Kenneth Mburu Mungara (born 7 September 1973), also known as Kennedy Mburu, is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in the Marathon.
He set a personal best in the event at the 2007 Mombasa Marathon, running 2:10:13 for second place behind Peter Kemboi.[1] He won his first major international marathon in 2008, completing the Prague International Marathon in 2:11:06, one minute ahead of second-placed Eliah Sang.[2] Four months later he won the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, upsetting the race favourites John Kelai and Tariku Jufar, and edging out Peter Kiprotich for the victory in 2:11:01.[3]
In January the following year, he won the Mumbai Marathon and his time of 2:11:51 was the fastest ever on Indian soil, beating Shivnath Singh's record which had stood since 1978.[4] He managed a third-place finish at the 2009 Prague Marathon,[5] but he was hampered by a knee injury. He recovered in time for the 2009 Toronto Waterfront Marathon and defended his title, finishing in a personal best time of 2:08:31 and breaking the Canadian all-comers' record. He was pleased with, but surprised by, the achievement, stating that he did not believe his manager when he said Mungara could run 2:08. He received a total of 55,000 Canadian dollars in winner's prize money and performance bonuses.[6]
He returned to the Prague Marathon in 2010 but could not repeat his past performances and finished in 2:10:53 for seventh place.[7] He maintained his reputation at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, however, improving his Canadian all-comers record to 2:07:57 for his third consecutive win of the event. When asked whether he was considering one of the large American marathons the following year, Mungara admitted he had already promised to return to Toronto for a fourth attempt.[8] He won at the Singapore Marathon in December, taking the significant first prize of US$50,000.[9] He achieved a fourth straight win at the 2011 Toronto Marathon, although the finish was close between Mungara and Shami Dawit as both recorded the same finishing time of 2:09:51 hours.[10][11]
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Kenya | ||||
2008 | Prague Marathon | Prague, Czech Republic | 1st | 2:11:06 |
2009 | Mumbai Marathon | Mumbai, India | 1st | 2:11:51 |
Event | Time (h:m:s) | Venue | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Marathon | 2:07:58 | Toronto, Canada | 26 September 2010 |
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