October 20, 2013, Canada (CBC News) — A pair of women each broke a 28-year-old record at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Sunday, while an Ethiopian runner clocked the fastest marathon time on Canadian soil.
Lanni Marchant of London, Ont., finished the marathon in 2:28:00, just over a half-minute ahead of Krista DuChene of Brantford, Ont., who clocked a race time of 2:28:32.
Both times beat Sylvia Ruegger’s previous record of 2:28:36, which had been set in Houston in 1985.
The first Canadian male to cross the finish line was Eric Gillis, of Guelph, Ont., with a time of 2:11:49, about 20 seconds shy of his personal best. He completed the race fifth overall.
“Somewhere in the last five kilometres I really slowed down,” Gillis said. “I had the best first half of a race I have ever had.
“I had amazing pacers that took me to 30 km on Canadian record pace, and today showed me that I am going to have to get stronger for that last 12 km.”
Deressa Chimsa, a 26-year-old male runner from Ethiopia, managed to pull off the fastest marathon run ever on Canadian soil at 2:07:05.
‘Take control, stay patient’
Marchant, a native of London, Ont., will take home $8,000, plus a $28,000 bonus for her record-breaking time.
“I am still in shock,” Marchant said following the race.
Marchant placed 44th at the women’s marathon at the world track and field championships in Moscow last summer after experiencing significant cramping in the left side of her body.
She says she thought about her experience in Moscow during the Toronto race.
“My calves didn’t cramp as bad as the worlds, but they definitely started to hurt… After the first 10 kilometres, I thought, ‘OK, you are feeling alright. Stay with the group until 20 km and then 20 km came and then 30 km,’ ” Marchant said.
Deressa Chimsa of Ethiopia ran a 2:07:05 marathon in Toronto on Sunday. Organizers of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon said it was “the fastest time ever run on Canadian soil.” (Michael Gregory/CBC)
“I guess about 33 km or 34 km in I kind of pulled away from Krista and I was thinking, ‘I have to keep going.’ The worlds was in the back of mind, and with a flip of a switch things can go wrong. So I thought ‘take control, stay patient.’ ”
Prior to the worlds in Moscow, Canada had not had a woman run the distance at a world championship.
DuChene, who clocked a personal best at the Toronto event, said she was happy to be running alongside Marchant through most of the race.
“It’s ideal — someone right beside you pushing you,” she said. “It’s phenomenal for women in this sport. I have no regrets, I left everything out there.”
The weather in Toronto on Sunday morning was sunny but cool, with temperatures hovering around 5 C at the beginning of the road race.
Cheyech maintains 2013 winning streak
The women’s victor was Kenya’s Flomena Cheyech who, like Chimsa, is represented by the Italian sports agency DeMadonna Management.
She ran wisely as the lead women went through the halfway point in 1:11:53, but by 24km she found herself in the lead with nobody willing to push the pace. While the others slowed, she just powered away from the field to win in 2:25:13.
“I am pleased with how I ran, really, because I was not really concentrating on the course record,” said Cheyech, who is undefeated this year, having won at the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon in 1:07:39 and at the Vienna Marathon in 2:24:34, setting PBs on both occasions.
“I was not ready for it. The course was very tough. I am happy I finished this race and I was still feeling good at the end.
“When I looked around at 24km there was nobody who wanted to come in front and when I arrived at 30km there was nobody coming again, so I motivated myself to keep going on. This is the beginning of racing for me. Maybe one day I will have a business in Kenya.”
The early pace destroyed many of the leading contenders leaving Ethiopian Sechale Adugna to claim second in 2:26:43.
Tola, Zhang win Beijing Marathon
Tadese Tola (Photo: Getty Images)
October 20, 203 (Xinhua) – Tadese Tola of Ethiopia broke the event record set 27 years ago to win the men’s race at the Beijing International marathon on Sunday, two months after he claimed a marathon bronze medal at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia.
“It was my first time to compete in Beijing and I am happy for today’s result,” said Tola, who will turn 26 by the end of the month. “The weather is very good and the course is very good too.”
Tola clocked two hours, seven minutes and 16 seconds to finish the race, trimming the former event record set by Japanese runner Taisuke Kodama in 1986 by 19 seconds.
The Ethiopian improved his marathon personal best to 2:04:49 and finished third in his first race of 2013 at the Dubai Marathon. He also finished as runner-up at the the 2013 Paris Marathon.
“After the World Championships I never stopped training. So I came to Beijing with good form,” said Tola who clocked 2:10:23 to take the bronze in Moscow worlds with the gold went to Olympic champion Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda in 2:09:51.
Launched in 1981, the Beijing Marathon witnessed a fast and close competition on Sunday as the leading trio were almost shoulder-to-shoulder at the last 500 meters, before Tola surged a fast homestretch sprint to hit the finishing line first.
Benard Kiprop Kipyego of Kenya trailed 3 seconds behind to finish second while his countryman Rono Daniel Kipkurgat finished third in 2:07:20.
Women’s Race
China’s 22-year-old runner Zhang Yingying claimed the title of women’s event in 2:31:19, extending China’s overwhelming record in the women’s race of Beijing Marathon as it was the 22nd straight women’s title won by Chinese since 1992.
Makda Harun Haji of Ethiopia pocketed the silver in 2:33:04 while the bronze was notched by Yeshimebet Tadesse Bifa, also from Ethiopia, in 2:35:20.
“I just ran to my normal level today like I usually did in my training. During the last part of the race I was leading alone and I think if someone can chase me closely the result could be better,” said Zhang, whose personal best is 2:22:38 when she won the Xiamen Marathon with a course record in 2008.
“After 35 kilometers I was feeling exhausted but I managed to hang on and took the gold,” she added.
Zhang claimed the half marathon title at Beijing Marathon in 2006 and finished second in the full length race in 2007. She also competed in the women’s 5,000m and 10,000m event in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
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