Lydia Cheromei wins her debut marathon in Amsterdam. © ING Amsterdam Marathon
Kenyan runners led the way at the Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday. They ran on a flat course famous for incredibly fast times. The 2004 World Half-Marathon champion, Paul Kirui, claimed the men’s title in 2:07:52. Kirui has run well in Amsterdam. Last year, his fourth-place showing was also his personal best (2:07:12). Lydia Cheromei (running her marathon debut) won the women’s race in 2:25:57.
At the start, a pack of ten runners went through the first 10 kilometers in 29:50: sub-2:06 pace. But the pace slowed slightly going into the half (63:25). At that point, the lead pack began to thin out. Among the leaders were four Kenyans: Paul Kirui, Robert Cheboror, Jonathan Kosgei and Dennis Ndiso, as well as the Ethiopian Dejene Berhanu. Ndiso soon lost contact, leaving the remaining four runners to reach 30K in 1:30:23. At that point, Jackson Koech, also a Kenyan, caught up with the pack.
The race’s dynamic changed at 37K when Kirui made his move and surged ahead. By the 40K marker, he had built up an impressive, 30-second lead.
“When I heard that the runners in the second group had cut our lead, I decided to go it alone,” the 28-year-old Kirui said after the race.
Kirui played his cards correctly by making his late-race move, because Chala Dechase, a member of the second chase pack that Kirui had alluded to, ended up passing everyone but Kirui. Dechase placed second, crossing the finish line in Amsterdam’s Olympic stadium in 2:08:31.
Three more runners went under 2:10: Cheboror was third in 2:09:13, followed by Kosgei (2:09:22) and Koech (2:09:42). The 5,000m World champion from 2004, Benjamin Limo (Kenya), ran his marathon debut in 2:12:46 (12th place). He decided not to go out with the lead pack at the start and reached half in 64:41.
The women’s race ended up as a duel between Lydia Cheromei and the Ethiopian, Adenech Zekiros. Along with Mengistu Asnakech (Ethiopia) who stayed with them until just before 20K and finished fifth, the pair went through 10K in a blazing 34:10. The duo reached the half in 1:12:24 and hit 25K in 1:25:36. At that point, Zekiros dropped back. Lydia Cheromei, the 2004 runner-up in the World Half-Marathon Championships and the winner of the Rotterdam Half-Marathon in 68:35 in September, went on to win, finishing in an impressive 2:25:57. Adenech Zekiros came in second place in 2:30:17. Third went to Marta Markos (Ethiopia) in 2:32:32.
19-year-old Chinese Bai Xue Wins in Beijing
Also on the busy schedule of large-city marathons on Sunday was the Beijing Marathon. Like the Amsterdam Marathon, Kenyan runners dominated the men’s race and claimed the first three places. Benjamin Kiptto won in 2:10:14—edging out Luka Chelimo (2:10:30) and Simon Wangai (2:10:52). The Moroccan, Rachid Kisri, finished fourth in 2:11:31. The highlight of the day happened in the women’s race. Bai Xue, only 19-years-old, won the women’s race in 2:26:27. She ran the 10,000m at the Olympic Games—finishing 21st there. 2nd and 3rd place also went to Chinese runners: Chen Rong ran 2:28:25 and Zhang Yingying ran 2:28:52. Hellen Kimutai of Kenya was fourth in 2:29:19.
Phaustin Baha Sulle sets course record in Dresden
Phaustin Baha Sulle makes a comeback with a course record in Dresden. © www.photorun.net
Phaustin Baha Sulle of Tanzania returned to competition in style—winning and setting a course record in the Dresden Morgenpost Marathon with a 2:13:03. The outcome of the women’s race didn’t go the way of pre-race expectations as the 23-year-old, Remalda Kergyte of Lithuania, took the title in 2:38:48. The tenth edition of the race, held in one of the most historic cities in Eastern Germany, offered windy conditions. 7,000 athletes took part, watched by crowds of more than 50,000 along the loop course through the city center and along the Elbe river.
The men’s race went out fast—the lead pack clearly intent on smashing the on the course record (2:15:26) that had been set by Kenya’s Joseph Talam in 2006. Four men, including two rabbits, went through the half in 65:21. When the last rabbit, Simon Kasimili of Kenya, dropped out at 25K, it came down to a contest between Phaustin Baha Sulle and Pharis Kimani of Kenya.
During the footrace, Sulle would gain a couple of meters on Kimani. The finishing times looked to be between 2:10 and 2:11. But from 30K (1:32:30), the pace slowed significantly. The decisive moment came when Phaustin Baha Sulle (who was the runner-up at the 2000 World Half-Marathon Championships) surged slightly at 35K. Kimani couldn’t respond; the gap was too big for him to recover. However, Kimani still held on for second place, setting a personal best of 2:14:40 in only his second marathon. Vasil Remshchuk of Ukraine finished third in 2:17:27.
“I am happy with my result. There was some wind on the course which made it difficult,” said Phaustin Baha Sulle, who has a personal best of 2:10:08. In recent years, he has struggled with a number of injuries. “In 2007 I could not run at all. I was only able to do light training back in Tanzania, because I had a joint problem in my hip,” said Phaustin Baha Sulle. „But now I’m feeling better and better. And I’m optimistic for the future. I would like to run the Dubai Marathon in January and it would be my aim there to go for a time between 2:06 and 2:07.”
The women’s favorite, Fabiola John (Tanzania), established a big lead in the early stages of the race. The 23 year-old, who had been second in Edinburgh in 2005 and has a personal best of 2:34:41, passed the half in 1:17:40. While she was well ahead of Remalda Kergyte (1:19:31) at that stage, she started losing ground soon afterwards. In the end Fabiola John had to settle for second place in 2:40:53.
“At 28K I knew I would have a chance to catch her,” said Remalda Kergyte, although she was still about 60 seconds behind. At 36K, the Lithuanian took the lead and went on for her biggest career win thus far. “I have now qualified for the World Championships in Berlin next year and intend to run there. These will be my first major championships,” said Kergyte, who placed second in Dresden in 2006 and 2007. “As a defending champion, of course, I also want to return to Dresden next year.”
