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| Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris : 2h05'04" : Kenenisa Bekele takes Paris by storm
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Key points
Kenenisa Bekele takes Paris by storm
Three-time Olympic gold medallist and five-time world champion in the 5000 and 10,000 metres Kenenisa Bekele handily won the 38th edition of the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon with a time of 2 h 05′04″. This was also enough for him to beat the previous best time of 2 h 05′12″, set by Kenyan Stanley Biwott in 2012.
Today's 42.195 km race through Paris was the first marathon for the 31-year-old Ethiopian. He left the rest of the pack behind with over ten kilometres to go and from then on the gap only got bigger. His intermediate times: 1 h 02′09″ halfway through, 1 h 28′39″ at km 30, 1 h 43′36″ at km 35 and 1 h 58′31″ at km 40. His first words after crossing the line were: "I had no experience. This is the time I expected. I was alone from kilometre 25. It was difficult. My hamstrings were cramping. It was tough."
A new participation record
The start of the 38th edition of the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon was given at 8:45 amunder the bright spring sun and in particularly warm conditions. A record-breaking 40,783 athletes left the start line of the most popular sports event in France. To put this into perspective, 39,967 took off from the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in 2013 and 34,297 in 2012.
Just before the start of the elite field, the freshly elected Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo stepped onto the podium on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to say a few words: "Thank you, everyone. Enjoy Paris. Showcase Paris at its best. This is a magical moment. Well done, all you."
With minutes to go before the start of the action, a highly focused Kenenisa Bekele had his manager rub his lower back and buttocks under the watchful eye of a bodyguard. "This is a first for me", he stressed. "I've never run a marathon before. I don't want to talk about the record."
An amazing popular celebration
Thousands of athletes pounded the Parisian tarmac to the rhythm set by over 100 music, showing once again that the beats of the Paris Marathon are second to none. The tens of thousands of spectators lining the course created a warm, ebullient atmosphere.
Running 42.195 km in the most beautiful city in the world has become a must for athletes of all ages and all over the world. A total of 138 nationalities were present on the start line on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The average age of runners was 40 for ladies and 41 for men. Over 21% of those who signed up for the 38th edition of the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon were women.
2015: drawing lots, a fair solution
More runners want to sign up for the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon every year. Therefore, lots have to been drawn. Runners who want to can validate their pre-registration from today and boost their chances of taking part in the 2015 edition (scheduled for April 12) at the best rates.
For further information: www.
Next up, the 10 km L'Equipe on June 15
The next running event held in the streets of Paris by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) will be the 10 km L'Equipe (http://www.10km.lequipe.fr/
The podiums
Men 1. Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) 2 h 05′04″ 2. Limenih Getachew (Ethiopia) 2 h 06′49″ 3. Luka Kanda (Kenya) 2 h 08′02″
Women 1. Flomena Cheyech (Kenya) 2 h 22′44″ 2. Yebrguai Melese (Ethiopia) 2 h 26′21″ 3. Ahmed Zemzem (Ethiopia) 2 h 29′35″
Disabled athletes 1. Marcel Hug (Switzerland) 1 h 29′27″ 2. Heinz Frei (Switzerland) 1 h 30′51″ 3. Denis Lemeunier (France) 1 h 30′56″
The 39th edition of the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon will take place on April 12, 2015. |
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