COULD SEVEN BE NJENGA'S LUCKY NUMBER AT CHICAGO?
By David Monti
(c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission

Chicago Marathon

CHICAGO (10-Oct) -- Daniel Njenga is one of the most successful athletes in the 31-year history of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. The gentle Kenyan has given the best years of his career to the race, running it six consecutive times and never failing to make the podium. He's been second three times, third three times, has broken 2:08 five times, and set his 2:06:16 personal best here in 2002.

But victory here has stubbornly eluded him, and after last year's race where he finished third he openly wept in the post-race press conference. In the final stages of the race, he was dropped by Patrick Ivuti and Jaouad Gharib, and Ivuti went on to narrowly defeat Gharib in a wild sprint finish. Njenga was crushed.

"After 35 kilometers I did not have enough energy to go with them," said Njenga after last year's race. "I've tried for six years and I've never won this race. I'm going to plan secret training for next year. I'm going to do my best for next year to win this race."

Njenga said today that he prepared for this race in Japan where he runs for the Yakult corporate team, and that he had run a higher mileage training program than he had in the past. He didn't give specifics, but he said that in Japan a 1400 km month wasn't unusual, with three-a-day training sessions.

"This year it hoped it might be cool," he said here today referring to last year's freakishly hot conditions. "That's why I decided to increase my mileage."

Race director Carey Pinkowski hasn't made it easy for the 32 year-old Njenga who will face more than ten strong Kenyan competitors, like Moses Arusei (2:06:50 PB), Evans Cheruiyot (2:09:16), William Kipsang (2:05:49), Richard Limo (2:06:45) and Emmanuel Mutai (2:06:15). Njenga knows that, despite the warmer than ideal temperatures which are anticipated for Sunday, he has no choice but to keep close to his rivals and stay on the pace.

"I have to go with them," he said solemnly.

Despite other accomplishments --like winning the 2004 Tokyo Marathon and 2005 Japanese corporate half-marathon title-- Njenga's career has been defined by his inability to win here. In 2002 he was second to Khalid Khannouchi in 2:06:16; in 2003 he was third behind Evans Rutto in 2:07:41 when Rutto made his astonishing 2:05:50 marathon debut; he was second in 2:07:44 to Rutto in 2004; in 2005 he was third behind Felix Limo in 2:07:14; and in 2006 he was second in 2:07:40 to Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot when he famously slid into the finish line after slipping on the wet roadway. He's been so close so many times.

Regarding this year's race, Njenga projects a cautious optimism. His face turned serious and he chose his words carefully.

"If I win it's like history," he said. "Sometimes I actually dream like winning," he added. "I hope that this time my dream will come true."

ENDS