Rotterdam has best time of this season
The hope for a world record in the 31st edition of the ABN-AMRO
marathon faded after the half way marker on a very sunny but windy
day. This silver IAAF label road race was won by Kenyan Wilson
Chebet in 2:05:27 the fastest time clocked on the marathon so far
this year. In the final stage it was a two men battle between
Chebet and compatriot Vincent Kipruto who finished six seconds
back. The women's race was also a two sided affair. Dutchwoman
Hilda Kibet who was leading from the beginning could not answer the
acceleration of Kenyan debuting Philes Ongori in te final stage.
Ongori won in 2:24:20 leaving Kibet, who set a personal best of
2:24:27, seven seconds behind.
It seems as the Rotterdam organsers had made a clever move by
insuring a possible world record for 350.000 dollars. The hope for
a new world lived till 25 kilometres. The ,,Magnificent Seven'' as
the first seven on the starting list: Vincent Kipruto, Eliud
Kiptanui, Wilson Chebet, Gilbert Kirwa (all Kenya),Feyisa Lilesa,
Getu Feleke and Chele Dechasa (all Ethiopia) were nick named and
Kenyan Michael Kiyego (Ken), who made his debut , went out very
fast with six pace makers. The group passed the 5 kms marker in
14:38, three seconds shy of Haile Gebrselassie's split in the world
record he set in Berlin in 2008. The pace went up. The group passed
went through the first 10 K in 29:09 four seconds faster as Haile
G. At 15 kms they had won fourteen seconds (43:49) on the world
record splits. Alhough the group with 58:40 was still ten seconds
faster it became clear that the pace was to high. Half way the
leadaers had lost two seconds on the world record split with
1:02:07.
Although at 25 kilometres where the leaders passed in 1:13:42
just one second shy of the world record split the pace went down.
At 30 kms (1:28:42) the leaders were:Feleke, Chebet, Kipruto and
Dechase with the pace makers Sammy Kitwara and Peter Kirui. In the
nex five kilometres the Etiopians Feleke and Dechase back. The very
strong looking Kitwara led Kipruto and Chebet in 1:43:44 through 35
kms and then stopped his pace making. Kipruto and Chebet now were
on their own. They passed 40 kms in 1:58:47. Wilson Chebet
accelerated around 41 kilometres and immedeately opened a gap. At
the finish on the Coolsingel where tens of thousand spectators were
cheering he became with his 2:05:27 the fastest marathonner of 2011
so far.
Dutchwoman Hilda KIbet was leading the women's race from the
beginning. Kibet was leading a group of four with Philes
Ongori (Ken), Lishan Dula (Bhr) and Shetaye Bedasa at 30 kms
(1:43:17). Dula and Bedasa could not follow and it became a
two woman affair. The debuting Ongori placed her attack in the last
kilometre and left Kibet.
Men
1. Wilson
Chebet
KEN 2:05:27 PB
2. Vincent
Kipruto
KEN 2:05:33
3. Chele
Dechasa
ETH 2:08:47
4. Eliud
Kiptanui
KEN 2:09:08
5. Alemayehu
Shumye
ETH 2:09:36
6. Michael
Kipyego
KEN 2:11:03
7. Feyisa
Lilesa
ETH 2:11:42
8. Koen
Raymaekers
NED 2:13:41
9. Julius Kanghethe Mbugua KEN
2:14:11
10. Zemiro
Zohar
ISR 2:14:28 PB
11. Gilbert
Kirwa
KEN 2:14:29
12. Miguel
Barzola
ESP 2:15:00
13. Marius
Ionescu
ROU 2:16:11 PB
14. Brihun
Weva
ISR 2:17:17
15. Sean
Conolly
IRE 2:17:23
16. Jaume
Leiva
ESP 2:17:57
17. Ruben
Sanca
USA 2:18:47
18. Seteng
Ayale
ISR 2:19:32
19. Ivan
Galan
ESP 2:20:27 PB
20. Pablo Lopez Sanchez
ESP 2:20:58
Women
1 Phils
Ongori
KEN 2:24:20 debut
2. Hilda
Kibet
NED 2:24:27 PB
3. Lishan
Dula
BHR 2:26:56 PB
4. Alessandra
Aguilar
ESP 2:27:00 PB
5. Rita
Jeptoo
KEN 2:28:09
6. Shetaye
Bedasa
ETH 2:29:52
7. Maria Jose
Pueyo
ESP 2:34:52
8. Xenia
Luxem
BEL 2:35:48 PB
9. Christina Bus
Holth
NOR 2:37:12 PB
10. Lindsay van Marrewijk
NED 2:37:40 PB
11. Irene
Limika
KEN 2:38:53
12. Raquel
Maraviglia
??? 2:41:23
13. Kelly
Calway
USA 2:44:47
14. Johanna
Kykyri
FIN 2:46:27
15. Loretta
Kilmer
USA 2:46:27 correct
