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Lead Stories: Friday, August 29, 2008

Ryan Hall’s Post-Olympic Video: Passion for the Run

Posted August 27th, 2008 at 6:01 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

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Wanjiru Surges to Olympic Marathon Title

Posted August 24th, 2008 at 9:05 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Like Usain Bolt in the 100 and 200 meters,
marathoner Sammy Wanjiru blew away the field and the Olympic record here today, surging away from a stacked field to win Kenya’s first ever Olympic Marathon gold medal. Just 21 years-old, Wanjiru won his
second marathon in three starts, getting under Carlos Lopes’s 1984 Games record by nearly three minutes. Unfazed by a blazing sun, he recorded a finish time which would win nearly any cool weather marathon in the spring or fall: 2:06:30.

“The best guy won today,” said 2004 ING New York City Marathon champion Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa. “He runs without fear.”

Wanjiru beat up on the field right from the opening gun. There would be no dawdling pace at the start of this marathon, not like so many other major championships in the past. Wanjiru and teammates Martin Lel and Luke Kibet got some unexpected assistance from the Eritreans Yared Asmerom and Yonas Kifle, and the pace was hot in the opening kilometers. The first 5 km went down in 14:52, a 2:05:28 marathon finish pace, dramatically faster than anyone had expected.
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Wanjiru Sets Olympic Marathon Record in Victory

Posted August 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Kenya’s Samuel Wanjiru used a blistering early pace and a late race surge to shatter the Olympic Record in winning the final distance event of these Games. Wanjiru’s time of 2:06:32 broke the old record by an astounding 2:49 and is even more remarkable considering the sweltering conditions in which he performed. Wanjiru was joined on the podium by silver medalist Jaouad Gharib of Morocco (2:07:16) and Tsegay Kebede of Ethiopia (2:10:00). Despite his country’s dominance on the world marathon circuit, Wanjiru’s triumph was the first Olympic gold medal for Kenya.

The storylines prior to this race were focused mainly on the Kenyan contingent and their goal of ending their gold medal drought. Despite the withdrawal of four-time Boston Marathon champ Robert Cheruiyot, the Kenyan squad of Wanjiru, multiple-time New York and London champ Martin Lel, and reigning World Champion Luke Kibet would prove formidable. The Kenyans were expected to face stiff competition from the Moroccan and Ethiopian teams as well as notable individual challengers such as American Ryan Hall. Perhaps the biggest challenge for every runner in the field would be the conditions, as a flat course would be offset by the heat and humidity typical of summer in Beijing.
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Ritz, Hall, Sell finish in 9th, 10th, and 22nd

Posted August 23rd, 2008 at 9:49 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Dathan Ritzenhein, Ryan Hall, and Brian Sell have completed their Olympic Marathons in fine fashion. Ritzenhein and Hall finished in 9th (2:11:59) and 10th (2:12:33) respectively with Brian Sell placing 22nd (2:16:07). Stayed tuned for more analysis of their races at thefinalsprint.com …

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Wanjiru Wins Olympic Marathon; Gharib and Kebede Claim Silver and Bronze

Posted August 23rd, 2008 at 9:43 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Kenyan Samuel Wanjiru has won the Olympic Marathon, the first Olympic Marathon gold medal for the storied Kenyan distance team. Wanjiru’s time of 2:06:32 broke the old Olympic record by almost 3:00 (2:09:21 was the old record) and was a remarkable achievement given the steamy conditions. Morocco’s Jaouad Gharib took silver in while Ethiopia’s Tsegay Kebede took bronze, passing teammate Deriba Merga on the track.

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Wanjiru, Merga, Gharib only men left at 20 miles

Posted August 23rd, 2008 at 8:57 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

The lead pack of the Olympic Marathon has been whittled to three- Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya, Deriba Merga of Ethiopia, and Jaouad Gharib of Morocco. Their 20 mile split was 1:35:52, still right around 2:05:40 pace. Wanjiru and Merga look very strong while Gharib has drifted off the pace numerous times but has been able to claw back to the front each time. Martin Lel and Yonas Kifle are now off the leaders, but running together as the closest pursuers. Americans Dathan Ritzenhein and Ryan Hall are in 10th and 13th, about 2:30 and 3:30 back respectively. Brian Sell is another 1:30 back from Hall in 18th place. Thus far the leaders have been able to deal with the heat admirably, but this last 10k promises to challenge every man in the race. Stay tuned….

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Lead pack down to 5 through 15 miles of Olympic Marathon

Posted August 23rd, 2008 at 8:36 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

The lead pack has dwindled to five through 15 miles of the Olympic Marathon. These men- Martin Lel and Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya, Yonas Kifle of Eritrea, Deriba Merga of Ethiopia and Jaouad Gharib of Morocco- are still running around 2:05-2:06 pace. They came through the half marathon in 1:02:38 and 15 miles in 1:11:24. Their closest competitors are about 45 seconds back, with Americans Dathan Ritzenhein and Ryan Hall nearing the top 10 about 1:15 back. The temperature continues to rise as the morning progresses in Beijing. The question now will be who in the lead pack can hold on for another 11 miles, and who among the chasers can reel them in?

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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…

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Olympic Marathon Underway!

Posted August 23rd, 2008 at 7:26 PM by Jared Markowitz

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

The Men’s Marathon is underway at the 2008 Olympic Games. Ninety two men toed the line including Americans Ryan Hall , Dathan Ritzenhein, and Brian Sell. The thermometer read 74 degrees at the start, with humidity at 67%. These conditions should become more severe and play a role as the morning progresses, even on the relatively flat Olympic course.

Among the favorites in this race are Kenyans Martin Lel and Sammy Wanjiru, Moroccans Abderrahim Goumri and Jaouad Gharib, Qatar’s Mubarak Shami, Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Kebede, Japan’s Tsuyoshi Ogata, and of course Ryan Hall. Look for these men to set a brisk pace as conditions allow and set themselves up for a late race battle. Of course the marathon is one of the most unpredictable events out there, so it would be surprising if there are no upstarts who play a major role….

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2008 Beijing Olympic Preview: Men’s Marathon

Posted August 23rd, 2008 at 6:00 PM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Men’s Marathon
The Schedule: Sunday, Aug 24 (live on NBC, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EDT)
The Americans: Ryan Hall, Dathan Ritzenhein, Brian Sell
The Contenders: Sammy Wanjiru (KEN), Martin Lel (KEN), Robert Cheruyiot (KEN), Mubarak Shami (QAT), Abderrahim Goumri (MAR), Jaouad Gharib (MAR), Tsegaye Kebede (ETH), Tsuyoshi Ogata (JPN)
The Stats: Records, 2008 List, 2007 Worlds, 2004 Olympics
The Medal Picks: T&FN - Wanjiru, Lel, Goumri;
SI - Lel, Goumri, Kebede
The Story: If you look at the World Marathon Majors leader board, you would expect the race to come down to Lel, Cheruyiot and Goumri, or new half-marathon World Record holder Wanjiru. But that’s predicting the future based solely on what has happened in the past, and that’s an iffy proposition for the marathon.
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