LAUSANNE,November 12, 2017 - Beirut Marathon Association organizers got what they werelooking for as two event records were set on Sunday November 12 when Kenya’sDominic Ruto broke the men’s race record in 2:10:41 while Bahrain’s EuniceChumba recorded 2:28:38 in the women’s race to beat the previous records by 23seconds and 34 seconds respectively.
The BeirutMarathon Association (BMA) changed this year’s course and made it faster and flatterin order to help athletes set personal records and in turn, event records. Theefforts paid off, as the new course and the low humidity and temperature in Lebanesecapital - a maximum of 23 degrees Celsius at the finish line also played a role.
Dominic Rutohad to outsprint Ethiopia’s Adane Amsalu at the finishing straight to beat himby just four seconds while defending champion and Ruto’s compatriot EdwinKiptoo had to settle for third place with 2:11:56.
“When I wasat 38 kilometres, I realised my body was good and I realised that I could catchthem because there were three in the front. My body was ok and so I managed topush and to catch them at 40 kilometres,” Ruto said after the race.
Chumba, whois of Kenyan origin, pulled away from defending champion Ethiopian Tigist Girmain the last 10 kilometers to win the gold. However, this didn’t stop Girma fromsetting a personal best of 2:29:00, as did her compatriot and bronze medalwinner Debeb Getachew who recorded a PB of 2:30:31.
“I decidedto try to win at about 32 kilometres. I said ‘let me try to win the race’. MyPB is 2:24, but I am happy to get the course record. I was trying just for thecourse record. The course was a nice course. It was really a flat course,” a happyChumba said.
_F2_
Among the Lebaneserunners, defending champion Hussein Awada from the Lebanese Army came outvictorious in 2:34:15 while Olympic athlete and defending champion ChirineNjeim set a PB in the Beirut Marathon in 2:45:00 to win the women’s race,knowing that she set a career PB in Chicago last August in Chicago Marathon in2:39:21.
The Beirut Marathon Association was awarded the Silver label road race by IAAF in 2014 following the Bronze label award in 2010, and now have the Gold label as a target. Among the criteria that could help them reach their goal is having a faster course, personal records set, a comprehensive number of elite runners, and equal prize money for the participants, irrespective of gender or nationality. The race course must also be closed to vehicular traffic with full electronic timing used to generate the results, along with a specified number of doping tests that need to be carried out. And BMA has managed throughout the years to improve these standards and get closer to the golden goal.
Message to the world
Despite thetense political situation and the turmoil the country is going through, anexpected 48,000 people filled the streets of the Lebanese capital, including4500 foreigners from 110 countries, and took part in ten different races includingthe 21 Km half marathon, para-athletes’ races, the 8 Km Fun Run that saw the participationof over 35,000 and 188 NGOs who raised awareness for social causes, in additionto other races and categories.
This year, Lebanesepeople ran also for “thereturn of their missing Prime Minister Saad Hariri” who a week ago announced his shock resignation on live television from SaudiArabia. Since then, the rest of the government and the nation have been waitingfor his return to Lebanon, without knowing of his whereabouts.
As the marathon reached an end in the Lebanesecapital, news broke that Hariri would be appearing in an interview that veryevening on the Lebanese channel he owns, from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, in whatwill be his first appearance after announcing his resignation.
Who said running can’t solve mysteries?
Follow Rayane Moussallem on Twitter @RioMoussallem
_F3_
