Special Edition C 17 January 2017
Marathon world record coming Friday?
| There is an air of expectation settling around Dubai, capital of the
United Arab Emirates. Before the sun rises on Friday, runners in the 18th
Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon will start on their 26.2-mile trek.
All eyes will be on one of those runners: Ethiopia’s 34-year-old superstar
Kenenisa Bekele.
That’s because he is widely expected to attempt a world-record run, trying
to set a standard he narrowly missed last fall in the Berlin Marathon. And
Bekele is not someone to be doubted. Consider his achievements:
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Current World Record holder in the 5,000 m (12:37.35 in 2004) and
10,000 m (26:17.53 in 2005).
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Olympic champion in the 5,000 m (2008, plus silver in 2004) and 10,000 m (2004 and 2008),
plus World Champion in the 5,000 m in 2009 and 10,000 m in 2003-05-07-09.
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Ran the second-fastest marathon of all time in Berlin – 2:03:03 – on 25 September after more
than five years of injuries and disappointments.
The Berlin race, in which he outran Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang – a former world-record holder
himself from 2015 – was the impetus for Bekele to run in Dubai:
"I wanted to run my personal best here," said Bekele after the Berlin win. "The time was fantastic. I’m
so happy to have broken the Ethiopian record of Haile Gebrselassie, but I’m a little disappointed
as well, since I didn’t break the world record. But I hope I can come back here again and get a second
chance. Towards the end of the race I had a few problems with my hamstrings but otherwise it was
okay."
Disappointed with 2:03:03? Only Bekele could be. If his health is in order, he has a lot going for him
in Dubai:
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The loop course is flat and notoriously fast: the race record is 2:04:23 by Ethiopian Ayele
Abshero from 2012.
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Conditions should be good: the race will start in darkness at 6:30 a.m. (sunrise is 7:05 a.m.)
with temperatures in the 60s (16-20 C). High temps are expected only to reach 80 F on the day
and Bekele will have finished long before.
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He’s no stranger to the city or the race. He ran this race in 2015, but had to drop out after
30 km due to hamstring problems.
Tuesday,
17 January 2017
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As great as Bekele is, he could have company. Countryman Tsegaye Mekonnen (21), who
won the 2014 Dubai Marathon in 2:04:32 and was third last year (2:04:46) is also expected to
run, among others.
The Dubai race is regarded as the world’s richest, with elite-race prize money of $200,000-80,00040,000-20,000-13,000-12,000-11,500-11,000-10,500-10,000 for places 1-10 for both men and
women. And for 2017, a increased bonus of $250,000 is available for a world record.
So there is plenty of incentive, plus the usual complement of pacesetters to help with the attempt.
But the world record of 2:02:57 by Kenya’s Dennis Kimetto from the 2014 Berlin Marathon is not
an easy mark. Consider running 4:42 for the mile, every mile for 26.2 miles and you’ll run 2:03:00
and still be three seconds short.
There are conspiracy theorists out there already. On Monday, South African physiologist Ross
Tucker examined the possibilities for a sub-2:00 marathon, noting that attempts are already being
organized, including a possible staged race later this spring. But he also wrote this about a possible
breakthrough in technology from Nike that could change everything:
“A shoe with springs, for instance, would allow a runner to go the same speed using less energy.
Ergo, they could go faster before a potential limit is reached.
“Indeed, I suspect this shoe already exists, and will be used by another great marathon runner,
Kenenisa Bekele, in a marathon in Dubai this Friday. So keep an eye out for a potential world
record there, and a hint of what may be to come.”
The marathon world record has belonged to the Berlin Marathon since 2003, when Kenya’s Paul
Tergat ran 2:04:55, followed by five more record performances in 2007-08-11-13-14. If you’re
wondering, a world record in Dubai would NOT be the first-ever record set in the Middle East.
Kenya’s late Sammy Wanjiru ran a half-marathon record of 58:53 in Ras al-Khaimah in 2007, and
there have been others.
The race will be streamed live by FloTrack, which is a subscription-based site, beginning at 9:20 p.m.
