Marathon's unpredictability shines through
Beriso, Kiptum are surprise winners of women's and men's races in Valencia
A pair of upstarts shook up the pre-race form charts in the Valencia Marathon in Spain earlier this morning.
Amane Beriso of Ethiopia cut nearly six minutes off her personal best while winning the women’s race in 2 hours 14 minutes 58 seconds to become the third woman in history to break 2:15:00 in the event and finish well head of countrywoman and pre-race favorite Letesenbet Gidey, who placed second in 2:16:49.
Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya ran the fourth fastest time in history when he won the men’s race in 2:01:53 while making his competitive debut at the 26-mile, 385-yard (42.2 kilometers) distance. Gabriel Geay of Tanzania finished second in a national record of 2:03:00.
“I can’t believe it, but I was really prepared,” said Kiptum, 23, when asked about his performance that made him the third-fastest marathoner in history behind countryman Eliud Kipchoge, who lowered his world record from 2:01:39 to 2:01:09 in Berlin in September, and Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, who ran 2:01:41 in Berlin in 2019.
Beriso, 31, said through an interpreter that she was “very happy” with her victory, but she felt she might have had a chance to break the world record of 2:14:04 set by Kenyan Brigid Kosgei in Chicago in 2019 had a male pacesetter gone with her – and not continued running with Gidey – when she broke open the race with about six kilometers to go.
The 24-year-old Gidey, like Kiptum in the men’s race, was making her marathon debut. But she was regarded as the pre-race favorite because she currently holds world records in the women’s 5,000 (14:06.62) and 10,000 (29:01.03) meters on the track, and in the 15 kilometers (44:20) and half marathon (1:02:52) on the roads. She also won the 10,000 in the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July.
All of those sparkling achievements had plenty of distance running fans – including yours truly – figuring Gidey had a solid chance to become the first woman in history to run under 2:14:00, given Valencia’s flat and fast course.
No other women were expected to keep pace with Gidey during the race, but Beriso was within a stride of her when she came through 15 kilometers in 48:03, an average of 16:01 every five kilometers. The pair proceeded to run each of the next three five-kilometer segments in 15:47 before clocking 15:57 for the fourth one.
That brought them through 35 kilometers in 1:51:21 and a projected finish time of 2:14:15.
It seemed logical at that point to think that the smooth-striding Gidey would move away from Beriso over the final seven-plus kilometers of the race.
Instead, Beriso began to draw away from Gidey five minutes later and she had a 49-second lead on her when she came through the 40-kilometer mark in 2:07:37 after running the previous five kilometers in 16:16.
Her projected finish time was 2:14:37 at that point, but the pace began to take a visible toll on her over the last 6-7 minutes of the race as her stride became more labored and the effort began to show on her face.
Nonetheless, her national-record time crushed the course record of 2:17:16 set by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir in 2020 and annihilated her previous best of 2:20:48 from 2016. It also made her the fastest member of her training group as Tigist Assefa had set a then-Ethiopian record of 2:15:37 in winning the Berlin Marathon in September.
“I can't believe what I have achieved today,” Beriso said. “Everything was fantastic – the circuit, the weather, the crowd. I'm really delighted.”
Behind Beriso came the fastest mass finish in women’s marathon history as it was the first race in which four women broke 2:18:00 and seven ran under 2:19:00.
Gidey’s 2:16:49 effort moved her to seventh on the all-time world performer list and was the fastest debut ever.
Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui, who trailed Beriso and Gidey by two minutes at the 25-kilometer mark, moved to 11th on the all-time performer list with her 2:17:29 clocking in her marathon debut. Ethiopian Tadu Teshome moved to 12th with her 2:17:36 clocking.
They were followed by Kenyan Fancy Chemutai (2:18:11) and Ethiopians Tiruye Mesfin (2:18:47) and Tigist Girma (2:18:52).
The first seven finishers brought the number of women who have run under 2 hours and 20 minutes to a record 29 this year, more than twice the previous high of 12 set in 2019.
While the men’s marathon in Valencia did not have the historical depth of the women’s race, it was an entertaining affair that saw six runners run under 2 hours and 5 minutes and 10 dip under 2:06:00.
Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia was the pre-meet favorite after winning the World Championship title in July, and he spent much of the first half of the race closely following three pace setters who brought a 16-runner lead pack through the halfway point in 1:01:38.
The lead pack was still intact when it reached 25 kilometers in 1:13:08 following a five-kilometer segment in 14:41. But it had shrunk to 10 runners a couple of kilometers later and it was down to eight or nine when Tola led it through through 30 kilometers in 1:27:34 (14:26).
The leaders were down to Tola, Kiptum, and Geay two minutes later as the Ethiopian began to push the pace. The trio ran together for the next six minutes or so, but Kiptum, who had appeared impatient with the pace at times, surged into the lead 95 minutes into the race and was never challenged after that.
He had a 44-second lead on Geay when he passed through 35 kilometers in 1:41:34 – after a five-kilometer split of 14:00 – and he followed that up with a 14:05 segment to come through 40 kilometers in 1:55:39.
Although Kiptum began to show the strain of his effort during the final five minutes of the race, he still smiled and waved to spectators several times in the final 200 meters of the contest.
His time was easily the fastest marathon debut in history, crushed the course record of 2:03:00 set by countryman Evans Chebet in 2020, and came in the same city in which he had run a personal best of 58:42 for the half marathon in 2020.
Geay’s 2:03:00 effort in second place crushed his previous best of 2:04:55 from last year and moved him into a tie for eighth on the all-time world performer list.
Alexander Mutiso of Kenya ran 2:03:29 to finish third in his marathon debut and move to 15th on the all-time list.
Tola placed fourth in 2:03:40 to miss his personal best by a second. He was followed by Kaan Kigen Ozbilen of Turkey in 2:04:36 and Chalu Deso of Ethiopia in 2:04:56.
The next four finishers all broke 2:06:00 as Ethiopian Milkesa Mengesha ran 2:05:29, Kenyans Ronald Korir and Philemon Kiplimo (marathon debut) clocked 2:05:37 and 2:05:44, and Eritrean Goitom Kilfe ran 2:05:44.
The men’s race had superb depth as 12 runners ran under 2 hours and 7 minutes, 18 ran faster than 2:08:00, 22 broke 2:09:00, and 24 dipped under 2:10:00.
I don't even understand how you shave 6 minutes of your time off a marathon! These women just have me in full, mouth-dropping awe.