FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE – BMW BERLIN-MARATHON on Sunday:
Eliud Kipchoge runs world leading time of 2:04:00
while Gladys Cherono breaks the 2:20 barrier with 2:19:25
A Kenyan double in a major marathon is hardly unusual but there was a
majestic quality about the manner of victory for both Eliud Kipchoge and
Gladys Cherono on the streets of Berlin in the 42nd edition of the BMW
BERLIN-MARATHON. The 30-year-old Kipchoge defied footwear problems to run a
2:04:00 personal best by five seconds in ideal weather conditions. He
achieved this while both his insoles were flapping about, half out of his
shoes, from kilometre 16, although the runner himself admitted he had been
aware of a problem within the first kilometre. His fellow Kenyan Eliud
Kiptanui achieved a big lifetime best for second place with 2:05:22 ahead
of the Ethiopian Feyisa Lelisa, who clocked 2:06:57. Gladys Cherono smashed
the 2:20 barrier in only her second marathon, joining the exclusive club of
now 18 women who have achieved this distinction. The Kenyan ran the fastest
woman's time of the year with 2:19:25 ahead of the Ethiopian duo of the
former Berlin winner Aberu Kebede (2:20:48) and Meseret Hailu (2:24:33).
Taking into account both winning times, this edition of the BMW
BERLIN-MARATHON achieved seventh place in the all-time marathon list for
quality of performance. A grand total of 41,224 runners lined up on the
start line at 9 o'clock on Sunday morning for this latest edition in the
Abbott World Marathon Majors series which is also an IAAF Gold Label event,
the highest category of road race.
Men's Race:
A leading group of six was soon formed with the Kenyans Emmanuel Mutai,
Eliud Kipchoge, Geoffrey Mutai and Eliud Kiptanui prominent along with the
Ethiopians Feyisa Lelisa and Tamirat Tola. As the pacemakers went about
their work in the early stages, the main talking point was the state of
Eliud Kipchoge's shoes: the bright yellow footwear had acquired a
distinctive and unwanted accessory: both insoles had worked their way out
of the shoes and were flapping around his ankles with every step.
"It wasn't a good day for me in these shoes, although they're actually very
good. I tested them in Kenya but just had bad luck on the day. I had
problems from the first kilometre," explained Eliud Kipchoge, who may well
have threatened the world and course record of Dennis Kimetto from last
year but for this. Last year Kimetto became the first man to break 2:03
when he won the Berlin title in 2:02:57.
An attack on the world record began to look out of reach when the lead
group went through halfway in 61:53 since the plan had been for a split of
61:30. Despite his handicap, Eliud Kipchoge pushed the pace after David
Kogei, the last pacemaker, dropped out at 29 km. Kipchoge's surge split the
leading group and set up the decisive move when he ran 2:48 for the 32nd
kilometre. That took him well clear of his training partner Emmanuel Mutai.
The latter was then overtaken by Eliud Kiptanui and Feyisa Lelisa and
finished fourth in 2:07:46.
"My goal was the world record but it wasn't to be today. Nevertheless I'm
delighted with this win and a personal best. I would love to return to
Berlin and improve my time," said Eliud Kipchoge, who finished second in
the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON two years ago in what remained his personal best of
2:04:05 until today. The improvement of five seconds took him to ninth on
the all-time rankings for the fastest marathons.
Women's Race:
Gladys Cherono was always to the fore among a quartet who formed the
women's leading group. In January this year the Kenyan ran a highly
impressive marathon debut of 2:20:03 in Dubai while she had alongside her
the Ethiopians Aberu Kebede, twice a winner of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON
title (2010 and 2012) as well as Meseret Hailu and Tadelech Bekele. The
race had become a duel before 20 km as Cherono and Kebede drew clear. After
a halfway split of 70:15, Cherono increased the pace with 10 km to run and
broke away from her Ethiopian rival. That injection of pace also helped her
go under 2:20.
Gladys Cherono ran through the Brandenburg Gate and across the finish line
in 2:19:25, the third fastest time ever run by a woman in Berlin and just
13 seconds slower than the course record set by Japan's Mizuki Noguchi ten
years ago. "I didn't expect to run so fast and am delighted to win and the
way I did it," said the Kenyan, who achieved the fastest women's marathon
time since April 2012.
Results, Men:
1. Eliud Kipchoge KEN 2:04:00
2. Eliud Kiptanui KEN 2:05:21
3. Feyisa Lilesa ETH 2:06:57
4. Emmanuel Mutai KEN 2:07:46
5. Geoffrey Mutai KEN 2:09:29
6. Reid Coolseat CAN 2:10:28
7. Koen Naert BEL 2:10:31
8. Yared Shegumo POL 2:10:47
9. Koji Gokaya JPN 2:10:58
10. Scott Overall GBR 2:11:24
Women:
1. Gladys Cherono KEN 2:19:25
2. Aberu Kebede ETH 2:20:48
3. Meseret Hailu ETH 2:24:33
4. Tadelech Bekele ETH 2:25:01
5. Andrea Deelstra NED 2:26:46
6. Maja Neuenschwander SUI 2:26:49
7. Lisa Nemec CRO 2:27:57
8. Tomomi Tanaka JPN 2:28:00
9. Sonia Samuels GBR 2:28:04
10. Fate Tola ETH 2:28:24
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