Felix Limo (KEN) wins the 2004 Fortis Rotterdam Marathon (© Getty Images)
Kenya’s men and Japan’s women runners want to extend their winning streaks in Sunday’s Real Berlin Marathon. Despite the Olympic Marathon races just a couple of weeks earlier and the Chicago Marathon in two weeks time Berlin offers a very strong quality field for the 31st edition of the race.
Germany’s most prestigious and spectacular road race has been won by Kenyans for the last five years, while Japanese women have crossed the line first since 2000.
Tergat is the face of the Marathon
It was a year ago when Paul Tergat smashed the World record in Berlin, clocking the first sub 2:05 time ever in the marathon (2:04:55). The Kenyan, who had to be content with tenth placein Athens, will of course not run this Sunday. But everyone who makes it to Brandenburg Gate on Sunday will be reminded of Paul Tergat’s achievement since the face of that noble Kenyan appears on all the finisher’s medals.
Over 36,000 entered
A total number of 36,193 runners from 91 nations have entered the Berlin Marathon. The entry limit was reached about two months ago. Adding wheelchair athletes, handbikers and more than 8000 inline skaters who will have their own race on Saturday the total marathon entry figure is 44,552. On top of that 8023 school children will participate in Sunday’s Mini Marathon. The pupils will run the last section of the marathon (about 4.2km).
More than a million spectators are expected on the streets on Sunday morning despite the weather forecast not looking very good. While the Berlin Marathon almost guaranteed perfect conditions in recent years, this time it is supposed to be rainy with possibly some wind and relatively cool, with temperatures between 9 and 14 degrees Celsius.
Men’s race - Limo starts as favourite
A non Kenyan winner would be a major surprise on Sunday. One of the top contenders to collect the winner’s medal with Paul Tergat’s face is Felix Limo. The 24 year-old is the fastest marathon runner this year. Limo won the Rotterdam Marathon in April, clocking 2:06:14 despite a head wind in parts of the race. It was his first win in his second marathon. A year ago he had been second in Amsterdam with a debut time of 2:06:42.
Two weeks ago Felix Limo ran the Rotterdam Half Marathon finishing well behind in fifth place with a time of 63:09 minutes. But he was said to have a slight back problem and because of this slowed because he did not want to risk an injury. There are two more Kenyans in Sunday’s race with personal bests of sub 2:07. 28 year-old Wilson Onsare ran 2:06:47 at his very first marathon in Paris last year. Fred Kiprop achieved exactly the same time by winning the Amsterdam Marathon in 1999. Another Kenyan who could be in for a triumph on Sunday is Joshua Chelanga who has not yet dipped under 2:10 (PB: 2:10:29) but who is said to be in very good shape.
Ronaldo da Costa is the last non Kenyan winner
It is since 1999 that the Kenyan runners have dominated the Berlin Marathon. It was six years ago when there was a non Kenyan last time: Ronaldo da Costa (Brazil) broke the world record with a time of 2:06:05. During the last three years Kenyans have even taken the first three places in Berlin. This might well happen again on Sunday. Though Japanese Michitane Noda and Shinichi Watanabe, who have personal bests slightly under 2:10, will try to upset the Kenyans.
Women’s race – Shibui versus Ominami
A similar win streak was established by Japanese women in Berlin. It was in 1999 when Tegla Loroupe (Kenya) broke the world record by four seconds (2:20:43). From then on there were only Japanese winners in Berlin’s women’s races. The highlight was of course when Naoko Takahashi broke the 2:20 barrier for the first time in 2001 (2:19:46).
This time there might be a tough Japanese duel. Yoko Shibui is generally seen as the favourite since the 25 year-old is the third fastest Japanese woman at the marathon distance (2:21:22). But Hiromi Ominami, who was second in Rotterdam last year (2:26:17), is said to be in good shape. “She has told us that she intends to clearly improve her personal best”, race director Mark Milde said.
Home interest with a point to prove
In contrast to the men there will also be the chance of a good German result. Sonja Oberem, who controversially was nominated for the Olympic marathon in Athens, wants to prove the selectors wrong. The 31 year-old, who was 8th, 7th, 6th and 5th in the World Championships from 1995 to 2001, has a personal best of 2:26:13. She ran that when winning Hamburg in 2001. Oberem will be keen to come at least very near to that result on Sunday. And it will probably be one of her last marathon races of her career.
Definitely it will be the very last race of Kathrin Weßel. The runner from Berlin, who won a World Championship bronze at 10,000 metres back in 1987, has announced the of her career. “Of course this is somehow sad but it also makes me happy to know that it will be all over after Sunday’s race. It is quite hard to commit your whole life to sport for such a long time. So I will not go for any personal best on Sunday. Instead I will try to enjoy this last race – although it is not easy to enjoy a marathon”, Kathrin Weßel said. While she had been a world class track runner Weßel did not make a similar career in the marthon. She ran her personal best of 2:28:27 three years ago in Berlin.
Consistency in leadership - New Race Director
For Mark Milde there will be a debut on Sunday. For the first time the 31 year-old will in the position of race director of the Real,- Berlin Marathon. He took over from his father Horst this March. Mark had grown into the job almost since he was born. “In fact the idea of staging a marathon for the first time and the birth of Mark where happening at about the same time in 1973”, Horst Milde recalls. The 65 year-old is still around to help but keeps in the background. “Mark has helped me for decades – now I am helping him and his team”, Horst Milde said. It is this consistency that is decisive for Berlin Marathon’s success story.
And whenever a Berlin Marathon is started these days there is always a chance of an extraordinary result. Since 1998 four world bests/records have been broken in Berlin. Last year it was Paul Tergat who beat Khalid Khannouchi’s time set in London in 2002.
So when Horst Milde, who is still a member of the board of directors of the Association of International Marathons and Road Races (AIMS), left a meeting of this federation recently there was a light hearted remark made by Nick Bitel the Chief Executive of the London Marathon - “Please let us keep our World record – it is the only one left.“ Of course, it was said ´tongue in cheek´ as Paula Radcliffe’s 2:15:25 from London 2003 looks like being unbeatable to the other women runners for many years to come.
But yet you never know what may happen on Berlin’s super fast marathon course if the weather should turn fine again.
Jörg Wenig for the IAAF
