John Karunga Kagwe (born 9 January 1969) is a Kenyan formerlong-distance runner who had back-to-back wins at theNew York City Marathon from 1997 to 1998. He set his lifetime best of 2:08:12 hours as part of his first victory there.[1] Kagwe's professional road racing career began in 1994 and he continued to compete at a high level until 2006. After he turned forty and entered theveterans category, he returned to running, making some appearances in 2011.[2] He also won thePrague International Marathon and theSan Diego Marathon.
A small runner at five foot six inches, Kagwe did not take running seriously until he was 18. He was inspired by the feats ofJohn Ngugi but the strength of athletes in Kenya forced him to try progressively longer distances.[3] He competed mainly in the United States and his first race abroad was theGasparilla Distance Classic in 1994, later that year he ran at theBoston Marathon and placed sixteenth with 2:11:52 hours. He was runner-up at theCleveland Marathon and month later. He established himself further with a fourth-place finish at thePhiladelphia Distance Run and third at theTwin Cities Marathon later that year. His first marathon win came in 1995, when he took thePittsburgh Marathon title with a personal record of 2:10:24 hours. A win at theAtlantic City Half Marathon preceded his debut at the New York Marathon in 1995, at which he finished fifth.[2]
A lifetime best of 61:31 minutes in thehalf marathon came in March 1996 inLisbon. His only marathon that year was in New York and he came close to his best with 2:10:59 hours. The following year he was victorious at theFifth Third River Bank Run as well as thePrague International Marathon (his first win in Europe). Among his outings in the United States that year was a runner-up finish at the Philadelphia Distance Run.[2] He had the breakthrough of his career that November, winning the New York City Marathon race. In spite of winning in a quick time of 2:08:12 hours, he was humble upon reflection, stating: "I think I'm maybe the 10th best, maybe the 20th best. I still have to win a couple more big ones to be the best, or maybe run a minute and a half faster and break the world record. I will try.".[3]
Kagwe entered theBoston Marathon in 1998 and was only a little short of his best at 2:08:51 hours, but was down in fifth in the fast-paced race. He was defeated at numerous competitions, only winning a10K race inAvalon, New Jersey,[2] but on his return to the New York Marathon he lodged a successful defence, winning the race for a second time. He won by a margin of three seconds, ahead of compatriotJoseph Chebet who would himself win the same race a year later.[4]
After his New York wins, he continued to regularly feature at major marathons, but did not come close to winning them. He was fifth in Boston and New York in 1999, then sixth at the Boston race and tenth in New York in 2000. He had a mixed 2001 season: after a lowly 32nd-place finish at theLondon Marathon he returned to the United States and won both the River Bank Run andRock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon. These proved to be his last major wins. He had seventh-place finishes at the 2001 New York Marathon and 2002Chicago Marathon, as well as several top five finishes in half marathons in the same period. Top ten finishes in New York in 2003 and 2004 were his last high standard performances. His times declined from 2005 onwards and he failed to finish in New York, then scraped the top ten in the lower standardLos Angeles Marathon andSapporo Marathon in 2006.[2]
He is the father of five children, Stephen Karunga, Ephraim Kagwe, Margret Wanjiku, Joseph Mungai and David Chuma.
