Benson Masya

Benson Masya (* May 14, 1970, † 24 September 2003) was a Kenyan long- distance runner in the half marathon was particularly successful.

The erstwhile boxer and employees of the Kenya Post Office is the record winner of the Great North Run on the 21.097 -km distance. For the first time he won the race in 1991 in 1:01:28 h following year, the premiere of the World Half Marathon Championships took place in the context of this race, and Masya took the title in 1:00:24 h for the third time won it in 1994 in his personal best time of 1:00:02 h ( a course record that had up to 2002 stock) and the fourth and last time in 1996. Moreover, he won the 1992 half marathon competition of the Gold Coast Marathon, 1992 and 1994 at Falmouth Road Race, 1993 and 1994 at the CPC loop Den Haag and 1995 at the Great South Run.

Although he never reached a time in a marathon, which would have corresponded to his potential ( 1994, he came at the Boston Marathon in 2:12:35 h to 17th place, he was the London Marathon in 2:12:43 h aft 1996 and 1997 at the Seoul International Marathon in 2:12:53 h fifth), he also celebrated over the long distance some triumphs. Three times he won the Honolulu Marathon ( 1991, 1992 and 1994 ) and once in the Stockholm Marathon ( 1997).

In 2000, he was afflicted by a serious illness. After an apparent improvement in 2003, he joined again in to the night of Borgholzhausen. Soon after, he died in the presence of his friend and colleague Cosmas Ndeti and was buried in Kitui. Although the cause of his death has not been officially determined, his agent Zane Branson assumes that it is due to the consequences of HIV infection. Benson Masya left a wife and three children.

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