TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More! - TheFinalSprint.com is the Premier Destination for Track & Field, Marathon, Cross Country, Olympic and Road Racing Enthusiasts.

Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

London Marathon Champions Return for BUPA London 10,000

Posted May 7th, 2008 at 10:28 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Britain’s two leading organizers of road races have joined forces to launch a new event slated for Monday, May 26. Dubbed the BUPA London 10,000, the event will be jointly produced by the Flora London Marathon and Nova International and will feature Martin Lel (Pictured) and Irina Mikitenko, the 2008 Flora London Marathon champions.

“We are delighted to have such strong elite fields for the first ever BUPA London 10,000,” said David Bedford, race director of the Flora London Marathon. “To have our current Flora London Marathon champions on the start line is a great boost for us in our first year.”
Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink

Lel Takes London Record in History-Making Race

Posted April 14th, 2008 at 10:20 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Like a bull at a rodeo, the men’s field at the 28th Flora London Marathon bolted out of the gate with reckless abandon. The athletes who were strong enough to hang on were rewarded with personal and national records, while others were thrown to the street, their hopes of victory incinerated by the fast pace.

But when the dust had settled at the grand finish line on The Mall, race director David Bedford’s bold experiment in aggressive pacemaking yielded –by several measures– the fastest men’s marathon of all-time, with three men cracking 2:06:00, and six men breaking 2:07:00, for the first time ever in a single race. Those times came after a breathtaking 62:12 first half which left some of the world’s best marathoners well off the pace.

“It was crazy,” said last year’s runner-up, Abderrahim Goumri, of the 14:21 (downhill) first 5-K.

But the fast pace, coupled with a cold and drenching rain which fell from the 18th through the 23rd miles, did little to knock defending champion Martin Lel (Pictured above) off of his game.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Kenya’s Lel Smashes Flora London Marathon Course Record

Posted April 13th, 2008 at 7:05 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

Kenya’s Martin Lel defended his title and smashed Khalid Khannouchi’s Flora London Marathon course record here today, clocking 2:05:15, a personal best. His compatriot, Samuel Wanjiru, stayed with Lel until the final turns before the finish, but was out-sprinted in the last 400m by the World Marathon Majors points leader. He finished second in 2:05:21, also a personal best. Abderrahim Goumri, last year’s runner-up, finished third in a Moroccan record 2:05:30.

American Ryan Hall, who fell back in the middle stages of the race after the blistering 62:12 first half began to take its toll, rebounded in the second half to finish fifth in 2:06:16 (unofficial), becoming the second-fastest American of all-time behind Khannouchi. Kenyan Emmanual Mutai held off Hall in the final sprint to take fifth in 2:06:14 (unofficial). With Deribe Merga taking sixth in 2:06:39 (unofficial), six men broke 2:07, the first time that has ever happened in marathon running.
Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink

Germany’s Irina Mikitenko Earns Upset Victory at 2008 Flora London Marathon

Posted April 13th, 2008 at 6:30 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

Germany’s Irina Mikitenko, who had a previous personal best time of 2:24:51, has defeated pre-race favorties Gete Wami and Berhane Adere to win the 2008 Flora London Marathon!

In what is her first major, international marathon victory, Mikitenko earned the victory and followed in the tradition of fellow German Uta Peppig in a time of 2:24:14.

Svetlana Zhakarova was the runner up (2:24:39) and Ethiopia’s Gete Wami, who had taken a serious fall and hurt her hip earlier in the race, finished third in 2:25:35. Selina Kosgei, Ludmila Petrova, Souad Ait Salem, Berhane Adere, Constantina Tomescu-Dita and Liz Yelling
Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink

London Marathon 2008: Elite Women’s Race Preview

Posted April 11th, 2008 at 3:30 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons

The women’s competition at the 2008 Flora London Marathon promises to be intense despite the absence of perennial favorite and World Record holder Paula Radcliffe, who recently withdrew due to a toe ailment. The race will still include a pair of Ethiopian stars as well as several other first class British marathoners. These women will be racing for one of the most prestigious titles in the marathon world as well as points in the World Marathon Majors contest.

