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Lead Pack of 7 intact through 10 miles of Olympic Marathon

Posted August 23rd, 2008 at 8:20 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

A lead pack of 7 men have passed the 10 mile mark of the Olympic Marathon in a sizzling 47:46. This pack includes all three Kenyan entrants (Martin Lel, Samuel Wanjiru, and Luke Kibet) as well as Moroccans Abderrahim Goumri and Jaouad Gharib and Eritreans Yared Asmeron and Yonas Kifle. The Kenyans and Eritreans have been trading the lead, with Samuel Wanjiru periodically leading surges to pull the leaders further from the rest of the field. They are currently under 2:05 pace, quite ambitious considering the rising temperatures on this summer morning. The temperatures have risen nine degrees (into the mid-80s) since the start and will likely continue to rise in the next two hours.

Back in the pack, the Americans are running more conservatively and perhaps more intelligently. Dathan Ritzenhein is about 50 seconds back, Ryan Hall is about 70 seconds back, and Brian Sell is about 2:33 off the leaders. Look for these men to pick off competitors throughout the second half of the race as the pace takes its toll. Hall is perhaps drawing his inspiration from Deena Kastor’s bronze medal effort in 2004, where the American moved up throughout the race as her more ambitious competition faltered in the heat. Nonetheless, the Americans have a lot of ground to make up…