News Archive

Once again Berlin has proved its reputation as one of the fastest marathons in

the world. For the first time in its history the real,- BERLIN MARATHON saw

three men crossing the finish line sub 2:07:00. The surprise winner was the

23-year-old Raymond Kipkoech from Kenya. He was ahead of four more countrymen

and improved his personal best by 4:05 minutes, clocking 2:06:47. With this

result the young Kenyan equalled the tenth fastest time of all times. In a

sprint finish Kipkoech beat Simon Biwott by just two seconds. Vincent Kipsos

was just another three seconds behind, making it the closest finish of the top

three in Berlin’s marathon history. Kenyan runners took the top five

places in Germany’s most spectacular road race. The women’s race

was once more dominated by Naoko Takahashi. In her first race since beating the

2:20 barrier a year ago in Berlin, the Olympic Champion from Japan ran a very

good 2:21:49. Suffering muscle problems in the second part of the race, Adriana

Fernandez came in second in 2:24:11.

Kathrin Weßel (2:36:36) and Martin Beckmann (2:16:07) won the German

Championships. With 32,752 runners entered from 90 nations Germany’s

greatest road race set yet another record. 25,278 runners reached the finish

line. Another 7,098 skaters, 91 wheelchair athletes and 97 walkers participated

in the event. Police estimated that more than a million spectators lined the

streets of Berlin, making the marathon the biggest festival in German sport.

Tragically one runner died after he collapsed about one kilometre from the

finish line, while another was successfully rescued after collapsing.

The skaters’ race has seen another dramatic sprint finish. But

winners’ times were not quite as fast as expected. While conditions were

perfect for the skaters, tactical races often don’t allow very fast

times. At the end Juan Carlos Betancur (Columbia) won the event in 1:04:44,4

hours, crossing the finish line just one tenth of a second ahead of Kalon

Dobbin (New Zealand). While for Betancur it was the first win in the real,-

BERLIN-MARATHON Angèle Vaudan (France) won the event for the second

time. It was two years ago that she had set the course record of 1:08:29. That

still stands. And this time Vaudan was five and a half minutes slower, winning

in 1:13:59,7. She also was the best sprinter at the end. Just two tenths of a

second behind was Silvia Nino (Columbia).

It was business as usual in the wheelchair race. For a record 15th time the

winner of the event was Heinz Frei. It was back in 1985, when the Swiss athlete

won for the first time in Berlin. And meanwhile he is unbeaten since 1991 in

Berlin. Frei himself was quite surprised that he is still able to dominate the

wheelchair race as he did. Winning in 1:28:28 this time he was much slower than

five years ago when he set the course record of 1:21:39. But he still was half

a minute clear of Jun Hiromichi of Japan. The women’s race did also not

produce a first time winner in Berlin. As last year Edith Hunkeler

(Switzerland) was again number one, crossing the line in 1:45:53. Edith

Hunkeler, who had triumphed in Berlin in 1998 for the first time, managed to

finish in the fourth fastest time ever in Berlin. And it was only in 1992, when

the first three women were faster than Edith Hunkeler was now.

It was not until a couple of days ago that Raymond Kipkoech entered the

men’s race. Just ten days before the real,- BERLIN MARATHON he did a

training run back home in Kapsait. At an altitude of 3,000 metres Kipkoech ran

35 k. “He then persuaded me to let him run Berlin. I was sceptical about

this because of his 35 k run just ten days before. But he looked very good and

said he felt absolutely fit for Berlin. He convinced me saying that if he would

realise that it does not work for him he would drop out”, his manager Dr.

Gabriele Rosa, who was in Kenya at that time, said. So Rosa entered him into

the Berlin race and Kipkoech got the bib number 61 – but at the end he

was number 1. In the last part of the race especially Kipkoech and Biwott

pushed the pace. Just before 35 k last year’s winner Joseph Ngolepus

could not follow, then Jimmy Muindi and Boniface Usisivu, who ran a great debut

marathon finishing fourth in 2:07:50, lost contact to the leaders. Kipsos,

Biwott and Kipkoech were running together until the race was decided by a

sprint finish on Tauentzienstraße.

