FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Daniel Rono storms to new race record in
Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon
TORONTO, September 25th. Kenyan Daniel Rono ran his marathon streak to
three consecutive victories yesterday, as he defeated a high-quality field
in challenging, windy conditions on the Toronto Waterfront. His 2:10:15
took a minute and a half of the previous course record of 2:11:57, set by
Simon Bor last year. His time was only 20 seconds off the Canadian
all-comers mark [2:09:55], and represents the third fastest marathon ever
run on Canadian soil.
Rono, who entered the race with a PR of 2:12:02, won his marathon debut in
April 2005 in Madrid, coming within 10 seconds of a 14-year-old course
record there, then followed that up with a second win this January in
Mumbai, where he ran another 2:12 in tough, hot conditions.
After an excitable first kilometer of 2:49, a large group of more than 20
athletes settled down and tucked in behind the four pace makers who created
an excellent human barrier to the wind between 3k and 12k , at times having
to bend into it to maintain momentum. They passed 10K in 30:50, then
halfway on target-pace in 64:37. At this point, there were still 15 in
contention, including Rono, last year’s winner Bor, Commonwealth Games (06)
Champion Samson Ramadhani of Tanzania, and the Moroccan Abderrahime
Bouramdane , winner of Ottawa in May, in a previous PR of 2:12:18.
By 25k the group was down to six, with Kenyans Laban Moiben and Festus
Kioko just about holding onto the pack of four mentioned above. The pacers
had gone at this point, a job well done, and Ramadhani and Bouramdane were
pushing the pace to the extent that at this stage a 2:09 looked likely. By
30, passed in 1:32:07, the leaders were down to three, with Moiben, then
Kioko, then Bor dropping off, the latter with a sore calf muscle,
struggling home courageously to finish sixth. At 33k Ramadhani paid the
price for his earlier aggression, and the race was down to two, Rono and
Bouramdane. Turning into the wind [gusting from 25km to 30km/hr] just
before 34k, the pair ran shoulder to shoulder, no quarter being given by
either. Significantly, however, the pace dropped to 3:12 per kilometer and
the chances of picking up the 20,000$c bonus for breaking 2:09:55 slipped
away.
At 39k, Rono sensed that his opponent was tiring and made the decisive
move, surging hard and opening up a gap of some 40m in almost no time. He
maintained his style even into the wind in the last kilometer, to record a
very impressive winning time.
A new course record was also set in the women’s race, as Poland’s
Malgorzata Sobanska [a former London Marathon winner] ran a smart tactical
race, overhauling the long-time leader Elizabeth Chemweno of Kenya in the
last quarter of the race to cross the line in 2:34:31. This eclipsed the
mark of 2:36:20 set by Russia’s Lyubov Morgunova in 2003.
In the accompanying half marathon, locally-based DRC runner, Giitah
Macharia, benefitted from the shelter of the pacers in the marathon to 18k
before powering on to win in 64:37; the women’s race was won easily and
impressively by Commonwealth Games marathon silver medalist, Hellen Cherono
on Kenya.
Results
Men
1. Daniel Rono Kenya 2:10:14 CR [PR]
2. Abderrahime Bouramdane Morocco 2:10:41 PR
3. Peter Muthama Kenya 2:14:21
4. Festus Kioko Kenya 2:15:11
5. Laban Moiben Kenya 2:16:46
6. Simon Bor Kenya 2:16:48
Women
1. Malgorzata Sobanska Poland 2:34:32
2. Elizabeth Chemweno Kenya 2:37:41
3. Jessica Rodrigues Mexico 2:41:29
4. Victoria Klimina Russia 2:43:36
5. Tania Jones Canada 2:44:21
6. Beth Eburne GB 2:48:24
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