Ethiopians dominate with profitable instances of two:03:17 and a couple of:16:42 as Brits Calli Hauger-Thackery and Phily Bowden run huge PBs
In a race bereft of well-known stars akin to Eliud Kipchoge, Tigist Assefa, Sifan Hassan and Kenenisa Bekele, it was Milkesa Mengesha and Tigist Ketema who made a reputation for themselves within the 50th Berlin Marathon on Sunday (Sept 29).
The Ethiopian duo accomplished an amazing day for his or her nation with runners from the east African nation filling three of the highest 5 locations within the males’s race and sweeping the highest 4 locations within the ladies’s class.
Mengesha surged away from Cybrian Kotut of Kenya within the remaining half mile to win by 5 seconds in 2:03:17 as Haymanot Alew of Ethiopia was third in 2:03:31 and Stephen Kiprop of Kenya fourth in 2:03:37.
On Berlin’s famously quick course, the lads cruised by means of 5km in 14:25 and 10km in 28:42 earlier than passing midway in 60:57. There have been nonetheless 9 males within the lead group at 35km and these included Kibiwott Kandie, the previous world half-marathon record-holder, though he was quickly amongst these to get dropped, finally ending 13th. Equally, Tadese Takele, one other pre-race favorite, light to seventh within the latter levels in 2:05:13 as Mengesha up forward went from energy to energy.
Milkesa Mengesha (Getty)
“I needed to cease at 38km in London Marathon earlier this yr so I used to be anxious about that taking place once more right here,” stated Mengesha. “However I had ready nicely so every thing was okay. I had the prospect to run Chicago (Oct 14) however I knew the course was very quick in Berlin so I’m happy I selected to run right here.”
Solely 5 years in the past Mengesha gained the world under-20 cross-country title on a gruelling course in Aarhus, Denmark. Among the many runners behind him that day was Jakob Ingebrigtsen – the Norwegian ending an exhausted 12th.
The 24-year-old ran 2:05:29 on his marathon debut in Valencia in 2022, then 2:10:43 to position sixth the World Champs in Budapest in 2023, plus a DNF in London this yr, earlier than having fun with this breakthrough victory in Berlin.
Girls’s winner Ketema started her working profession as an 800m runner. The 26-year-old gained bronze over that distance on the 2016 World Underneath-20 Championships in Poland and clocked 2:02.00 the next yr, however she started to maneuver on to the roads and in 2022 gained the Nice Ethiopian Run 10km – a proper of passage for a lot of up-and-coming runners from Ethiopia – and in 2023 she acted as a pacemaker in Religion Kipyegon’s world 5000m report run in Paris.
Tigist Ketema (Getty)
Ketema trains along with her namesake – marathon world record-holder Assefa – and within the marathon she began this yr with the quickest ever debut by a lady when she ran 2:16:07 to win in Dubai. She didn’t take pleasure in an amazing run in London in April as she clocked 2:23:21 in seventh however right here in Berlin she ran nearly as quick once more as she clocked 2:16:42.
After passing 10km in 32:14 and midway in 67:53, Ketema drew away from her feminine rivals and, surrounded by a big group of males, together with her personal pacemakers, she completed simply over 4 minutes forward of Mestawot Fikir, who ran 2:18:48, with Bosena Mulatie third in 2:19.00
“I’m very grateful that I used to be in a position to run right here in Berlin and with the assistance of God I used to be in a position to win,” stated Ketema.
Hauger-Thackery and Bowden excel
Calli Hauger-Thackery took nearly a minute off her PB of two:22:11 to clock 2:21:24 in seventh place.
The 31-year-old’s finest got here on the McKirdy Micro Marathon in New York final December. She went on to win bronze on the European half-marathon in Rome this yr however dropped out of the Olympic marathon in Paris. In Berlin she was again in high type, although, as she cemented her No.2 place on the UK all-time rankings behind Paula Radcliffe’s 2:15:25 nationwide report.
Additionally excelling was Lisa Weightman because the Australian, who turned 45 in January, ran 2:24:40 – simply over a minute outdoors her PB.
Phily Bowden, who went into the race main the UK rankings for 2024 courtesy of her 2:29:14 from Houston in January, smashed her finest to 2:25:47 in fifteenth to go No.9 on the UK all-time rankings simply forward of Veronique Marot, Sam Harrison and Natasha Cockram.
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One other Brit, Georgia Malir, additionally ran a three-minute PB of two:36:38 in 30th.
Marcel Hug of Switzerland gained his ninth Berlin Marathon wheelchair race title in 87:18 from runner-up David Weir of Britain in 89:05 as Catherine Debrunner made it a Swiss double as she took the ladies’s wheelchair race victory in 95:23 from Susannah Scaroni and Manuela Schar.
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