Once more beaten by a very thin margin, Simon Biwott, who had lost gold in

the World Championships last year by just one second, said afterwards: “I

had two aims: to win the race and to run a personal best – so at least I

managed one. But although I am not the winner I am happy for my friend Raymond,

with whom I trained in former years.” Before Simon Biwott changed his

manager he as well belonged to Rosa’s group. So he knows Raymond Kipkoech

since he joined the group in Kapsait in 1999. It is there where the former

world-class marathoner Erick Kimaiyo works as a coach for Dr. Rosa.

“Erick and me, we were both convinced of Raymond’s talent when we

saw him back in 1999”, Dr. Rosa said. That also applied to Biwott:

“His talent was so obvious. It was just a matter of time when he would

break through. Now his time has come – and today was his day. But I

believe he will be even stronger in future”, Biwott said, while Raymond

Kipkoech was more than happy with his performance. “Before the start I

was thinking of something like 2:08 or 2:09. And in the first part of the race

I only thought about a good performance, but never about winning. Originally I

wanted to improve bit by bit, but now I managed a big step forward.” With

the flat course and very good weather conditions (temperatures between 12 and

14 ° Celsius, no wind) Berlin helped him doing so.

Who knows what would have been possible for Raymond Kipkoech if the

pacemakers had run a bit faster in the first part of the race and more

constant. Indeed the first kilometre of the race was the slowest (3:13

minutes). Even in the late stages of the race Kipkoech looked relaxed and was

pressing the pace. “He is still very young, so there is more potential.

But he is not my best runner”, Dr. Rosa said and announced that another

of his young athletes will run the New York Marathon on 3rd November.

“22-year-old David Rutto will run New York. And in training he was even

stronger than Raymond.”

Raymond Kipkoech, whose parents are said to be farmers, has two brothers and

three sisters. “They are younger than me, and up to recently they did not

run. But now my 16-year-old brother and my 14-year-old sister have started

training as well.” Raymond Kipkoech built up his form in Kapsait.

“Training is really hard up there. It needs a lot of discipline if you

want to be successful. But Erick Kimaiyo is doing a great job with these

runners”, Gabriele Rosa said and added: “Even driving up there by

car is not easy, since it is a 40 k long winding mountain road.”

While there was a question mark behind Naoko Takahashi’s form, there

was no question who would win in Berlin after 25 k were reached. It was until

that point that the Japanese ran in a more cautious manner. “My form was

not as good as last year, since I could only train for this race for three

months. Last year I had two more months. Additionally I had not had any race

since Berlin last year. That was why I was careful during the first half. But

during the race I felt better. So I attacked at 25 k”, Naoko Takahashi

said. Running just one step behind Mexican Adriana Fernandez and surrounded by

men before, Takahashi broke away and was on her own soon afterwards. The

Mexican could not respond because she felt a muscle problem in her right leg.

Reaching the finish in second place and clocking 2:24:11, Fernandez missed her

personal best by just five seconds.

When Naoko Takhashi had become the first woman to break 2:20 a year ago she

had pacemakers, but this time she had turned down the possibility. Although the

first part of the race was very fast with split times of 16:33 (5 k), 33:27 (10

k) and 50:07 (15 k) the Olympic Champion did not bother about time. “I

have never thought about the world record during my race. For me it was about

winning the race. I have trained less, so I am happy that it was enough to win.

On the other hand I am of course a bit disappointed not to haven been able to

attack the world record this time. But this result is very important for me on

my way to the Olympic Games in Athens. Because I know I will be able to run

much better and faster than today in future”, Naoko Takahashi explained.

Taking into account that she did not compete for one year, the Olympic Champion

ran a perfect race.

Concerning her next marathon, which she will run already on 17th November in

Tokio, Takahashi said: “Tokyo gives me the chance to qualify for the

World Championships next year in Paris. But even if I qualify, we will decide

at a later time if I run the World Championships. I would also like to come

back to Berlin once more.” Her coach, Yoshio Koide, sees no problem in

the short time between the two races: “Naoko had first opted for Berlin

and then later decided to run Tokyo as well. Originally last year she wanted to

run Berlin and Chicago – and that would have been just seven days in

between. We had trained in a way to make it possible to run both. But in the

end she didn’t go to Chicago. I think with 50 days in between this time

it should be no problem for Naoko.”