Just three weeks after the Dubai Marathon with Haile Gebrselassie, a second road race in the United Arab Emirates has made headlines: at the second edition of the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon, four runners went under the auspicious one-hour barrier. In so doing, the race confirmed its high-quality results of the previous year when Sammy Wanjiru (Kenya) set the then fastest performance of all time with 58:53. The Kenyans were also to the fore this time: Patrick Makau Musyoki, second a year ago, won in 59:35, and the fastest woman was Salina Kosgei in 72:27. For both men and women, the $25,000 first prize was decided by a thrilling sprint finish.

The race in Ras Al Khaimah reflected once again the development of fast times over the 13.1-mile distance. If times under one hour were an exception a few years ago, now they have become commonplace on fast courses. Fifteen years ago, Kenyan Moses Tanui was the first to break one hour for the distance. Since then, more than 40 sub-60:00 performances have been recorded. Above all in the past two years there has been almost a flood of such performances. At the World Road Race Championships in Udine last October, seven runners went under one hour – unprecedented for one race.

In Ras Al Khaimah there were four: clocking the same time as Musyoki was the 21-year-old Ethiopian newcomer Tsegaye Kebede. The Tanzanian duo of Dickson Marwa (59:52) and Fabiano Joseph (59:56), the 2005 world half marathon champion, were the next finishers.

“About three kilometers from the finish, I thought I could win. But Tsegaye was very strong. He also helped to break away from the others,” said Musyoki, who added, “But he was also elbowing me so I had to tell him to stop.” At the finish the Kenyan was a whisker ahead of the Ethiopian. For Musyoki it was the fifth time he’d broken the hour for the half marathon, all in just more than a year.

The pace in the women’s race wasn’t as strong as in the men’s. But it meant an even more exciting finish. Seven runners crossed the line within seven seconds of each other, the first three recording the same time. In the race for the line Kosgei edged ahead of Pamela Chepchumba (Kenya) in 72:27 and Arsede Habtamu (Ethiopia). The cautious pace suited Kosgei after she had lost touch with the leading group and appeared well beaten. Shortly before the race Gete Wami had to pull out. The Ethiopian winner of the World Marathon Majors series 2006-7 is injured.

RESULTS

Soboleva Breaks 1,500m World Indoor Record

Yelena Soboleva broke her own world indoor record for 1,500m in Moscow. At the Russian national championships the 25-year-old crossed the line in 3:58.05. Two years ago Soboleva also ran 3:58.28 in Moscow, well under the best time of the American Regina Jacobs (3:59.98). So far these are the only three times under 4:00 indoors.

In the latest world record race in Moscow, Yulia Fomenko (4:00.21) and Yekaterina Martynova (4:03.68) completed the leading positions. Soboleva also made headlines over 800m the day before, winning in a Russian record of 1:56.49, the fourth fastest time ever run for 800m indoors. Four runners went under 2:00 in the race. The world indoor record for 800m by Jolanda Ceplak (Slovenia), who at present is suspended because of a doping infringement, is 1:55.82. Next on the all-time world list are Stephanie Graf (Austria/1:55.85) and the former East Germany runner Christine Wachtel (1:56.40).

In the past two years, Soboleva has stunned with a number of fast times, but when contesting championships, the young Russian hasn’t been able to live up to her role of favorite. After her world indoor record two years ago, she was second a few weeks later in the final of the World Indoor Championships. In summer 2006 she improved to run 3:56.43, but finished only fourth in the European Championship final. Last year she was the fastest in the world with 3:57.30, but had no chance in the final of the World Championships against Maryam Jamal (Bahrain). But second place still brought the Muscovite the first medal of her outdoor championship career. In just over a month Soboleva will go into the World Indoor Championships in Valencia as the favorite.

A second world indoor record fell in Moscow on Sunday: a women’s squad from Sverdlovsk clocked 8:14.53 for the rarely run 4×800m relay.

Thomas Dold wins race to the top in New York

Thomas Dold won the race to the top of the Empire State Building in New York for the third straight year. The German needed just 10:08 to run up the building’s 1,576 stairs and 86 stories. That gave the 23-year-old an advantage of 8 seconds over Rickey Gates (USA) at the finish line on the observation platform. Although there are no such similar skyscrapers in Germany to offer training conditions, Dold’s compatriot Matthias Jahn was third in 10:56. Fastest woman was the Australian Suzy Walsham. She also retained her title in 12:44. The Americans Cindy Moll-Harris (13:33) and Fiona Bayly (13:57) took second and third.