by Larry EderWhen the weather is hot, and the winds are blowing, the last thing one might want to do is run a marathon. Not so in Dusseldorf, Germany, where 14,000 marathoners braved the 68 F temps in the shade (20 Celsius) and windy conditions to run 26.2 miles.
Nahashon moves on…2011 METRO Group Dusseldorf Marathon, photo by PhotoRun.net
That Nahashon Kimaiyo won is an amazing story-that he ran his best by two seconds, running 2:10.54, when many elites dropped out before 20 k, is even more fascinating. Likewise, Merima Mohammed, all of 18, won with a strong lead, running 2:28.15, building a five minute lead before Merima hit the finish line of the METRO Group Dusseldorf marathon.
We hope that you enjoy the story on the METRO Group Dusseldorf marathon, provided by the meet management and www.race-news-service.com:
photo by VictahSailer/PhotoRun.net
Nahashon Kimaiyo and 14,000 other marathoners, endure, photo by PhotoRun.net
Kimaiyo and Mohammed beat the heat and the
field
Merima Mohammed, 2011 METRO Group Dusseldorf champion,
photo by PhotoRun.net
Nahashon Kimaiyo and Merima Mohammed took the METRO Group
Marathon Duesseldorf. Taking into account the very warm weather the 28
year-old Kenyan clocked a remarkable time of 2:10:54. Vasyl Remshchuck (Ukraine/2:13:09) and Jonathan Yego (Kenya/2:13:50) took second and third. Austria‘s Günther Weidlinger did not finish
the race. He collapsed and had to get medical treatment after finally
dropping out around the 25 k point. Merima Mohammed had been the big
favourite ahead of the race. The 18 year-old Ethiopian clocked
2:28:15 and was more than five minutes ahead of her nearest rival. Leah
Malot (Kenya/2:33:21) was second, followed by Agnieszka Gortel
(Poland/2:33:48). High temperatures of above 20° Celsius in the shade
and a strong wind had ruined hopes of much faster times and course
records. Adding other running events around 14,000 athletes competed in
the METRO Group Marathon Duesseldorf.
Quite a number of the
elite runners could not cope with the heat and the additional wind. Some
of them already dropped out well before the 20 k mark and pace making
also did not go as planned. Germany‘s André Pollmächer was supposed to
guide the first group to the half way point, but he started dropping
back after 18 k.
Andre Pollmacher (99) doing pacemaking duties, with Jan Fitschen in attendance, photo by PhotoRun.net
It was at this point, when Nahashon Kimaiyo made an
early move. Having entered the race with a personal best of 2:10:36 it
was a brave decision by him to keep the pace of Pollmächer and take the
lead. None of the others dared to follow him in the high temperatures
with 24
kilometres to go. When Nahashon Kimaiyo passed the half way mark in 63:55
minutes he was almost 40 seconds ahead of a chasing group. He continued
to increase his advantage and was still on course for a course record
(2:08:32) at
25 k.
Vasily Remshchuck holds on for second, photo by PhotoRun.net
“When the pacemaker
dropped back early I had the choice of either running in the group and
probably finishing in around 2:15 or trying to give it a go myself. So I
went for it, but I was surprised that none of the others went with me,”
said Nahashon Kimaiyo, who had won the Antwerp Marathon in 2010 with
2:12:00 and
had established his personal best when finishing third in
La Rochelle in the same year. He just missed his personal record in
Duesseldorf. “I really wanted to break the course record, but it was
simply too warm. Additionally I got the wind into my face after around
31 k. It was getting very tough then. It is a pity, because the course
is a fast one,” the Kenyan said.
Jan Fitschen learns about the marathon..photo by PhotoRun.net
While
German debutant Jan Fitschen battled through with a time of 2:20:15 in
eighth place Günther
Weidlinger was in much more trouble. The Austrian record holder
(2:10:47)
originally hoped for a personal best, but he collapsed in the heat. He
had passed the half way mark in 63:45 minutes, looking good behind two
pacemakers. But suddenly he started staggering at 23.5 k. Weidlinger
continued but collapsed at 25 k, which was the end of his race. He had
to have medical treatment, but was not in a serious condition and
recovered.
Jan Fitschen has a warm debut…photo by PhotoRun.net
In the women’s race
Merima Mohammed was as superior as Nahashon Kimaiyo had been in the
men’s event. With the help of pacemakers she ran her own race right from
the start. Already after 10 k (34:53 minutes) the young Ethiopian was
more than half a minute ahead of a chasing group. By half way she had
increased her lead to more than 90 seconds.
Gortel, Mohammed, Malot, 2011 METRO Group Dusseldorf Marathon winners, photo by PhotoRun.net
Merima Mohammed, who had
come to Duesseldorf with a personal best of 2:23:06,
passed this point in 1:13:25. But in the rising temperatures she
had to give up her initial hopes for a personal best or for at least
breaking the course record (2:26:44). “I did not feel comfortable in the
heat. I am used to cooler conditions because I train at an altitude of
around 2,000
metres,”
said Merima Mohammed. But she still coped very well in the extreme
conditions. Among those who dropped out was the
defending champion Natalya Volgina (Russia).
Metro Group Kid’s races,
photo by PhotoRun.net
The field at the 2011 METRO Group Dusseldorf Marathon,
photo by PhotoRun.net
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