Eastern time (6:20 p.m. Pacific) on Thursday evening.
EXTRA Stat Blitz
C History:
The Dubai Marathon debuted in 2000 and has been one of the world’s fastest marathons for more
than a decade. The defending champions:
= Men:
= Women:
Tesfaye Abera (ETH)
Tirfi Tsegaye (ETH)
2:04:24
2:19:41
Ethiopians have won five men’s races in a row and eight of the last nine. Ethiopian women have
won 10 in a row and 12 of the last 13.
Tuesday,
17 January 2017
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Dubai Marathon top 10 performances and performers:
Men:
2:04:23 Ayele Abshero (ETH) ‘12
2:04:24 Tesfaye Abera (ETH) ‘16
2:04:32 Tsegaye Mekonnen (ETH) ‘14
2:04:33 Lemi Berhanu (ETH) ‘16
2:04:45 Lelisa Desisa (ETH) ‘13
2:04:46
Mekonnen ‘16
2:04:48 Berhanu Shiferaw (ETH) ‘13
2:04:49 Tadesse Tola (ETH) ‘13
2:04:50 Dino Sefir (ETH) ‘12
2:04:52 Endeshaw Negesse (ETH) ‘13
(10 performances by 9 performers)
2:04:53 Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) ‘08
Bernard Kiprop (KEN) ‘13
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All-time top-10 marathon performances:
2:02:57
2:03:23
2:03:05
2:03:13
2:03:38
2:03:42
2:03:45
2:03:51
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Women:
2:19:31
Aselefech Mergia (ETH) ’12
2:19:34
Lucy Wangui Kabuu (KEN) ‘12
2:19:41
Tirfi Tsegaye (ETH) ‘16
2:19:52
Mare Dibaba (KEN) ‘12
2:20:02
Mergia ‘15
2:20:03 Gladys Cherono (KEN) ‘15
2:20:21
Wangui Kabuu (KEN) ‘15
2:20:30 Bezunesh Bekele (ETH) ‘12
2:20:33 Aberi Kebede (ETH) ‘12
2:20:48 Amane Beriso (ETH) ‘16
(10 performances by 8 performers)
2:20:59 Shuhre Demissie (ETH) ‘15
2:21:30 Lydia Cheromei (KEN) ‘12
Men:
Dennis Kimetto (KEN) ‘14
Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) ‘16
Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) ‘16
Emannuel Mutai (KEN) ‘14
Wilson Kiprotich (KEN) ‘16
Kiprotich ‘16
Patrick Musyoki (KEN) ‘11
Kiprotich ‘11
Kimetto ‘13
Stanley Biwott (KEN) ‘16
2:15:25
2:17:18
2:17:42
2:18:37
2:18:47
2:18:56
2:18:58
2:19:12
2:19:19
Women:
Paula Radcliffe (GBR) ‘03
Radcliffe ‘02
Radcliffe ‘05
Mary Keitany (KEN) ‘12
Catherine Ndebera (KEN) ‘01
Radcliffe ‘02
Tiki Gelana (ETH) ‘12
Mizuki Noguchi (JPN) ‘05
Irina Mikitenko (GER) ‘08
Keitany ‘11
Recent men’s World Record progression (as recognized by the IAAF):
2:04:55
2:04:26
2:03:59
2:03:38
2:03:23
2:03:03
Paul Tergat (KEN)
Berlin
28 Sep 2003
Haile Gebrselassie (ETH)
Berlin
30 Sep 2007
Gebrselassie
Berlin
28 Sep 2008
Patrick Makau (KEN)
Berlin
25 Sep 2011
Wilson Kipsang (KEN)
Berlin
29 Sep 2013
Dennis Kimetto (KEN)
Berlin
28 Sep 2014
(5 km splits: 14:42 - 29:24 - 44:10 - 58:36 - 1:13:08 - 1:27:38 - 1:41:47 - 1:56:29 - 6:28)
The Sports Examiner for 17 January 2017: Vol. 2, no. 8. Copyright 2017 by Perelman, Pioneer & Co.;
All rights reserved.
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