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Lead Stories: Sunday, September 7, 2008

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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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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Lel, Ndereba lead Kenyan Olympic Marathon Squad

Posted April 23rd, 2008 at 1:40 PM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Olympics

Three-time Flora London Marathon champion Martin Lel (Pictured) and reigning world marathon champion Catherine Ndereba will head a strong Kenyan Olympic squad announced by Athletics Kenya today.

Lel, who took down the London course record with his career best 2:05:15 10 days ago, will be joined by Robert Cheruiyot and Sammy Wanjiru.

Cheruiyot, 33, cruised to his fourth Boston Marathon victory on Monday while Wanjiru, 21, the world record holder for the half-marathon at 58:33, finished second behind Lel in London last week in 2:05:24, also a career best.
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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.
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Ryan Hall Takes Fifth at 2008 Flora London Marathon

Posted April 14th, 2008 at 5:46 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Marathons

U.S. marathon phenom Ryan Hall (Big Bear Lake, Calif.) on Sunday ran 2:06:17 to finish fifth at the Flora London Marathon, the opening race of the 2008 World Marathon Majors series. Martin Lel (KEN) successfully defended his title running a new course record of 2:05:15, American Khalid Khannouchi’s mark by 23 seconds.

Hall’s time makes him the second fastest American all-time for the marathon behind Khannouchi.
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2008 London Marathoners Assault Alltime List

Posted April 13th, 2008 at 7:36 AM by Jimmie R. Markham

Section: News & Results, Marathons

The 2008 Flora London Marathon produced 5 of the 22 fastest marathon times of all time, including the 5th, 6th and 7th fastest of all time (Martin Lel’s 2:05:15, Samuel Wanjiru’s 2:05:24 and Abderrahim Goumri’s 2:05:30). Not too far back were Emmanuel Mutai and Ryan Hall with the 17th and 23rd fastest times of all time, Mutai running a 2:06:15 and Hall just two seconds back in 2:06:17. Hall’s performance makes him the 2nd fastest American of all time, only 38 seconds behind Khalid Khannouchi’s 2:05:38 and the fastest American born marathoner of all time. Hall also became the 3rd fastest non-African marathoner of all time, behind only Brazil’s Ronaldo da Costa (2:06:05) and Japan’s Toshinari Takaoka’s (2:06:16). Hall also becomes the 17th fastest marathoner of all time. Here are the top marathers off all time:

01. 2:04:26 Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) Berlin, 09/30/2007
02. 2:04:53 Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) Dubai, 01/18/2008
03. 2:04:55 Paul Tergat (KEN) Berlin, 09/28/2003
04. 2:04:56 Sammy Korir (KEN) Berlin, 09/28/2003
05. 2:05:15 Martin Lel (KEN) London, 04/13/2008
06. 2:05:24 Samuel Wanjiru (KEN) London, 04/13/2008
07. 2:05:30 Abderrahim Goumri (MAR) London, 04/13/2008
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