Leading the way for the women will be the inaugural World Marathon Major Champion, Gete Wami of Ethiopia. Wami had a stellar track career before turning to the marathon, and has finished on the podium in numerous world class marathons. She won last fall’s Berlin marathon and finished second at London last year (to China’s Chunxiu Zhou). Her lifetime best of 2:21:34 ranks near the top of the field but is almost a minute slower than that of fellow Ethiopian Berhane Adere, whose 2:20:42 is the fastest in the field. Adere also sports an impressive marathon resume with two Chicago victories and the 2008 Dubai title to her credit. Adere will be looking to avenge a few uncharacteristically poor performances at London as her fourth and eleventh place finishes the last two years are far below her standards.
Read the rest of this entry »

2 comments, add yours | Permalink

Berlin Marathon Live
Women’s Race: 30K to Finish

Posted September 30th, 2007 at 5:27 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

Unlike the men’s race, in which Haile Gebrselassie set a new world record of 2:04:26, Gete Wami was nowhere near Paula Radcliffe’s 2:15:25. She was still on track for a 2:23 something. She needed to conserve her energy for the New York City Marathon which was just 35 days away. The 32 year old was vying for the World Marathon Majors title, worth up to $500,000.

German Irina Mikitenko was in 2nd place now, much to the pleasure of the home crowd.

She crossed the line in 2:23:17, crossing herself after she finished.

Mikitenko was 2nd, sprinting to the finish line in 2:24:53.

Helena Kirop, a 29 year old from Kenya, was 3rd 2:26:26.

Irina Timofeyeva, a 37 year old from Russia, was 4th in 2:26:55.

2 comments, add yours | Permalink

Berlin Marathon Live
Women’s Race: 20K to 30K

Posted September 30th, 2007 at 4:36 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

At this point in the race, the weather was as follows:

55°F
Clear
Wind: S at 10 mph
Humidity: 82%

Nine and a half minutes behind Gebrselassie, Gete Wami passed the 25Km mark in 1:23:35, 2:08 ahead of the second group. She was on track for a 2:21:05 marathon.

She passed 30Km in 1:40:45, a 2:21:42 pace, right on pace to equal her PB.

One comment, add yours | Permalink

Berlin Marathon Live
Women’s Race: 10K to 20K

Posted September 30th, 2007 at 4:10 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

Five minutes and 43 seconds behind the men’s lead pack, Gete Wami passed the 15Km in 49:58, a 5:21 per mile pace and on track for a 2:20:14 marathon. She was over 1 1/2 minutes ahead of the trail pack.

She passed the 20Km mark in 1:06:41. This time was on pace for a 2:20:41, which would be a PB and a national record.

The halfway mark was passed in 1:10:25, on pace for a 2:20:50 marathon. She was 2:06 ahead of the chase group.

Comment on this post | Permalink

Berlin Marathon Live
Women’s Race: Start to 10K

Posted September 30th, 2007 at 3:34 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

Gete Wami started the 34th Real,-Berlin Marathon on Sunday, September 30th, 2007 knowing that she would run way back in the pack, as most women do in marathons, while all eyes were on Haile Gebrselassie up at the front.

The weather conditions at the start were as follows:

54°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind: S at 8 mph
Humidity: 82%

She had told the media that she wanted to run around 2:21 or 2:22 to conserve energy for the New York City Marathon. in November. She ran through the 5Km mark in 16:33, on track for a fast 2:19:40 marathon. Irina Mikitenko was in the second pack.

She passed the 10Km mark in 33:21, on track for a 2:21:47 marathon. She was ahead of the trail pack by one minute.

Comment on this post | Permalink

Berlin Marathon 2007:
Women’s Preview

Posted September 29th, 2007 at 9:00 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons

The Women’s Race at the 2007 Berlin Marathon promises to bring great excitement to the German capital and the approximately one million spectators who will line the downtown course. This event has been the site of two women’s marathon world records in the last 8 years, Kenyan Tegla Loroupe’s 2:20:43 in 1999 and the first female sub-2:20 (2:19:46) by Japan’s Naoko Takahashi in 2001. The race will play a critical role in deciding the women’s champion of the first World Marathon Majors competition, which will conclude in November at the ING New York City Marathon.

Headlining the women’s field will be Ethiopian phenom Gete Wami, who won this race last year in a stellar 2:21:34. Wami has a sparkling resume in the 10,000m on the track and made her marathon debut in 2002 with a victory at Amsterdam (2:22:19). Last year’s Berlin victory and this year’s runner-up finish at London (2:21.45 in warm conditions) demonstrate that she is in fine form and is a clear favorite. Adding to the intrigue is Wami’s quest to take the women’s World Marathon Majors championship. With a victory in Berlin Wami would pass Latvia’s Jelena Prokopcuka for the overall lead in the standings. Barring injury she would then take on Prokopcuka in New York in just five weeks, an unheard of turnaround for an elite marathoner. Such an effort is risky but could well be validated by the $500,000.00 USD first prize.
Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink