Mary Keitany destroys Kiplagat WR at RAK, release, note by Larry Eder

Mary Keitany en route, RAK half-marathon, February 18, 2011, photo by PhotoRun.net.

Mary Keitany gave the world just a bit more of a hint of what she could do, while running the
WR half marathon of 1:05:50 today! In perfect conditions, with a slight wind, Mary hit 24:30 for 8k, breaking Paula Radcliffes former 8k best from 1999, 15k best of 46;40, then she hit the best EVER for ten miles,50:05, then a best EVER for 20k, 1:02:36, then a final half marathon time of 1:05:50! Not bad for a day’s running! Mary took several great names off the top place in the record books in her RAK half marathon win!

Deriba Merga enroute! RAK half marathon, February 18, 2011, photo by PhotoRun.net.

On the mens’ side, Deriba Merga won the RAK in 59;24, and en route, ran the 8k best of 21:51 and a 12 world best of 33:08, en route to his 59:24 win. Merga is the past-winner of the Chevron Houston Marathon and 2009 BAA Boston Marathons!

Mary
Keitany destroys Kiplagat world record as “Titanic” struggles become exhibition
runs in RAK

Portugese soccer manager Jose Mourinho
likes to describe himself as “The Special One”; well now maybe this tiny corner
of the United Arab Emirates should describe itself as just that. This morning
after the 7am start, with the sun hardly poking over the nearby Hajjar
Mountains, Kenya’s Mary Keitany tore round this clockwise loop course to record
1:05:50 and rip no less than 35 seconds off Lornah Kiplagat’s 2007 world record
for the half marathon, set when winning the IAAF World Half Marathon
Championships at Udine, Italy in October 2007. Pocketing first place prize
money of $25,000 plus the world record bonus of $50,000 as well, Keitany can
target her next race at the Virgin London Marathon on April 17^th
with significantly increased optimism. Although the best of the men and winning
in 59:25 a few minutes earlier, Deriba Merga had to accept that his performance
turned out to be almost the support act.

Mary Keitany breaking WR at RAK half-marathon, with her 1:05:50, photo by PhotoRun.net. 

From the outset the tiny 29 year old
Keitany, herself a former IAAF world half marathon champion (Birmingham 2009),
made her intentions clear, following pacemaker Simon Tonui in this mixed race
through splits that saw two other world records and two world bests for good
measure en route. Her historic first sub 66 minute time  came after she’d gone through 8km in
24:30 (World Best), 15km in 46:40 (World Record), 10 miles in 50:05 (World
Best, depending on which “code” you follow*) and 20km in 1:02:36 (World
Record).

With a slight breeze coming from the
east, but in conditions that were otherwise perfect (approximately 17C at the
start), she looked relaxed as she passed through 5km in 15:18, already 5
seconds up on Dire Tune, the winner here two years ago and the current world
record holder for One Hour on a track. She remained cool through 10km (30:45,
so a 15:27 split) and then through 12km (37:04), that latter time later found to
be 4m short; but for that slight measuring anomaly (parked cars during original
measure being the culprit) she’d have lopped over a minute from Lineth
Chepkurui’s 38:07 mark set at San Francisco in May last year. But it was in the
second half that she started to do the real damage as she held the pace well.

Mary Keitany and the Sheik! photo by PhotoRun.net

With a stated target tempo of 3:08 per
kilometre, she was clearly way ahead of schedule before half way, but it was
the 15km split (46:40, so a 15:55) and then 10 mile split (50:05) that showed
her resilience – the second of those times a world best by over a minute and a
half on Teyiba Erkesso’s 2007 Washington DC “Cherryblossom 10 Miler” clocking
of 51:43. The slight slowing to 20km was forgivable but her 1:02:36 (15:56) at
that point was still 21 seconds faster than Lornah Kiplagat’s world record mark
of 62:57 set en route at Udine.

With the home straight almost a
kilometre long, on making the final turn Keitany could see the finish and
pushed hard for home. Memories of her effort in New Delhi 18 months previously,
where she’d been on world record schedule up to 16km, evaporated as the sun
climbed and the gulf between herself and Tune, now over three minutes down,
continued to grow. With Tonui having stepped off the road at 20km, she tore
through the final 1.1km in 3:24 to set the new record figures, seemingly still
full of running. Cue bedlam at the Finish, with Tune still over 3 minutes away
and with the hundreds of spectators gathered near the Finish able to enjoy the
unfolding of the race via live big-screen coverage.

Dereba Merga wins RAK half marathon in 59:24, February 18, 2011, photo by PhotoRun.net.

For their part, despite the first three
breaking 60 minutes, the men had to accept it was ladies day in RAK this year.
But for awful pace judgment yet again, it might have been different; Merga as
ever, pushed hard from the gun and by 5km, passed in 13:37, he was alone. His
remarkable 10km split of 27:31 (13:54) came after a world best 8km time of
21:51 and preceded a “12km” clocking of 33:08 that would have (but for the
missing 4m), been a world best by a full 38 seconds!

Deriba Merga showing off his 8k record, photo by PhotoRun.net

Charging through 10 miles in 44:53
(fourth fastest ever) the 28 year old, who’d run an impressive 41:48 “club”
competition 15km just last week, was beginning to show signs of paying the
penalty for the over-exuberant first 10km and any thought of a world record was
gone. None the less Merga, who insisted when advised to hold back on the day
before the race that “I just like to lead!”, passed 20km in 56:16 and had
enough margin on the duelling duo of Bernard Kipyego (13:56, 28:04, 42:34,
45:44(10m), and 56:47) and Leonard Langat (13:47, 28:05, 42:35, 45:44 (10m),
and 56:49) to stay well clear. His victorious mark of 59:25, comes after third
places in RAK in 2007 and 2009, and was his seventh sub-60 half marathon
clocking.

Deriba Merga, showing off his 12 world best of 33:08 en route today, at the RAK half, photo by PhotoRun.net.

One day, Deriba Merga, who confirmed
he’s 28 and no older, will get his spread of effort right – and only then will
records of real significance come his way. But after a difficult 2010 (DNF’d in
Chicago and Chunchon Marathons: “I had constantly sore thighs and hips for much
of the year.”), it is clear that this relative late-comer is back in fine form
and that there is a great deal more to come.

For the fifth consecutive year, the RAK
Half Marathon has produced winning men’s times of under 60 minutes and with
over 2,600 entries this February, it continues to grow at a healthy rate.
Looking to improve your half marathon best? RAK is special – and ready to let you rock!

Deriba Merga running 59:24 at RAK half marathon, photo by PhotoRun.net

Keitany splits: 5km 15:18 // 10km 30:45
// 15km 46:40 // 10m 50:05 // 20km 1:02:26 // Finish: 1:05:50

* Accepted “world best” times for 10
miles vary enormously, depending on which criteria you follow and this really
ought to be tidied up, although as the IAAF don’t recognise the 10 miles
distance for world records, this could be construed as a mute point. ARRS
believe Teyiba Erkesso (ETH) in 2007 at Washington DC’s “Cherryblossom 10 Miler”
is the best clocking (51:43.4), while others think that the 50:39 of Linet
Masai (KEN) at the  Amsterdam –
Zaandam race on 20 Sep 09 (but point to point), is the mark to respect.