News06 May 2012


With thrilling finishes, Kiptum and Puchkova take Hannover titles

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Joseph Kiprono Kiptum (r) just edges Mergesa Bacha to win the 2012 Hannover Marathon (© Organisers)

Two thrilling finishes that went right to the wire marked the TUI Marathon Hannover on Sunday (6).

In the men’s race a fascinating battle for victory ended with a triumph for Joseph Kiptum of Kenya, who just held off Ethiopia’s Megersa Bacha Chikuala. Both clocked 2:09:56. Little more than 20 minutes later spectators witnessed another finish just as close where the first two were given the same time. Here the winner was Russia’s Natalya Puchkova with a course record of 2:30:17. She had a big lead during the race which was reduced to just one step shortly before the finish line. But Aberume Mekuria (Ethiopia) did not quite manage to overtake her.

The TUI Hannover Marathon is an IAAF Bronze Label Race.

In the men’s race the pacemakers did not stick to the schedule. It had been planned to attack the course record of 2:08:52 with a half marathon split time of around 64 minutes but the pace was much too slow with the leading group of nine passed this point in 1:05:45. At 30km (1:33:25) all nine were still in the group and it was only in the final seven kilometres that the Kenyans and Ethiopians really started racing. While split times suggested a finishing time of just under 2:12 at this point in the end the first two still managed to go sub 2:10.

Soon after 35km four runners were in the lead: Kenyans Kiptum and Peter Kirui as well as Ethiopians Chikuala and Abdisa Sori Bedada. It was then Kiptum who surged ahead at 41km and opened a gap of almost 15 metres. But Chikuala was able to close it and once they reached the finishing straight they were stride-for-stride. In the final 250 metres the lead changed a couple of times and in the end Kiptum prevailed. The battle for third also ended with a Kenyan in front: Kurui clocked 2:10:09 while Bedada was fourth with 2:10:15.

Tamrat Bekele, a younger brother of long distance superstar Kenenisa Bekele, took fifth in his debut with 2:11:11. Kenenisa Bekele had paid the flight for his brother to get him into the race.

For Kiptum it was somehow good fortune that the pace had been much slower than expected.

"I had a stomach problem and if they would have run faster I would not have been able to go with the leading group," explained the 24-year-old, who had to vomit twice during his race. Despite this he not only won but also improved his personal best in his second Marathon by 11 seconds. "Last night I could not sleep. So at around 3 am in the morning I ate some bananas. Somehow something went wrong. But I am very happy that I still won," Kiptum said.

In the women’s race Puchkova was well ahead early in the race. In contrast to their normal race tactics the Ethiopians opted for a much slower start. At the half marathon mark the 25-year-old Russian had an advantage of exactly one minute, when she passed this point in 1:13:47. A group with five Ethiopians only started chasing her after the gap had increased to 1:15 at 30km. While Puchkova, who had entered the event with a personal best of 2:33:03, slowed, her advantage was getting smaller and smaller. When the Russian entered the finishing straight she was still quite a bit ahead of Aberume Mekuria. The Ethiopian then mounted a final attack and sprinted towards Puchkova but fell just a bit short.

Behind Puchkova and Mekuria two Ethiopians Halima Hassen Beriso (2:30:26) and Zeineba Hasso Hayato (2:30:27) took third and fourth. Bernadette Pichlmaier was the fastest German in tenth place (2:38:17), followed by Katharina Heinig (2:39:03) in eleventh. The 22-year-old daughter of Katrin Dörre-Heinig broke 2:40 for the first time. She had been on course for a time of around 2:36, but then had problems in the final 10km.

A record total of 15,456 runners had entered the various running events. Around 150,000 spectators lined the course in very good weather conditions for marathon running.

Organisers for the IAAF
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