Silas Sang takes a surprise victory in Lisbon in 2008 (© Marcelino Almeida)
Against all predictions, Kenyan Silas Sang took top honours at the RTP Portugal Half Marathon - an IAAF Gold Label Road Race – with a course record of 1:01:26. Rita Jeptoo also set a course record in the women’s race to finish a Kenyan sweep.
Sang surprises Tergat
On a sunny but very windy morning, the more then 15,000 runners started the race with a strong field from Kenya in the lead from the very first metres. In the longest hill on the bridge - the runners start on the Vasco da Gama bridge, cross the last six kilometres of the 26-kilometre long structure – the Kenyan contingent took the lead and put everyone on a strong pace, covering the first 10Km in 28 minutes.
By 12Km only half a dozen were still at the front, but it was on the flat final 5Km where everything was written, with the most improbable contender, Silas Sang, who had a personal best of 1:01:15 from Seville last year - taking the lead and ultimately crossing the finish line seven seconds ahead of the 39-year-old champion, Paul Tergat.
“This shining morning was inspiring me,” said Sang. “I’m very, very happy with my win, in a race of thousands of people, this was so nice!”
There was a feeling of joy also for the runner-up Tergat. “I’ve been in Lisbon several times to race the other Half Marathon,” he said. “This was a challenge to me, this other race. With a more selective course and the strong wind, I take here the lesson I needed for my presence, soon, in the New York Marathon. This was a great test to my performance.”
In third place - and so on until the fifth place - was another Kenyan, Samuel Mwangi, the winner of this year’s Prague half marathon, who achieved a personal best of 1:01:41, a 24-second improvement. The Olympic marathon silver medallist, Moroccan Jaouad Gharib, was the first non-Kenyan in the race, finishing sixth in 1:02:17,while the first Portuguese was Hermano Ferreira, who was a distant 16th (1:05:09).
Course record for Jeptoo
In the women’s race, Kenyans also dominated the race, taking all the podium places, with Rita Jeptoo, third at the Boston Marathon this year, who produced a strong personal best in 1:09.48, breaking Margaret Okayo’s course record from 2004 by five seconds. She was well clear of Alice Timbilil, who finished 25 seconds back, and Salina Kosgei, one of the pre-race favourites to this race, who was third, nearly a minute behind Timbilil.
“This was a good but difficult test for my goal, the New York City Marathon,” said Jeptoo. “It was too windy, but I’m in good shape and I won. Even I was not expecting this.”
Producing a surprise, Portuguese Inês Monteiro was fourth, with a solid 1:11:33 run, ahead of her countrywoman Dulce Félix.
Among the crowd was the Portuguese Prime Minister, José Sócrates, who finished the 8Km fun run in time to offer the prizes for the three first runners.
António Manuel Fernandes for the IAAF
Results:
Men:
1. Silas Sang, KEN 1:01.26
2. Paul Tergat, KEN 1:01.33
3. Samuel Mwangi, KEN 1:01.41
4. Peter Kipkassi, KEN 1:01.48
5. Willy Kariku, KEN 1:01.49
6. Jaouad Gharib, MAR 1:02.17
7. Elijah Sang, KEN 1:02.28
8. Tessema Abshiro, ETH 1:02.32
9. Paul Biwott, KEN 1:02.41
10. Gordon Mugi, KEN 1:03.24
Women -
1. Rita Jeptoo, KEN 1:09.48
2. Alice Timbilili, KEN 1:10.13
3. Salina Kosgei, KEN 1:11.10
4. Inês Monteiro, POR 1:11.33
5. Dulce Félix, POR 1:11.42
6. Caroline Kwambai, KEN 1:12.30
7. Lydia Njeri, KEN 1:12.49
8. Anália Rosa, POR 1:13.37
9. Sara Moreira, POR 1:13.37
10. Ana Dias, POR 1:14.10
