Paul Kipkimei Kogo holds off Alberico Di Cecco in Padua (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
Kenyan Paul Kipkimei Kogo, who started as a pacemaker, won the eighth edition of the Sant’Antonio Marathon from Vedelago to Padua equalling the 2:10:38 course record held by Ethiopian David Trfe since 2003.
Kogo won a very close neck and neck battle against Italian Alberico Di Cecco in Prato della Valle square. Di Cecco finished just one second off Kogo, so bouncing back from last month’s Rome Marathon where he was forced to drop out after 28 km due to a minor injury problem which had stopped him from training for two weeks.
Italian Vincenza Sicari was the women’s race winner in 2:30:33.
MEN
Two distinct 'lead' groups formed in the first 5 km. The front pack, which included pacemakers Natashon Rugut, Paul Kogo and Joseph Lomala together with Festus Kioko and Alberico Di Cecco, built up a 15-metres-lead over a chasing group which was formed by past Padua winner Benjamin Kiprotich, former World 10,000 metres world silver medallist Assefa Mezgebu from Ethiopia, Michael Rotich, Paul Njoroge, Badada Tesfaye from Ethiopia, El Hachimi Abdelhadi from Morocco and Frank Caldeira from Brazil.
Rugut set the pace and passed 10km in 30:45. The leading group which was running at 2:10 pace. At 13km Rugut finished his pacemaking task and it was Kogo who took the lead followed some metres behind by the other two pacers Lomala and Kioko and Di Cecco.
Lomala, Kogo and Kiogo ran a regular 3:03 pace for each kilometre passing at 15 km in 46:03 when the temperature began to get warmer. They increased their lead over the chasing group to 10 seconds.
The halfway mark was passed by Lomala and Kogo in 64:43, who were followed by Di Cecco and Kioko five seconds behind. The pacemakers, who gradually increased their lead over Di Cecco by ten seconds, were supposed to finish their task at 24 km but they decided to continue the race, though they slowed a bit enabling Di Cecco to close the gap.
At this point it was clear that Kogo was determined to finish his race and the battle for victory between Di Cecco and Kogo then hot up.
“I felt well and the pace was slowing a bit. It was at this point that I spoke with my manager and I decided to have a try. I realized that I could have a chance”, said winner Kogo about his decision to continue until the end. The pace faded (30km in 1:32:16 and 35km in 1:47:58).
At 35km Kogo went to the front and two kilometres later he led Di Cecco by about 20 metres. Yet the Italian did not give up and managed to catch up with the Kenyan at 39km when the race entered in its final stages in the heart of Padua, and they engaged in a fantastic neck and neck battle in the final 3 kilometres.
Di Cecco tried to pull away on an uphill section near the old athletics stadium of Arcella at 40km (2:03:44) but Kogo managed to overhaul him.
However, the race remained undecided until the final metres in the Prato della Valle which was packed by a large enthusiastic crowd on a very warm and sunny day. It was there that Kogo launched his kick in a dramatic finish, with Di Cecco losing the race by just one second.
“I did not expect to win the race because I started with a previous PB of 2:13. I realized that I had won it only after crossing the finish-line because I feared to be overhauled by Di Cecco in the final metres”, said Kogo, 24, who hails from Eldoret and is father of two children.
For Di Cecco it was a confidence boosting race after dropping out in Rome. The Italian, who has recently become a father of his first daughter Erika, set the second fastest time in Italy this year behind Migidio Bourifa’s 2:10:30 in Rome on 18 March.
“I did not train properly for two weeks after Rome. Today’s result shows that I worked very well before Rome and this good training paid off in Padua. I believed in my chance to win until the very end,” said Di Cecco.
WOMEN
Italian Vincenza Sicari won her second marathon after her victory in Florence last November. It was just her third attempt over this distance. She entered this race with a PB of 2:34:52 set in Florence and reduced it to 2:30:33 missing Franca Fiacconi’s course record by 14 seconds.
The red-haired Italian took the lead from the beginning setting out on a 2:29 course record pace. She established an advantage of 10 seconds over a Brazilian pair formed by Marily Dos Santos and Paula Rezende at 10 km (35:20).
Sicari ran at a 3:35 pace for each km and increased her gap to 1 minute over Dos Santos by 20km when Lucilla Andreucci from Italy was able to drop Rezende taking up third place 2 minutes behind Sicari.
The halfway mark was reached in 74:58 in line (in a 2:30 pace). Sicari continued to build a comfortable margin over Dos Santos and Andreucci to 2 minutes at 25km which was reached in 1:28:40.
In final seven kilometres Sicari ran against the clock in her attempt to dip under the course record but a very warm day and some stomach problems took their toll in the final stages of the race. She missed this goal but has now become a strong candidate for a berth on the Italian team at this summer’s World Championships in Osaka with 2:30:33, the fastest time in Italy in 2007.
“I am very happy and a bit moved. I wanted to dip under 2:30 but I suffered from some stomach problems. I hope this result will be enough to go to Osaka”, said Sicari.
Lucilla Andreucci, a past winner of top marathons in Milan, Venice and Vienna, finished runner-up in 2:33:29 in her come-back to marathon running three and a half years after her last competition at the World Championships in Paris 2003.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
Results
Men:
1 Paul Kogo Kipkemei (Kenya) 2:10:38
2 Alberico Di Cecco (Italy) 2:10:39
3 Joseph Lomala (Kenya) 2:14:12
4 Paul Njoroge (Kenya) 2:15:23
5 Assefa Mezgebu (Ethiopia) 2:15:47
6 Abdelhadi El Hachimi (Morocco) 2:16:26
Women:
1 Vincenza Sicari (Italy) 2:30:33
2 Lucilla Andreucci (Italy) 2:33:29
3 Marily Dos Santos (Brazil) 2:39:44
