by Larry EderThe long events were going to be a shi#tshow no matter what. Moving the events later shows people that the temperature has come down, but, in long events, humidty is what kills, not temperature. It was scary out there, and 41 percent of the field DNFed. Think about this. NYC Marathon has 40,000 plus marathoners, and 98 percent of the starters finish.
This was a field of highly trained athletes and the DNF rate was 41 percent. The heat and humidty added to the stress of a world class championship event. The IAAF needed to hold these events with sponsorship concerns, and there was going to be no good answer.
Despite this weather, there were many stories. Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya, took the win in 2:32.43. Edna Kiplagat, ageless and mutil WC champion marathoner, takes 4th. Roberta Groner, US, takes sixth in a savvy, focused run to the finish line.
Ruth Chepnegetich debuted at Istanbul in 2:22.36 in 2017. She came back in 2019 to run 2:18.35, and in Doha, last December, I watched her win Dubai in 2:17.08, #3 all time. This was not about running fast in Doha, it was about keeping it out of the danger zone. In Doha, 30/71 did not finish.
A marathon is 26.2 miles, some have hills, some have other challenges, but this may have been the most challenging Championships that I have seen in my recent and past memory.
Ruth Chepnegetich take first gold in Doha, photo by PhotoRun.net
Ruth Chelimo, silver, photo by PhotoRun.net
Some big stories, and impressive runs, and gutty performances. Enjoy our coverage of the race, and please watch NBC and listent o BBC World Sports!
Special thanks on the quick turnaround.
