The start of the 2010 Chicago Marathon. © www.photorun.net
For the second time in a row, Sammy Wanjiru and Liliya Shobukhova won the 33rd edition of the Chicago Marathon. Sammy Wanjiru’s victory in Chicago virtually assures him the men’s title of the 2009-2010 World Marathon Majors series, while Liliya Shobukhova, who won this year’s London Marathon as well, is guaranteed to win the women’s title.
In a race with temperatures far from optimal (77 degrees Fahrenheit), Sammy Wanjiru’s winning time was an impressive 2:06:24, while Liliya Shobukhova beat her own world-leading time this year with 2:20:25 hours. She also set a Russian record and moved to tenth place on the all-time list.
Elites aside, there were a stunning 36,195 finishers in Sunday’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
Thrilling Duel in the Men’s Race
Just after the starting gun went off, a lead pack of eight formed. Along with Sammy Wanjiru were the Ethiopians, Tsegaye Kebede, winner of this year’s London Marathon, and Deriba Merga. Before the race began, this trio also led the WMM series and had a chance of winning it with Sammy Wanjiru and Tsegaye Kebede being tied with points. This pre-race dynamic set up the makings of an incredible duel between the Kenyan and the Ethiopian.
When the lead group reached the half marathon in 62:35 minutes, the favorites were on pace to break Sammy Wanjiru’s course record (2:05:41), which he set last year. However, the warm temperatures took their toll on the runners in the second half and the pace dropped somewhat.
While Tsegaye Kebede and Sammy Wanjiru dictated events at the head of the race, their competitors began to fall back. Near the 28-kilometer mark, Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, winner of the Boston Marathon in April in a course record, was no longer in the mix. Then after 30K (reached in 1:29:36), it was Deriba Merga’s turn to drop back. Left in the race at that point were: Tsegaye Kebede, Sammy Wanjiru and Feyisa Lilesa. Four kilometers from the finish, the Ethiopian began to lose contact as Tsegaye Kebede consistently pushed the pace. Sammy Wanjiru was also having problems and fell back slightly. The Olympic champion attempted several times in vain to close the gap. Tsegaye Kebede countered every one of these moves by surging ahead. The London Marathon champion seemed certain of victory, while Sammy Wanjiru appeared to accept the inevitable outcome: second place.
Sammy Wanjiru triumphs once again in Chicago. © www.photorun.net
“I began to lose hope because I wasn’t in the best shape,” Sammy Wanjiru later explained. Just last April, the Kenyan had to drop out of the London Marathon, because of injury and needed a long time to get back into racing shape. In addition to this earlier setback, he was sidelined in his last, hard week of training before Chicago due to an attack of gastro-enteritis. “Before the race, we thought ‘If he gets second or third place, that would be success.’ What happened today is the biggest surprise I’ve ever had in the marathon,” Sammy Wanjiru’s manager, the Italian Federico Rosa, told the IAAF Web site.
However, the Olympic champion never gave up. If it came down to a sprint finish, he would have an advantage, because of his basic speed. (Sammy Wanjiru once owned the world record for the half marathon.) He is also a decent warm-weather runner as evidenced by his victory and Olympic record in hot and humid Beijing in 2008. In Chicago, Sammy Wanjiru was able to turn the tables just before the finish. He caught Tsegaye Kebede and sprinted away over the last 200 meters, beating the stunned Tsegaye by 19 seconds.
The Wanjiru-Kebede duel put a large gap between the rest of the top finishers. Feyisa Lilesa was a distant third in 2:08:10. Another three athletes, all from Kenya, went under 2:10: Wesley Korir (2:08:44), Vincent Kipruto (2:09:08), and Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot (2:09:28)
Liliya Shobukhova’s Tactics Pay Off
Liliya Shobukhova wins in a Russian record. © www.photorun.net
In the women’s race, Liliya Shobukhova once again proved victorious. The Russian has now won three major marathons in a row: Chicago 2009, London 2010, and has now retained her title in Chicago. The 32-year-old champion didn’t go with the very fast early pace set by the Ethiopians. When Atsede Baysa and Mamitu Daska reached halfway in 69:45, Liliya Shobukhova was approximately 100 meters behind them.
While the Dubai Marathon champion, Mamitu Daska, dropped back shortly afterwards, Atsede Baysa, who had won the Paris Marathon in 2:22:04 in April, extended her lead. At 30K she was just over half a minute clear of Liliya Shobukhova. But the longer the race went on, the more the Ethiopian suffered with the heat. “My form was good but it was too hot,” said Atsede Baysa later. Her pace slowed and Liliya Shobukhova, running even pace, drew closer and closer. “I wasn’t at all surprised that the Ethiopians slowed down—I always felt in control of the race,” explained Liliya Shobukhova.
At around the 34K mark, the Russian caught the Ethiopian and took the lead. Her victory looked certain, but Liliya Shobukhova still had another objective: the Russian record. Her compatriot and training partner, Galina Bogomolova, ran a Russian record (2:20:47) when finishing second in Chicago in 2006. Liliya Shobukhova’s time of 2:20:25 improved the old record by 22 seconds and was the fastest time by a woman marathoner since Irina Mikitenko in 2008 (2:19:19). Atsede Baysa finished second in 2:23:40 and third place went to the Russian Maria Konovalova (2:23:50) who improved her personal best by almost 12 minutes in her second marathon.
Finishing behind Desiree Davila (USA/2:26:20) and ahead of Mamitu Daska (2:28:29) was the 38-year-old German record holder, Irina Mikitenko, in fifth place with 2:26:40. The German winner of the WMM Series for the past two years didn’t feel strong enough to go with the leaders after suffering a bad cold in September while she prepared for the race. “I couldn’t run a first half in 70 minutes. That’s why I held back,” explained Irina. “But that meant I had to run on my own and it turned really warm in the second half of the race.” However, the two-time London Marathon winner (2008 and 2009) was able to run the second half marathon strongly, while having completed the first half in 73:06.
A record entry of 38,132 athletes from all over the United States and more than 100 countries were at the starting line of Chicago’s flat course, which began and finished in the popular Grant Park on 10/10/2010. Each year, the marathon also offers an outstanding opportunity to run for charity. In 2009 alone, over 8,000 runners raised about $10 million for 123 charities worldwide.
KIMbia Men’s Team Shines in Bean Town
KIMbia’s John Korir, seen here at the 2007 NYC Half Marathon, is victorious in Boston. © www.photorun.net
It was a fantastic day for KIMbia’s runners in Boston on Sunday. In the 10th anniversary edition of the Boston Athletic Association’s Half-Marathon, KIMbia’s John Korir and Alan Kiprono (both from Kenya) finished 1-2. John Korir’s winning time was 1:02:21, the same winning time as last year’s race and only a second shy of Tom Nyariki’s (Kenya) event record set in 2007. The finish was a close one, as Alan Kiprono was given the same time and was just a yard back from his countryman. “This time the course was nice for me,” John Korir told the Boston Herald afterwards. John was alluding to the new course that was unveiled this year: with more hills than the old one. His victory was a personal success after he finished 15th last year due to struggling with a hamstring injury.
Caroline Rotich, also of Kenya, won the women’s race in 1:10:23 hours—a successful rehearsal for her start at the ING New York City Marathon next month. 4,450 athletes registered to enjoy the new course through the city of Boston and were greeted by nearly perfect running conditions. Among the participants were 500 Dana-Farber runners, raising an estimated 250,000 Dollars for the charity.
