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WOMEN:
1 Ongori PHILES KEN 1:07:57
2 Yoshimi OZAKI JPN 1:09:30
3 Mari OZAKI JPN 1:09:58
4 Harumi HIROYAMA JPN 1:10:09
5 Yumi HIRATA JPN 1:12:21
6 Takami NISHIYAMA JPN 1:12:27
7 Mikie TAKANAKA JPN 1:12:52
8 Ho-Sun PARK KOR 1:12:58
9 Hisako KOGURO JPN 1:12:58
10 Miki WATANABE JPN 1:13:00
RAS AL KHAIMAH
3 FEBRUARY 2008:
OHME-HOCHI 30KM ROAD RACE,
JAPAN
The race was cancelled due to heavy snow.
08 FEBRUARY 2008:
RAS AL KHAIMAH
HALF MARATHON,
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
It needed two photo-finishes to separate seven
athletes as Patrick Makau and Salina Kosgei snatched
victories by the slightest of margins, winning $25000
each in the world’s richest half marathon writes Pat
Butcher.
Only 15 years ago Moses Tanui clocked 59:47 in the
first ever sub-hour half marathon. Patrick Makau has
now done it five times in 12 months, the first one
coming when he finished second here in the inaugural
race a year ago.
There were still 10 men in contention at halfway,
but that quickly reduced to five when Makau went to
the front at 14km. The 21 year old Ethiopian debutant,
Tsegaye Kebede took up the pace 3km later, and he and
Makau went away from the others, swapping the lead
through the last two kilometres. Makau had the edge
in the final straight although the Ethiopian finished on
the same time.
In the three years since Makau began running
seriously he has established himself as one of the
world’s leaders at the half-marathon, underlining that
with victory in Berlin nine months ago in his fastest
time yet, 58:56, and then finishing second in the world
championships last October. Dickson Marwa of
Tanzania had his best race ever, coming from behind to
take third and beat his more famous compatriot,
former world half-marathon champion Fabiano Joseph,
although Joseph was rewarded with his first sub-60
clocking.
The women’s finish was even closer than the men’s,
with the leading trio crossing the line abreast, and the
next pair just two seconds down. But the winner, Salina
Kosgei, owed her victory to the lethargy of her rivals.
The veteran Kosgei, a former 800m runner turned
marathoner, had been dropped off the pack by 14km,
but so gentle was the ensuing pace that she was able
to claw back the deficit. She then dredged up some of
that 800m speed from her memory bank, to outsprint
her more fancied colleague, Pamela Chepchumba, and
the Ethiopian Atsede Habtamu. All three were given
the same time, the pedestrian early pace contributing
to the relatively slow time, but also to the muchappreciated
frantic finish.
MEN:
1 Patrick MAKAU KEN 59:35
2 Tsegaye KEBEDE ETH 59:35
3 Dickson MARWA TAN 59:52
4 Fabiano JOSEPH TAN 59:56
5 Mekubo MOGUSO KEN 1:00:35
6 Matthew KOECH KEN 1:00:59
7 Kiplimo KIMUTAI KEN 1:01:00
8 Dieudonné DISI RWA 1:01:07
9 Tewodros SHIFERAW ETH 1:02:09
10 Paul KOSGEI KEN 1:02:17
WOMEN
1 Salina KOSGEI KEN 1:12:27
2 Pamela CHEPCHUMBA KEN 1:12:27
3 Atsede HABTAMU ETH 1:12:27
4 Alice TIMBILIL KEN 1:12:29
5 Helalia JOHANNES NAM 1:12:29
50 Distance Running April – June 2008