Tegla Loroupe writes the Marathon in Edmonton 2001
12 August 2001 - Tegla Loroupe follows the Marathon live exclusively for the IAAF web site.

Times shown are Central European Time.

posted 12-08-2001 03:53 PM

Good morning everyone, the marathon is about to start and it is 14 degrees Celsius and fine, so the starting conditions are very good.

posted 12-08-2001 03:55 PM

58 women are running today and it should be a very competitive race.

posted 12-08-2001 03:57 PM

The runners are just coming up to the line for the start now

posted 12-08-2001 04:00 PM

The race has just started and the runners are doing the first lap of the stadium before heading out on to the streets

posted 12-08-2001 04:03 PM

Constantina Dita from Romania and Reiko Tosa from Japan are leading the pack at the start

posted 12-08-2001 04:05 PM

Dita is running very strongly in fron followed by two Japanese and the rest of the field split into a main following pack of around 30 runners with a second pack and other runners trailing them

posted 12-08-2001 04:05 PM

Dita is trying to build up a lead right from the start but I think it is much too early to run like this

posted 12-08-2001 04:10 PM

Dita is still way ahead of the following pack now -maybe a hundred metres or more. The followers are lead by the Japanese

posted 12-08-2001 04:15 PM

Dita is really opening the gap now. She must be 200 metres ahead but I think she is really using too much energy and we are only 15 minutes into the race

posted 12-08-2001 04:17 PM

Dita looks as though she is feeling tired now.. she swings her arms a lot and looks as though her shoulders are tired already.

Lyubova from Russia is fronting the leaders of the pack.

Dita's pace is under 2:25 - if she can keep it up

posted 12-08-2001 04:18 PM

Dita just ran the first 5k in 17:05

posted 12-08-2001 04:21 PM

the following group are not so relaxed. They are running closely bunched and there is a lot of elbow contact

posted 12-08-2001 04:22 PM

Tosa is now leading the pack, with Marleen Renders from Belgium just a stride behind her

posted 12-08-2001 04:23 PM

at the 5k mark Dita had a 52 second lead. A good lead but not at all decisive in a marathon like this

posted 12-08-2001 04:24 PM

and now the pack seems to be moving up on Dita. Tosa still leading the pack

posted 12-08-2001 04:30 PM

Half an hour into the race and Dita is still looking very strong and appears to be maintaining her lead. the pack is still very tight around a minute behind her

posted 12-08-2001 04:35 PM

33:28 and Dita has just pulled in for water she has just passed 10k in under 34 minutes and is running a very constant pace. she is still one minute ahead of the following pack

posted 12-08-2001 04:39 PM

38:30 and Tosa is looking very strong at the front of the pack, they are running through parkland now. renders is still up there with Tosa and the pack is holding up well

posted 12-08-2001 04:42 PM

Tosa runs very economically, but Dita and Renders too seem to swing their arms too much

posted 12-08-2001 04:47 PM

Renders was just helping the other girls to get water and that iss omething really nice in the marathon. It is not always easy to get to the water

posted 12-08-2001 04:51 PM

Nuta Olaru is now running alongside Tosa in the front of the pack. There is a good crowd by the side of the road and they are giving a lot of support to the runners. When you are running the marathon you get into almost a sleep like state and the people cheering you on really wakes you up and gives you energy. Especially towards the end. When I ran the record in Rotterdam the crowd support really helped me.

posted 12-08-2001 04:52 PM

51:11 and Dita has just passed the 15km point.. she is running really well so far.

posted 12-08-2001 04:53 PM

I expect the speed to change once they reach the halway point, with the pack leaders accelerating to bring back Dita

posted 12-08-2001 04:54 PM

Tosa went through 15 km 1 minute 47 behind Dita.

posted 12-08-2001 04:57 PM

No-one in the pack wants to takeover from Tosa and this is giving Dita a big advantage unless Tosa increases her pace. But it looks as though Fatuma Roba is now starting to move up through the pack and is maybe planning to make a break

posted 12-08-2001 05:02 PM

Watching the race I feel almost as nervous as if I was running it. The course is fairly flat at the moment but in a couple of kms it will start to go downhill - from km22 till km26 and then there is a steep uphill section with a gradient of 50 metres from km 27 to 29.. that is going to be tough

posted 12-08-2001 05:05 PM

They are starting to move now and Lidia Simon from Romania has moved to the head of the pack. Dita looks more relaxed for the time being. She looks like she is on a training run. Alemu from Ethiopia is right behind Simon

posted 12-08-2001 05:06 PM

there are nine in the lead pack now and the others are falling back. Florence Barsosio is running in the front with Simon and Alemu and Tosa is coming back alongside them

posted 12-08-2001 05:09 PM

It is getting warmer now - a couple of degrees more and strong sunshine, but the conditions are still good. It could be very hot towards the end as the runners feel tired.

