Duncan Kibet breaks the Milan Marathon course record. © www.photorun.net
The ninth annual Samsung Milan Marathon was held on Sunday. Nearly 6,000 runners from 61 countries competed in it—setting a turnout record. In the men’s race, the favorite, 30-year-old Duncan Kibet of Kenya, smashed the course record. He crossed the finish line (located in the Piazza Castello) in 2:07:53 hours.
Elias Chelimo and Leonard Mucheru ran 2:08:39 and 2:10:05 respectively—good for second and third place. Fourth place went to Rachid Kisri of Morocco who ran 2:11:53. The Ukrainian, Oleksandr Kuzin, was the leading European finisher. He placed eighth with 2:13:43.
The lead pack was comprised of six runners. They reached halfway in 64:02 minutes. Behind the rabbits, Elijah Keitani and Benson Cherono, were Duncan Kibet, Leonard Mucheru, and Elias Chelimo (all from Kenya) along with the Moroccan, Rachid Kisri.
The wind was a particular problem between kilometer 25 and 30, forcing the runners to slow down. At 30K (clocked at 1:31:26), Kisri was the first to lose contact. And then the rabbits dropped out—leaving Kibet, Chelimo, and Mucheru in the front. Ironically, all three runners are members of the training group managed by the famous coach Dr. Gabriele Rosa and his son Federico.
The next runner to struggle was Leonard Mucheru. Unfortunately, he stubbed his toe during the later part of the race and lost a toenail. Showing incredible courage, he fought through the pain and finished the race in a personal best time of 2:10:05—third place!
Six kilometers from the finish, Duncan Kibet seized the initiative. He bolted into the lead and began running amazing kilometer splits under three minutes. Thanks to this surge, Duncan Kibet was able to break the course record by five seconds—a feat which seemed well out of reach at 35K. “I’m delighted to have won and run a course record. I think I have the potential to run faster still in future,” said Kibet. “At 28 kilometer I felt a slight problem in a hamstring and that’s why I didn’t force the pace after that and held myself back. Luckily it improved and I was able to run faster towards the end.” Before his win in Milan Duncan Kibet had only run one marathon: the Vienna Marathon last April (2:08:33) that was run in much warmer weather compared to Sunday’s race.
This marathon is traditionally a fast one—the fastest in Italy, in fact. Despite icy conditions with temperatures hovering just above freezing at the start, the top three male runners each set personal bests!
Anna Incerti Scores a Victory for Italy
Anna Incerti secures the second Italian victory in the history of the race. © www.photorun.net
In contrast to Kibet’s victory, Anna Incerti’s was completely unexpected. The 28-year-old Italian woman not only set an impressive personal best of 2:27:42 hours but also beat the top-seeded runner and last year’s winner: Pamela Chepchumba! The Kenyan placed second in 2:28:34. Merima Denboba of Ethiopia took third place in 2:29:57. Incerti’s victory was only the second time in the race’s history that an Italian has won the race. (In 2000, Lucilla Andreucci won the inaugural race.)
Anna Incerti’s marathon career is on the rise. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, she placed a very respectable 14th. Despite the brutal heat and humidity in Beijing, she also set a personal best of 2:30:55. She was the only female marathoner in the top 30 to set a personal best there. She had been hoping to run sub 2:30 in Milan: Her hard work has paid off!
The women’s race in Milan unfolded different than the men’s. Anna Incerti held herself back initially. She chose to run slower than the two leading women, but Pamela Chepchumba also didn’t run as fast as expected, allowing Merima Denboba to follow her. At the halfway point, the gap between the leading duo and Anna Incerti was only 12 seconds. Chepchumba and Denboba went through halfway in 1:14:01. Cheered on by the home crowd, Anna Incerti caught up with the leaders at 23 kilometers. “I noticed they were slowing down and thought I might have a chance,” said Incerti.
After Denboba dropped off the pace, the decisive moment came: The two runners were approaching 40K when the Italian broke away from the Kenyan favorite. Anna Incerti described the win in Milan and her first sub-2:30 as the greatest success of her career: “I would never have thought that I could have beaten Pamela Chepchumba,” said the Italian who, like Duncan Kibet, won 20,000 Euros in prize money (about $25,000). “I found it tough running into the wind and had problems at 39 kilometer,” explained Pamela Chepchumba after the race.
32,000 Runners at the Great Ethiopian Run in Addis Ababa
32,000 runners race through Addis Ababa. © Jiro Mochizuki / Great Ethiopian Run
There’s no doubt that Ethiopia has world-class runners. Ironically, however, road races in Ethiopia are almost unheard of. That perception seems to be changing. On Sunday, the eight annual “Great Ethiopia Run” took place in Addis Ababa. In addition to some leading Ethiopian runners, approximately 32,000 runners took place in the event: a 10K race.
The men’s winner was a surprise: Chala Dechasa toed the starting line wearing bib number 56, but he went home as number one. Up to 6K, Deriba Merga controlled events at the front. The runner-up at the Amsterdam Marathon in October was then caught by Chala Dechasa. About one kilometer from the finish, the underdog broke clear, running the best race of his career thus far. He won in 28:55 minutes. Second and third place went to Feysa Lelisa (29:07) and Deriba Merga (29:11). The best non-Ethiopian finisher was the Briton, Mo Farah, who placed 15th in 29:46. “I would never have thought I could win here. I was counting on a place in the top ten but not winning,” said Chala Dechasa.
In the women’s race, Wude Ayalew broke clear of her rivals after the 5K point and went on to win. The Ethiopian ran 33:31. Behind her, Workitu Ayano (33:43) and Teyba Erkeso (34:06) placed second and third respectively. “Last year I narrowly missed the qualification for the Olympic Games—that was really frustrating. My aim now is to qualify for the World Championships in Berlin.”
