Press Release - BIG 25 Berlin - 5/9/10

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                    Berlin Runs With 10,114 Athletes

    Samuel Kosgei and Mary Keitany make it a sensational and unique double 
                   world record race at the BIG 25 Berlin

Kenyans Samuel Kosgei and Mary Keitany crowned the jubilee edition of the 
BIG 25 Berlin with unique double world record performances. Never before 
have both world records been broken in one road race. While Sammy Kosgei 
stormed into the finish inside the Berlin Olympic Stadium with a time of 
1:11:50, Mary Keitany clocked a sensational 1:19:53. She became the first 
female runner to dip under 1:20 in a 25 k race. Both records were smashed 
in the BIG 25 Berlin race. Organisers of BERLIN RUNS registered 10,114 
runners from 47 nations at the 30th edition of the race.

Elite runners took advantage of perfect conditions for running on Sunday 
morning. While temperatures were between 12 and 14° Celsius there was 
practically no wind at all and the sky was overcast. A big leading group of 
more than 20 African runners surged through the 5 k point in 14:29 minutes. 
While the first five kilometres after the start at the Olympic Stadium are 
slightly downhill pacemakers made sure that the pace kept high on the flat 
parts in the city centre. The 10 k point was reached in 29:01, followed by 
a very fast 5 k section of 14:04 (15 k split: 43:05). In this part of the 
race the group fell apart and finally a duel between Samuel Kosgei and 
Gilbert Kirwa (Kenya), the winner of the Frankfurt Marathon in 2009, 
developed. At first the defending champion Matthew Koech (Kenya) ran 
together with the two, but he soon dropped back. 

The pace kept high although the section between 18 and 21 k is slightly 
uphill. Samuel Kosgei - he was Haile Gebrselassie's pacemaker in last 
year's Berlin Marathon and was next to the Ethiopian when the 30 k world 
record of 1:27:49 was established in that race - and Gilbert Kirwa had 
reached the 20 k mark in 57:22 and then they achieved a remarkable half 
marathon split time of 60:42. In the final two kilometres 24 year-old 
Samuel Kosgei opened a decisive gap. He finally improved the world record 
set by Paul Kosgei (Kenya) in this race in 2004 (1:12:45) by almost one 
minute. Gilbert Kirwa took second and he also achieved a sub 1:12 time with 
1:11:58. Terefe Maregu (Ethiopia) was third in 1:13:16.

Altogether seven runners finished inside 1:14. Among them was the former 
world record holder Paul Kosgei. He had been in the leading group until 
close to the 15 k mark and finally finished in sixth position with 1:13:48. 
 
"It was my aim to run 1:12 here today. But I did not think that I could win 
this and I also did not expect to run sub 1:12," said Samuel Kosgei. "My 
next goal is running my first marathon. I would like to come back to Berlin 
for that in September. If Haile Gebrselassie should return I would look 
forward to this. And it would be my goal to beat him." 

Right from the start Mary Keitany ran her own race at the front, supported 
by two pacemakers. With an even pace the 28 year-old World Half Marathon 
Champion was on course for a time of around 1:20 throughout the race. She 
reached the 10 k mark in 31:58 minutes - a time which would be good enough 
to win almost all of Germany's 10 k races - and then clocked 47:58 at the 
15 k point. Even when the course was going up on the way back to the 
Olympic Stadium Mary Keitany kept her rhythm and speed perfectly. Finally 
clocking 1:19:53 she smashed the world record set by Japan's Mizuki Noguchi 
during the Berlin Marathon 2005 (1:22:13). 

Mary Keitany was almost five minutes ahead of Alice Timbilili (1:24:38), 
who was second. Pasalia Kipkoech (both Kenya/1:26:47), who had recently won 
the Berlin Half Marathon, took third. "I have prepared long and intensively 
for this race and I had expected to break the world record. But I did not 
expect to break it by such a margin and to run sub 1:20," said Mary 
Keitany, who intends to run her marathon debut in autumn.

"Two world records in one race and additionally a time barrier broken by 
Mary Keitany - you really can not have a better jubilee race," said a 
thrilled Christoph Kopp, who is the elite athletes' manager for the BIG 25 
Berlin.

Results, Men:
1. Samuel Kosgei       KEN  1:11:50
2. Gilbert Kirwa       KEN  1:11:58
3. Terefe Maregu       ETH  1:13:16
4. Erick Rotich        KEN  1:13:24
5. Matthew Koech       KEN  1:13:45
6. Paul Kosgei         KEN  1:13:48
7. Felix Keny          KEN  1:13:53
8. Allan Kiprono       KEN  1:14:15
9. Joel Kimurer        KEN  1:14:34
10. Lusapho April      RSA  1:15:02

Women:
1. Mary Keitany        KEN  1:19:53
2. Alice Timbilili     KEN  1:24:38
3. Pasalia Kipkoech    KEN  1:26:47
4. Eunice Kales        KEN  1:29:05
5. Christine Chepkemei KEN  1:29:30

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