Henry Kemo Sugut (born 4 May 1985) is a male long-distance runner from Kenya who competes in marathon races. He is a three-time winner of the Vienna City Marathon. His personal best for the event is 2:06:58 hours. In his early career he ran in track races and represented Kenya at the World Junior Championships in Athletics and the All-Africa Games.
As a junior athlete, he competed at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics and was seventh in the 5000 metres. He set his lifetime best of 13:08.90 minutes for the event at that year FBK Games. His best for the 3000 metres acme in 2006 with a run of 7:53.91 minutes. In his final year of track running in 2007 he set a personal best of 27:51.34 minutes for the 10,000 metres – a time which gained him a spot on the team for the 2007 All-Africa Games, where he placed twelfth.[1] [2]
After taking time out in 2008, he returned in 2009 focused on road running. In his marathon debut he came third at the Reims à Toutes Jambes with a time of 2:10:45 hours. His first victory came shortly after at the 2010 Vienna Marathon, where he took the title in a personal best of 2:08:40 hours, causing an upset over race favourites Felix Limo and Luke Kibet.[3] Later that year he entered the higher profile Frankfurt Marathon race, but his time of 2:10:43 hours saw him finish down the field in tenth place.[4] [5]
Sugut ran in two large marathons in 2011: his best run came at the Paris Marathon (2:08:22 for seventh) and he came tenth for a second year running at the Frankfurt Marathon.[2] [6] He returned to Vienna in 2012 and ran the fastest time ever recorded in Austria, winning the race in a course record of 2:06:58 hours.[7] In October he competed at the Amsterdam Marathon, but was again further down the order at the faster race, placing ninth.[8] A third victory in Vienna in 2013 made him only the second man to achieve the feat, after Gerhard Hartmann.[9]
Sugut has performed as a pacemaker for marathons, including the 2011 Tokyo Marathon where the winner Hailu Mekonnen came within twelve seconds of a course record time.[10]
| Representing | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | All-Africa Games | Algiers, Algeria | 13th | 10,000 m | 29:12.57 | |
| 2009 | Reims Marathon | Reims, France | 3rd | Marathon | 2:10:45 | |
| 2010 | Vienna, Austria | 1st | Marathon | 2:08:40 | ||
| 2012 | Vienna, Austria | 1st | Marathon | 2:06:58 | ||
| 2013 | Vienna, Austria | 1st | Marathon | 2:08:19 | ||