![]() ![]() However, soon the gap was increasing again and had reached 79 seconds by halfway over Dita, with Chepkemei a further nine seconds down, and Ndereba fourth in 70:12. Radcliffe’s slowest mile of the race, a 5:22 sixth mile split, had allowed Constantina Dita (ROM) and Susan Chepkemei (KEN) to close to 11 seconds. ![]() “Then I eased off a bit too much,” she said. An opening mile of 5:10 saw her already well clear of her female rivals and a quicker second split pushed her 14 seconds clear and on sub-2:15 schedule.Īlthough she revealed she went into the race with no set pace or race plan, she admitted to realising a 4:57 third mile was too fast, and so decided to ease off. But from the start only Radcliffe went with the two 'rabbits' who were designated to run at 2:16 pace, Loywapet, and Hamburg Marathon winner Christopher Kandie. The unique decision to use male pacemakers, saw eight Kenyans setting out in four pairs with target times of 2:16, 2:18, 2:20 and 2:22. She was so fast that only one of the two designated 2:16 pacers, Simon Loywapet, went the full distance with her. Radcliffe blasted through halfway in 68:02, yet still ran negative splits as she produced an amazing second half of 67:23. Radcliffe has raced just twice this year and has set world bests on each occasion, but if her 30:21 10km in Puerto Rico was outstanding, there are few superlatives that can adequately describe a performance that left a truly world class field reduced to virtually also-rans. She obliterated her own world best by almost two minutes as she maintained her 100% record at the distance. It was an awesome display by Radcliffe, running almost as fast as the leading men in the closing stages, and it took women’s world marathon running into a new era. Radcliffe led every step of the way and was almost a mile clear of former world record-holder Catherine Ndereba of Kenya by the finish, as Deena Drossin broke the 18-year-old US record of Joan Benoit. Paula Radcliffe ran a stunning World women’s marathon best of 2:15:25 in London today, while World and Olympic men’s champion Gezahegne Abera once again triumphed after five athletes entered The Mall together to begin the final sprint to the finish.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |