Best Times
5 K 13:58
10 K 28:30
Half Marathon 1:02:48
Marathon 2:10:17

Eric Wainaina is far from the fastest Kenyan runners of all time - his best of 2:08:43 is almost 4 minutes slower than the current world record of countryman Paul Tergat. But Eric has something the others don't, not one but two Olympic medals from the marathon - bronze from Atlanta 1996 and silver from Sydney 2000.

Eric came to Japan in 1993 when he was 19 years old. He joined Japanese camera manufacturer Konica, working in their General Affairs Department and running for the Konica Track & Field Team. He has lived in Japan 13 years now, and is fluent in Japanese as well as English. His favorite Japanese word is "akiramenai", which means "never give up" - a philosophy he lived out in his marathon career.

1993 Sapporo Half Marathon, Second

1994 Sapporo Half Marathon, Sixth

1994 Japan Companies 10,000m, Champion

1994 Hokkaido Marathon, Champion (Debut)

1994 Hakodate Half Marathon, Champion

1995 Tokyo International Marathon, Champion (2:10:31)

1996 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Second

1996 Olympic Marathon Bronze Medalist

1997 Hokkaido Marathon Champion

1998 Sapporo Half Marathon Champion

2000 Nagano Marathon Champion (2:10:17)

2000 Olympic Marathon Silver Medalist (2:10:31)

2002 Tokyo International Marathon Champion (2:08.43) P.R.

2002 Commonwealth Games Marathon, Fourth

2002 Fukuoka International Marathon, Third (2:10:08)

2003 Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon, Champion

2003 Hokkaido Marathon, Champion

2004 Tokyo Marathon, Eighth

2004 Olympic Games Marathon, Seventh

2005 Fukuoka Marathon, Seventh