News03 Apr 2005


150,000 spectators watch Zaituc stop Kenyan win streak in Berlin

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Luminita Zaituc (Germany) wins the 2005 Bewag Berlin Marathon (© Camera4)

Berlin, GermanyPaul Kimugul ran the second fastest time in the world this year** to continue Kenya’s monopoly of the men's division of the Bewag Berlin Half Marathon and gain victory today. The 24 year-old Kenyan clocked 61:04 on the flat city course which was lined by a record number of more than 150,000 spectators in perfect weather conditions.

Kimugul was followed home by nine countrymen, and it was the second time in a row that the Kenyans took the first ten places in Germany’s biggest and best quality half marathon event.

Yet while it was the fourth success in a row at the event for Kenyan men in the women’s race the Kenyan win streak came to an end. Kenyan women had won the race six times in a row. Today Luminita Zaituc of Germany became the first national winner of the event since 1994. In that year Kathrin Weßel had won the Berlin Half Marathon in 70:47.

A record number of 18,331 participants from 69 countries entered the event, among them were more than 1600 skaters. 12,296 runners finished the race on Berlin’s famous boulevard Unter den Linden.

The only obstacles that could have stopped the Kenyans on their way to another clean sweep were two ambulance cars. For some reason these were misdirected and less than a half a minute before the start the cars were from headon approaching the runners waiting for the start. Thankfully when the race started the drivers managed a U-turn in the very last second before the lead runner approached them. But apart from this shock everything was perfect in the jubilee race, which was held for the 25th time.

And regarding the atmosphere the Bewag Berlin Half Marathon continues to close the gap to the real,- Berlin Marathon, which will be staged on 25th September this year. “We are very happy with the event. And we saw some very good results. I am of course especially happy that we have a German winner”, stated Berlin’s race director Mark Milde.

MEN

It was soon obvious that the Kenyans would dominate the Berlin Half Marathon once more. At half way it was a Kenyan affair at the front of the field. Eleven runners had passed the 10km mark in 28:53. Then the Kenyans picked up the pace and the group consequently thinned. Patrick Ivuti, who was running his longest race since coming back from a muscle injury, was a prominent casualty. He dropped back and finally finished seventh in 62:34. He had been the fastest runner in the field with a personal best of 59:31, which he had set on the slightly downhill course in Lisbon. Before the 10km mark Bong-ju Lee, who had attracted a South Korean TV crew to Berlin, had lost contact. It was not the day for the silver medallist in the Olympic Marathon from 1996. Lee finished in 14th position with 65:25. “My main goal this season is to run a personal best in an autumn marathon”, Lee said.

At 15km, which was passed in 43:07, the leading group was reduced to three runners. Paul Kimugul, Moses Kigen and Joseph Negolepus, who knew the Berlin roads well as he had won the Berlin Marathon in 2001. It was Kigen who then lost contact. And while it looked at this stage as if the first two could break the best time in the world of the year so far (60:45**) the race then became tactical in the last mile.

“We watched each other and lost some time. But I am happy of course since I won and improved my personal best by 26 seconds. Actually I thought I could run sub 60 minutes, because I had trained very well and was in good shape”, said Paul Kimugul. “Sometime in the future I want to run a marathon. And of course I want to run a fast time on a flat course – that is why you have to come go to Berlin.”

WOMEN

There was a group of five women in the lead at the 10km point which was reached in 33:25. Besides Luminita Zaituc, who had been 18th in the Olympic Marathon last year and was sixth in the London Marathon, there were Mary Ptikany (Kenya), Irene Jerotich (Kenya), Beatrice Omwanza (Kenya) and Eun Jeong Lee (South Korea).

Joyce Chepchumba was missing in the race. She had withdrawn on Friday afternoon from her final test for the London Marathon due to tax problems she and her German manager Volker Wagner have been having with the German authorities. If she would have won any money in Berlin the taxmen would have taken it.

When the first women reached 15km (50:09 minutes) Mary Ptikany had lost contact. At 18km Zaituc left her last rival behind. Surprisingly it was not a Kenyan woman. South Korean Eun Jeong Lee was with Zaituc until the late stage of the race and was rewarded with a national record for her fine performance. She finished in 71:15 and thus probably produced a good story for the Korean TV people.

“The race went well for me,“ said Lee. “Until 18km I thought that I could beat Luminita Zaituc. But then I had to let her go. But at least I set a new South Korean record. I already have achieved the marathon qualification for the World Championships in Helsinki.“

For 36 year-old Zaituc the win in Berlin was a big boost for her marathon preparations. “That gives me a lot of confidence. I want to qualify for Helsinki at the Dusseldorf Marathon on 8 May. I knew that the opposition was very strong in Berlin so I decided to run tactical and save some energy for the later part of the race. I am happy that it worked”, she said.

Eight days before she had finished in a disappointing 4th position at a 10km race in Paderborn. “The problem after a fine training camp in Spain was that when I came back to Germany there was a temperature difference of 30 degrees. And I don’t like running in cold conditions.”

Jörg Wenig for the IAAF

**discounting results from Lisbon’s downhill course.


RESULTS

Men :

1. Paul Kimugul (Kenya) – 1:01:04
2. Joseph Ngolepus (Kenya) – 1:01:16
3. Moses Kigen (Kenya) – 1:01:39
4. Ernest Kipyego (Kenya) – 1:01:58
5. Christopher Kandie (Kenya) – 1:02:14
6. Charles Ngolepus (Kenya) – 1:02:25
7. Patrick Ivuti (Kenya) – 1:02:34
8. Benjamin Itok (Kenya) – 1:02:45
9. Elijah Sang (Kenya) – 1:02:56
10. Jonathan Kosgei (Kenya) – 1:03:29

Women :

1. Luminita Zaituc (Germany) – 1:11:04
2. Lee Eun-Jeong (South Korea) – 1:11:15 (National Record)
3. Beatrice Omwanza (Kenya) – 1:11:18
4. Irene Jerotich (Kenya) – 1:12:13
5. Mary Ptikany (Kenya) – 1:12:26
6. Monika Drybulska (Poland) – 1:13:59
7. Michaela Schneider (Germany) - !:14:47
8. Nicole Gueldmeister (Germany) – 1:15:19
9. Monika Schuri (Germany) – 1:16:04 (W35)
10. Edyta Lewandowska (Poland) – 1:17:14

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