by Alfonz Juck
Michael Shelley passes Callum Hawkins, 2018 CG Marathon, photo courtesy of Hindustan Times (all copyrights retained by Hindustan Times)Dramatic marathon ending
GOLD COAST (AUS, Apr 15): There was a dramatic climax to the men’s marathon at the Commonwealth Games. Scotland’s Callum Hawkins had amassed a two-minute lead but the 25-year-old collapsed at the 40km checkpoint and had to be taken to hospital in an ambulance and will remain in hospital overnight as a precaution. Reigning champion Michael Shelley from Australia was the beneficiary, coming through to successfully defend his title in 2:16:46 ahead of Uganda’s Solomon Mutai (2:19:02) and Scotland’s Robbie Simpson (2:19:36). Northern Ireland’s Kevin Seaward was the only other runner to break the 2:20-barrier in fourth in 2:19:54. Kenyans Julius Karinga (2:24:26) and Kenneth Mungara (2:25:42) were ninth and tenth respectively. In demanding conditions (27C temperature and 69% humidity) seven of the 24 starters didn’t complete the distance. In the women’s race, Namibia’s Helalia Johannes won the title in 2:32:40 ahead of Australians Lisa Weightman (2:33:23) and Jessica Trengove (2:34:09). Only the top six finishers broke the 2:40-barrier.
RunBlogRun opines: This was one hot mess. The LOC should have considered an earlier time for both men’s and women’s marathons, but they, for some reason don’t. This totally changes the marathon landscapes. All the athletes ran bravely, but Callum Hawkins pushed himself too hard, and fall at 40 kilometers. He required medical attention and overnight in hospital for observation. We saw note from Scottish Athletics that Callum was recovering well. Michael Shelley took silver in 2010 New Delhi, in only his second marathon. In 2014 Glasgow, Shelley moved up to gold, and in this hot house, Shelley kept his running under control and passed Hawkins as Callum was being administered from medical staff. Again, if he had been touched, the marathoner would have been disqualified. Yes, an archaic rule that goes back to 1908 Olympics and Doriando Petri (read about it). The last one so dramatic was from the 1954 Empire Games, when Jim Peters, the first man under 2:20, collapsed at the finish line. This could have been avoided.
