Daniel Njenga Muturi (born 7 May 1976) is a Kenyan

long-distance Long distance or Long-distance may refer to: *Long-distance calling * Long-distance operator * Long-distance relationship * Long-distance train *Long-distance anchor pylon, see dead-end tower Footpaths * Long-distance trail *European long-d ...

runner Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

, who specializes in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

. He had his first successes in 1995 as he won the steeplechase

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

at the 1995 Summer Universiade and also the Chiba International Cross Country meeting. He was based in Japan from early on in his early career and won the steeplechase at the Japanese Championships on three occasions. Njenga turned to

running and made his debut in 1995 at the Saitama Marathon in

Ageo, Saitama 260px, Ageo Maruyama Park is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 229,517 in 103,709 households and a population density of 5000 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Ageo i ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, placing first, and then coming in tenth in his second marathon at the 1999

Fukuoka Marathon The is an IAAF Gold Label international men's marathon race held in Fukuoka, Japan. It was previously known as the Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship between 1947 and 2021, when it was announced the race would be discontinued on its ...

. His breakthrough year came in 2002 when he was the runner-up at the Beppu-Oita Marathon and

Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a marathon (long-distance foot race) held every October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the six World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is the fourth-largest r ...

. His time of 2:06:16 hours in Chicago made him the third fastest runner in the world for 2002, behind only

Khalid Khannouchi Khalid Khannouchi ( ar, خالد خنّوشي) (born September 12, 1971) is a retired American marathoner. He was born in Meknes, Morocco. He is the former world record holder for the marathon and held the former road world best for the 20 km ...

and

Paul Tergat Paul Kibii Tergat (born 17 June 1969) is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner. He became the first Kenyan man to set the world record in the marathon in 2003, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished l ...

. He is known for his consistent, close finishes in the Chicago Marathon, finishing as runner-up three times and third on two occasions, between 2003 and 2007.Njenga Daniel
Marathon Info. Retrieved 6 February 2011. He was the 2006 winner of the

Sendai Half Marathon is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...

. He won the

Tokyo International Marathon The Tokyo International Marathon was a marathon for male elite runners held in Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japa ...

in 2004 and then the reformed

Tokyo Marathon The is an annual marathon sporting event in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. It is a World Athletics Platinum Label marathon and one of the six World Marathon Majors. The latest edition of the race took place on . It is sponsored by Tokyo Metro. H ...

in 2007. Njenga is a featured subject in the 2007 marathon documentary '' Spirit of the Marathon''. Njenga was victorious at the 2009

Hokkaido Marathon The Hokkaido Marathon held in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan, is one of the prominent marathon races of the year. The staging area as well as both the start and finish lines are in Odori Park starting between Nishi 3-chome and Nishi 4-chome and the fi ...

and took consecutive runner-up spots at the Beppu-Ōita Marathon in 2010 and 2011.

Achievements

Notes

*Daniel Njenga should not be confused with a similarly named Kenyan athlete, ''Daniel Mburu Njenga'', who was the winner of the 2008 Toronto Marathon and 2009 Mississauga Half Marathon.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Njenga, Daniel 1976 births Living people Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male marathon runners Kenyan male steeplechase runners Tokyo Marathon male winners Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) FISU World University Games gold medalists for Kenya Medalists at the 1995 Summer Universiade Japan Championships in Athletics winners