: Association of International Marathons and Statistics. 2003. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  3. "August Mbusuyo Kavutu". World Athletics. Monaco. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  4. "Lidingöloppet" (PDF). issuu.com. Lidingö, Sweden. 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 "Augustus Kavutu". more.arrs.run. 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  6. "Kilonzo wins Kenya Armed Forces 30-km road race". Monaco: World Athletics. 24 January 2003. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  7. "City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon) Results". marathonguide.com. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  8. "Moiben of Kenya Gets Win". LA Times. Los Angeles, California. 3 March 2018.
  9. "Kenyas Sweep Top Four Places". LA Times. Los Angeles, California. 3 March 2018.
  10. Mauch, Rick (15 December 2003). "First Timer Wins White Rock". Dallas Star Telegram. Dallas, Texas.
  11. "NYC Marathon". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. 3 November 2003.
  12. "Twin Cities Marathon". Sports. Fort Myers, Florida: News-Press. October 4, 2004. p. C2.
  13. 1 2 "Kenyan, Russian Win Twin Cities". St. Cloud Times. St. Cloud, Minnesota. Associated Press. 4 October 2004. p. 5D.
  14. "Kavutu wins first marathon". ESPN. 3 October 2004. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  15. "Hamburg Helle Marathon". Getty Images. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  16. Hugh Jones, ed. (2005). "September 2005 Results - 25 September 2005 - Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and Half, Canada". aims-worldrunning.org. Athens, Greece: Association of International Marathons and Road Races. AIMS Home. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  17. "Dubai Marathon Results". Xinhua News Agency - CEIS. January 8, 2005.
  18. "Väčšina farovitov je už v dejisku maratónu". SportNet (in Slovak). Bratislava, Slovakia. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  19. Hugh Jones, ed. (2006). "June 2006 Results - 11 June 2006 - Edinburgh Marathon, Great Britain". aims-worldrunning.org. Athens, Greece: Association of International Marathons and Road Races. AIMS Home. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  20. Butcher, Pat (2007). "January 2007 Results - 12 January 2007 - Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, United Arab Emirates". aims-worldrunning.org. Athens, Greece: Association of International Marathons and Road Races. AIMS Home. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  21. "Kenyan Runners Take First Four Places in Madrid". Sports. Reno Gazette Journal. Reno, Nevada. 3 April 2007. p. 2C.
  22. Hugh Jones, ed. (2007). "April 2007 Results - 22 April 2007: Marathon Popular de Madrid, Spain". aims-worldrunning.org. Athens, Greece: Association of International Marathons and Road Races. AIMS Home. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  23. Hugh Jones, ed. (2007). "October 2007 Results - 7 October 2007 - Twin Cities Marathon". aims-worldrunning.org. Athens, Greece: Association of International Marathons and Road Races. AIMS Home. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  24. "Ukrainian wins Twin Cities Marathon". Minnesota Public Radio. St. Paul, Minnesota. Associated Press. 7 October 2007.
  25. "Athletics: Roba and Yulamanova take Istanbul titles in heavy rain and gusty wind". Official Website of the Chinese Olympic Committee. 8 October 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  26. Hugh Jones, ed. (2009). "December 2009 Results - 6 December 2009 - Rock and Roll Marathon Las Vegas". aims-worldrunning.org. Athens, Greece: Association of International Marathons and Road Races. AIMS Home. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  27. Medcalf, Mryon (October 5, 2009). "Twin Cities Marathon: 'A Good Day to Run;'". Star Tribune.
  28. Larkin, Duncan (17 May 2011). "Q&A with Olympic hopeful Jason Hartmann". Runner's World. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  29. "Augustus Kavutu". more.arrs.run. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  30. Man, Vincent (August 13, 2007). "Kavutu Wins in Convincing Fashion". Daily Press.