The 67th annual Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship was held on Sunday (12/1), with participants running a course starting and finishing at Heiwadai Stadium, and extending through Ohori Park and various other spots in Fukuoka. The IAAF Gold Label Road Race counts towards selections for the Japanese Marathon team competing in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. Kenyan Martin Mathathi took out the race with a time of 2 hours 7 minutes and 16 seconds, outpacing previous winner Joseph Gitau, also from Kenya, who came second place with a time of 2 hours and 9 minutes. In third place was national pride Yuki Kawauchi, who finished with a time of 2 hours 9 minutes and 5 seconds, hoping to secure his place in the Japanese marathon team for 2014. The race was divided into two groups with separate time limits, allowing non-professional participants to compete separately. Time to start training for next year? Source: http://www.fukuoka-marathon.com/results/index.php, Japan Times: http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000838789,
