Patrick Makau wins in 2:05.08 & Aberu Kebede wins in 2:23.58 at real, Berlin, by Pat Butcher, note by Larry Eder

Patrick Makau wins real, Berlin 2010, photo by PhotoRun.net.

Following the real, Berlin marathon from my home in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin was,
a bit frustrating this year. Universal sports did not cover the race this year, so I tried
to rely on German tv, which did not work. As we were able to update our twittter
followers with updates the entire race, a follower in Seoul, Korea helped us with a
link to Eurosports, where we watched what the rest of Europe saw: very little, due to
the rain, and overcast skies.

In that 52 degree weather, with rain, and little wind, two great races developed on the
fast course. Patrick Makau, who has won all five of his previous races in Berlin, did it
again, winning over Geoffrey Mutai by two seconds! Makau is the fastest marathon of
the year from Rotterdam, now his race in Berlin, was the fourth best performance of the
year!

real, Berlin has opened the fall marathon season! Let’s see what happens at the Bank of
America Chicago and ING New York over the next month!

Patrick Makau of Kenya underlined his ascendancy over compatriot Geoffrey
Mutai, when he won a rainswept 37th edition of the real_Berlin Marathon on
Sunday morning, in 2.05.08, two seconds ahead of Mutai, with 20 year old
Ethiopian Bazu Worku third, in 2.05.25.

The two Kenyans are also the world’s fastest marathoners this year, having
finished in the same order at Rotterdam in April, in 2.04.48 and 2.04.55
respectively. As for Worku, just ten days past his 20th birthday, he adds a
personal best, in adverse conditions, to being the fastest 18 year old in
history, when he finished second in Paris 2009, in 2.06.15.

Despite the conditions, the top trio returned the fifth, sixth and seventh
fastest times ever, on what is generally considered the world’s fastest
course.

The one opponent that all fast marathoners fear is extreme weather. And
though the leading contenders made a brave attempt to stay on pace, the chances
of a seventh world record in 13 years in the German capital evaporated as the
rain which had been falling steadily throughout the previous 12 hours increased
as the race progressed on Sunday morning.

Nonetheless, with a temperature of 11C (52F), which endured throughout,
with little or no wind, and only a gentle rain at the start, hopes were still
high that a new record might materialise. But after 15k in 44.10, which was
right on pace for Haile Gebrselassie’s 2.03.39WR here two years ago, the tempo
dropped, and a group of eight, including all the pre-race favourites, went
through the ‘half’ in 62.37.

Makau had said at Friday’s press conference that the race begins at 30k.
His opponents must have been paying attention, because as if on cue, at that
point Worku and Mutai eased away from the pack and pacers, with Makau in close
attendance. And so it remained for the next eight kilometres, with first Worku,
then the Kenyan tandem leading the way.

At 39k Makau looked as if he was starting to flag. But it was a ploy, whose
success became apparent a half kilometre later, when he steamed past Worku, who
had re-assumed the lead, and took his colleague Mutai away from the young
Ethiopian.

Mutai had dropped away in the final kilometre in Rotterdam, but not here.
The pair ran abreast through the Brandenburg Gate, with a final 400 metres to
contest. Yet any thoughts that Mutai’s 27.27.59 10,000 metres at altitude two
months ago might have sharpened his finishing speed were dissipated when Makau
went away so comfortably in the final 200 metres that he was able to raise an
arm in victory while still 20 metres from the line.

Both men said later that the wet conditions gave them muscsle cramps,
making it much harder than Rotterdam. “The big difference,” said Makau, “was
that there was some wind in Rotterdam, but it was only on one part of the
course. Here, it was raining all through the race. My clothes were wet, my shoes
were wet. This was much harder than Rotterdam”.

On his ploy at 39k, he admitted it was done on purpose. “To win a race, you
need many things. To drop back some metres, and catch up again is usually very
difficult, but it was one of my tactics”.

Waiting past the finish line to greet the top two was Kenyan Prime Minster,
Raila Odinga, whose big bear hug for Makau and Mutai can only increase his own
popularity, following a recent opinion poll which already puts him ahead in the
race for the Kenyan presidency in two years time.

Makau said that his Nairobi house is only two kilometres from the PM’s
residence, but Mutai was overjoyed to meet Odinga. “I can’t meet him
face-to-face in Kenya, it’s difficult to meet people like him, but it was a
dream to run well, and then meet the Prime Minister”.

Aberu Kebede wins real, Berlin 2010, photo by Photorun.net.

The Ethiopian pair of Aberu Kebede and Bezunesh Bekele needed no such
incentive to dominate their opponents. With another colleague, Genet Getaneh,
they brooked no argument right from the start, taking off together, and building
up a minute lead by halfway.

Kebede eased away after 25k, and built up a 30sec lead in the next five
kilometres. She had doubled that by the finish, and when Getaneh dropped out at
35k, she left pre-race favourite Bezunesh in, well, no-woman’s land, a minute
back of the eventual winner, and a minute ahead of her pursuers.

And so it stayed until the end, with Kebede having run a negative split, a
second half almost a minute faster than the first, and winning in 2.23.58,
exactly a minute ahead of Bezunesh. Tomo Morimoto of Japan won the race for
third, in 2.26.10, with Sabrina Mockenhaupt of Germany taking one second off her
personal best with fourth place in 2.26.21.

The top three men won 40,000, 20,000 and 17,500 euros respectively, with a
30,000 euro bonus each for running sub-2.06. The top three women won 40,000,
20,000 and 15,000 respectively, with time bonuses of 15,000 for Kebede, 7,500
for Bekele, and 2500 each for Morimoto and Mockenhaupt.

The race also marked the resumption of the World Marathon Majors, a series
also including Boston and London in Spring, with Chicago and New York to come.

There were an estimated 40,000 starters.
ends

RESULTS

MEN
1 Patrick MAKAU KEN 2.05.08
2 Geoffrey
MUTAI KEN 2.05.10
3 Bazu
WORKU ETH 2.05.25
4 Yemane
TSEGAY ETH 2.07.52
5 Eliud
KIPTANUI KEN 2.08.05
6 Bernard
KIPYEGO KEN 2.08.50
7 Tadese
ABRAHAM ETH 2.09.24
8 Gilbert
YEGON KEN 2.10.34
9 Masakazu
FUJIWARA/JAP/2.12.00
10 Ser-Od BAT-OCHIR MGL 2.12.42

WOMEN
1 Aberu KEBEDE ETH 2.23.58
2 Bezunesh
BEKELE ETH 2.24.58
3 Tomo
MORIMOTO JAP 2.26.10
4 Sabrina MOCKENHAUPT/GER/2.26.21

5 Olena BURKOWSKA UKR 2.28.31
6 Adriana
PERTEA ROM 2.30.15
7 Adriana DA
SILVA/BRA 2.32.30
8 Tanith
MAXWELL SAF 2.32.33
9 Lisa
STUBLIC CRO 2.33.42
10 Agnieszka
GORTEL/POL 2.34.47
ends

www.globerunner.org

Author

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.

Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."

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