Dita has just grabbed a drink

posted 12-08-2001 05:10 PM

she went through 20 km in 1:08:27 and is starting downhill now. She lost some time taking her water bottle

posted 12-08-2001 05:11 PM

Dita still has a 2 minute lead and I really hope that she can keep going and win. She has taken all the pain so far.

posted 12-08-2001 05:12 PM

Dita's speed is very constant running just over 17 for each 5 km split except the second that she rane in 16:47. It is a great run so far

posted 12-08-2001 05:14 PM

Dita just passed the half marathon in 1:12w:17!!

posted 12-08-2001 05:16 PM

Sonja Krolik has moved up in the pack now and is just ahead of Simon and Olaru, with the two Ethiopians and Morgunova close behind them.

posted 12-08-2001 05:25 PM

Dita is approaching the end of the flat section at the bottom of the incline now and reaching the point where the gradient starts to go uphill. It does not look that steep, but whe your legs have been running for 26 kilometres you really feel the slightest incline

posted 12-08-2001 05:25 PM

1:25:27 for Dita at the 25km mark

posted 12-08-2001 05:28 PM

Dita is now 1 minute 35 secs ahead of the pack, with Krolik in the lead

posted 12-08-2001 05:29 PM

There are still 15 in the following pack, with Renders bringing up the rear

posted 12-08-2001 05:37 PM

Morgunova has taken over the lead of the pack now. It looked as though Dita had a problem, stumbling but she is back running smoothly way out in front

posted 12-08-2001 05:38 PM

The pack is starting to spead out more now with nine runners in front and the others gradually dropping back

posted 12-08-2001 05:41 PM

Dita seems to be having some problems with her right leg and her pace looks to be dropping off with the pack narrowing down her lead.. but she is climbing the gradient and still managing to give a little wave to the supporters on the roadside

posted 12-08-2001 05:45 PM

1:44:28 and 30km. Dita grabbed a drink and stopped to look back at her pursuers. This is a mistake.

posted 12-08-2001 05:47 PM

Tosa is coming back now and the gap has narrowed way down. Just 40 seconds between Dita and the pack at the 30km mark... she will find it hard to keep her lead

posted 12-08-2001 05:50 PM

The pack is reeling in Dita now just a couple of hundred metres separate them from the leader

posted 12-08-2001 05:55 PM

Dita has been overtaken by the pack. I feel sorry for her because she really ran a brave race.

The finish looks like it will be between Simon, Tosa and Aleru and watch out for Zakharova from Russia, she is a real fighter

[This message has been edited by Tegla (edited 12-08-2001).]

posted 12-08-2001 05:58 PM

And of course, Tosa and Shibui will be doing everything possible to make it a Japanese one two. They are running side by side in front now and that may slow them down a little but they also give each other support.

posted 12-08-2001 05:59 PM

Having someone from your country/team running alongside you makes you feel better, because you can feel like you are on a training run.

posted 12-08-2001 06:05 PM

Tosa and Shibui went through 35 km in 2:02:06, so they are going to be running to the finish around 2:28 -2:30. The Japanese and Simon have made a small break from Zakharova, but she could still come back. At the moment it does look though like the Japanese are going to take those two podium places. Lidia is not looking so comfortable now she does not seem relaxed in her running

[This message has been edited by Tegla (edited 12-08-2001).]

posted 12-08-2001 06:06 PM

The Japanese will need to build up a lead, because if they reach the Stadium together Lidia Simon has the strongest kick.

posted 12-08-2001 06:12 PM

The pace is hotting up now and Tosa and Simon are side by side with Shibui behind and appearing to drop back still further, Zakharova is still in the game if she can turn on the gas in the last kilometres

posted 12-08-2001 06:13 PM

Lidia is trying to pull away, but Tosa is holding on. They have around 3-4 km to run

posted 12-08-2001 06:15 PM

Lidia and Reiko look really inseparable at the moment they are side by side again

posted 12-08-2001 06:16 PM

Shibui is looking like a definite for the bronze unless Zakharova can produce something magical. The first two places are wide open this pair is so evenly matched

posted 12-08-2001 06:18 PM

The time can be a lot faster - maybe 2:24-2:26, they are about 2 kilometres out now. Zakharova looks to be closing on Shibui

posted 12-08-2001 06:20 PM

2:18:48 as the girls run into China Town and Zakharova kicks hard to overtake Shibui and move up towards the leaders

posted 12-08-2001 06:21 PM

Zakharova is coming up strong and looking good, she is lifting her legs high and looks very strong but I do not think she can catch the leaders.. It looks like Simon for the gold

posted 12-08-2001 06:23 PM

The stadium is in sight and Tosa and Simon are still togather - Zakharova around 50 metres behind them now

posted 12-08-2001 06:23 PM

It looks like it is going to be a sprint around the track in the stadium will decide the two top medals

posted 12-08-2001 06:24 PM

Simon is kicking now as they approach the stadium and has taken the lead

posted 12-08-2001 06:25 PM

It doesn't look like Tosa has anything left as Simon sprints for the line and the gold medal

posted 12-08-2001 06:26 PM

It is Simon all the way now into the home straight:

Simon, Tosa, Zhakarova in that order across the line. A great Race

posted 12-08-2001 06:30 PM

Thank you all for following the race with me. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. It was really a great race and a well-deserved victory for Lidia Simon.

posted 12-08-2001 06:31 PM

A special mention too for Constantina Dita who just cross the line after running 2:30. She made all the early running and is a great athlete with a lot of courage.