Irene Mogaka Kemunto (born 10 January 1985) is a Kenyan

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

who competes 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 ...

. She began running at national level around 2005 and took second at the

Kisii Kisii may refer to: * Kisii, Kenya, the inaugural capital city of Kenya * Kisii County, one of the 47 counties of Kenya * Gucha District, in Kenya, also known as ''South Kisii District'' * Nyamira District, in Kenya, also known as ''North Kisii Di ...

cross country meet that year. She made her marathon debut at the Nairobi International Marathon and finished in tenth place with a time of 2:48:27. She improved her time to 2:41:12 with a fifth-place finish at the 2007 edition of the

Mumbai Marathon The Mumbai Marathon (known as the Tata Mumbai Marathon for sponsorship reasons by Tata Group), is an annual international marathon held in Mumbai, India, on the third Sunday of January every year. It is the largest marathon in Asia as well as th ...

. She was crowned the

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

provincial champion for the

Nyanza Province Nyanza Province (; sw, Mkoa wa Nyanza) was one of Kenya's Provinces of Kenya, eight administrative provinces before the formation of the Counties of Kenya, 47 counties under the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 constitution. Six counties were organis ...

in June that year. She ran at the

Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon The Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon & 1/2 Marathon is an annual marathon foot-race run on the Las Vegas Strip and in parts of the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada. The race was one of the oldest marathons in the United States, having been run between 1 ...

at the end of the year and was runner-up behind Sylvia Skvortsova, taking her best time to 2:36:15.Mogaka, Irene
Marathon Info. Retrieved on 2010-10-17. Her 2008 season was highlighted by a run of 2:38:22 for fifth place at the

Toronto Marathon The Toronto Marathon, held annually on the first Sunday of May, is a race from Yonge and Sheppard, in the north end of Toronto, to Exhibition Place, via Humber Bay Park. The origins of the event trace back to 1977, and the race was initially call ...

. She focused solely on the marathon in 2009 and started with a third-place finish at the Mumbai Marathon in January. She knocked six minutes of her marathon best at the

Los Angeles Marathon The Los Angeles Marathon (formerly known as the City of Los Angeles Marathon) is an annual running event typically held each spring in Los Angeles, California, since 1986. The marathon was inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympic Ga ...

to record 2:30:10 for fifth place. Her third marathon of the year was the

Singapore Marathon The Singapore Marathon is an annual international marathon race which is held on the first Sunday of December in the city of Singapore. It is a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race. History The first competitive marathon in Singapore was held o ...

but her race was slow and she finished in ninth place. She ran at the

Berlin Half Marathon The Berlin Half Marathon is a major endurance event held annually in early spring in Berlin, Germany. Besides the runner's main race, the event includes a race for inline skaters, wheelchair athletes and handbikers. All athletes use the same co ...

at the start of 2010 and set a

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

best of 1:11:38 and finished sixth overall. She ran the second fastest race of her career at the

Vienna City Marathon The Vienna City Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195 km held in Vienna, Austria since 1984. History The first edition was held on with a total of 794 competitors. It is Austria's largest road running even ...

in April, clocking 2:31:28 to finish as runner-up behind Hellen Kimutai. She ran for Kenya at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...

and was leading the race in the final stages. However, her compatriot Irene Jerotich Kosgei overtook her in the last three kilometres and Mogaka finished eleven seconds behind her to record a time of 2:34:43 and win the

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

. She competed again in India at the

in January the following year, but managed only eighth place in the race. She was the sole Kenyan entrant at the

Osaka Women's Marathon The is an annual marathon road race for women over the classic distance of 42.195 kilometres which is held on the 4th or 5th Sunday of January in the city of Osaka, Japan, and hosted by Japan Association of Athletics Federations, Kansai Tel ...

and finished seventh overall.Nakamura, Ken (2012-01-29)
Shigetomo takes Osaka as favourite Fukushi falters
IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-02-01.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mogaka, Irene Living people 1985 births Kenyan female long-distance runners Kenyan female marathon runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Kenya Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics 21st-century Kenyan women Medallists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games