Sunday, August 21
UPDATE: It's pouring rain 15 minutes before the start of the race at 09:30 Rio time.
M Marathon
A World champion at 5,000m as a 19-year-old in 2003, 32-year
old Eliud Kipchoge has been running at the highest levels for 13 years. He has
made the transition from track to the roads far more successfully than some of
his more famous counterparts, and now his fame rivals theirs.
Starting with wins at the Rotterdam and Chicago Marathons in
2014, Kipchoge won marathon majors London and Berlin in 2015, and added the
London title in 2016 in 2:03:05, just 8 seconds off Dennis Kimetto’s (Ken)
world record. Kipchoge is everyone’s favorite, including mine.
I had thought that two-time (’13 and ’15) Boston winner
Lelisa Desisa would be on Ethiopia’s team, but instead it’s this year’s Boston
winner, Lemi Berhanu (Eth) who will run in Rio. He was called a surprise winner
in Boston, just as he was 15 months earlier when he really was an unknown when
he won the Dubai Marathon. A medal for him will not be a surprise.
Tesfaye Abere Dibaba caught the attention of many when the
then-unknown ran away from the field and won the Dubai marathon on a hot early
morning this January in a fast-for-the conditions 2:04:24. There may well be
very similar conditions here in Rio.
When it comes to looking for medalists who might not win,
Kenya’s Stanley Biwott, 2nd at London this year in 2:03:51, has a
remarkable record in the last four years (including half-marathons): 4 -1sts, 3
- 2nds, and a 4th and a 5th. His London race is
especially impressive, to hang on so well when 1st is long lost.
It’s hard to know what to make of the top three in last
year’s World Championship race, held in a sauna in Beijing. The only one I
think is likely to make an impact here is the winner, Ghirmay Ghebreslassie of
Eritrea, who showed himself to be a master (and confident) tactician under some
of the most challenging conditions ever encountered in a major championship.
Galen Rupp of the United States is intriguing; the slower
the pace the better his chances, and he ran a particularly impressive marathon
debut in winning the US Trials with relative ease – and on a hot day. He has
not helped himself by running the 10,000m first.
Speaking of London, Uganda’s Stephen Kiprotich was the
unexpected winner of London ’12 Olympic gold. But that is usually how it turns
out in these marathons – the favorites aren’t as favorite as we thought, magic
takes place on the roads, and someone’s life is changed forever.
As for Kipchoge, the fact that during the dip in his career
between track and roads he followed me on twitter without any prompting from me
only adds to his luster.
Well, for some of us. OK, for one, but I’m doing the picking
here.
1. Eliud Kipchoge, Ken
2. Tesfaye Abere Dibaba, Eth
3. Stanley Biwott, Ken
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