Results for 2019

On a new course – and despite an added incline – Kenya’s Leonard Barsoton and Ethiopia’s Guteni Shone set new event records. Barsoton took 43 seconds off the event record set by Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele two years ago. Shone smashed the previous record by almost four minutes. Both winning times rank just outside the top 10 all-time marks for the distance.

Eleven men reached halfway (12.5km) in 37:11 (29:41 at 10km). Soon after several runners dropped back and just six were left in contention at 15km (44:21). The Ethiopians Betesfa Getahun and Bayelign Yegsaw pushed hard over the next 5km but nothing had visibly changed by 20km (59:05) but approaching the half marathon distance Barsoton upped his pace and maintained it to the finish with a final 5km of 14:00. Getahun and Yegsaw followed him home at a distance.

Barsoton, personal best half marathon time of 59:09 in Valencia two months before made him the in-form favourite in the race, “I had planned to push hard from 20km but decided to wait a little bit and then went at 21.1km. To beat a record of [Kenenisa] Bekele’s is special. Next year, for sure I will make my marathon debut.”

Bekele’s brother Tariku drifted off the back of the leading pack just after 13km
while Kenya’s two-time world marathon champion Abel Kirui, a late addition to the race, was a distant 11th in 1:18.08.

In the women’s race Guteni Shone was out on her own over the last 10km. Seven women had passed 10km in 33:37 before Shone started to edge up the pace. By halfway she only had her training partner Desi Jisa for company, who hung on doggedly for 2km but from 15km (50:03) Shone was starting to pull away. At 20km (1:06:00) she was 42 seconds ahead of Jisa and the gap continued to grow over the final 5km. Jisa took second, over 400m behind Shone, with another Ethiopian-born Bahraini, Tejitu Daba, one minute further back. The first five women were inside the former event record.

“The temperature was a little hot,” said Shone “and you did not know what kind of surface to expect next… that made the course challenging and worth the run.”

The 15th edition gathered running enthusiasts in the city of Aqaba. The race saw the participation of 3,000 local and international runners in its three categories: the 21km race, the 10km fun run and the kids’ race.

Ethiopia’s Tsehay Gemechu defended her title and took 50 seconds off her course record to win in 66 minutes flat, writes Phil Minshull. Her compatriot Andamlak Belihu defended his men’s title by winning in 59:10 and recording the third fastest time run in Delhi – just four seconds more than the course record.

The women’s race came down to a thrilling head-to-head duel over the final 5km between Gemechu and her training partner Yelamzerf Yehualaw. A large group went through 5km in 15:43 before the (male) pacemakers picked up the tempo for the six-strong lead group to pass 10km in 31:22 – better than course record schedule. One-by-one runners became detached until only Gemechu and Yehualaw remained as they went through 15km in 47:05. Coming into the final kilometre Yehualaw edged in front but Gemechu clawed her way past to also notch up a personal best while becoming just the second woman to defend the Delhi title. “I was tired but mentally strong,” said Gemechu. Yehualaw, even younger than the winner, having just turned 20, took more than three minutes off her previous best to finish one second behind Gemechu. Zeineba Yimer, who started to lose contact with the leading pair just before 15km, held on to make it an Ethiopian podium sweep. 1-2-3 and repeated her third placing of last year. Kenya’s Irene Cheptai had a good half marathon debut in fourth.

With his earlier repeat victory Andamlak Belihu shaved eight seconds from his personal best and winning time of 12 months ago. But his time of 59:10 was again frustratingly short of the course record, set at 59:06 in 2014 by his training partner, fellow Ethiopian Guye Adola. The men’s race also saw a thrilling head-to-head battle over the final few kilometres. Six men passed 10km in 28:08. Belihu was still accompanied by another Ethiopian, Solomon Berihu, and the Kenyan pair of Kibiwott Kandie – and Alfred Barkach as they passed 15km in 42:11. Between 17–18km first Barkach and then Kandie couldn’t stay the pace as the two Ethiopians surged. Berihu had forged a lead at 18km but Belihu reeled in his rival before reaching 20km and then pulled away for victory. “I’m a bit disappointed that I missed out on the course record again but I got a personal best so I cannot complain too much,” he said, before adding that he would come back to Delhi next year to attack the course record again and become the runner to win a hat-trick of ADHM titles. “I am always pleased to come to Indian races, especially Delhi, as it was here that I had my first successes and this changed my life.” Berihu, just 20, posted one of the fastest half marathon debuts ever when he came home second in 59:17.

What a day in Lisbon! A special weather provided three course records, particularly in the marathon with five men running under 2:07 hours. Specially Andualem Shiferaw who smashed the previous record (2:08:21) by 2:21 minutes, crossing the finish line in 2:06:00. In the half marathon, two more course records, by Titus Ekiru (1:00:12) and Peres Jepchirchir (1.06:54). The Lisbon Half Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race and the marathon is an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race.

By 8.00 am, in Cascais, all the runners face a new day, almost without wind, the sun shining. Not like Saturday, when the rain drops all day. With a very good strategy and good pacing job, the elite goes under the course record pace almost since the 10th km, and in the last 5 km the leading group was formed by Stephen Chemlany, Samuel Wanjiku, Barnabas Kiptum, Birhan Nebebew and Andualem Shiferaw, until the last two kilometres, when only the Kenyan Wanjiku, former course record holder (2:08:21) and 2014 winner, and the Ethiopian Andualem Shiferaw. The last meters, with a strong sprint, Shiferaw run strongly and finished in 2:06:00, a personal best improved by more than two minutes (2.08:16). Also, a new course record.

“I didn’t expect and planned to win today. Specially because the rain in Saturday. It did scares me. But today I felt very good and after half marathon I understand I could struggle for the win. The personal best is a bonus!” said the winner after his race.

Samuel Wanjiku just arrived one second after, “extremely happy with my personal best”, and in the third place came the Kenyan Chemlany (2:06:22), who improved his personal best by two seconds. The great weather provided also two more results under 2:07 hours, with Kenyan Barnabas Kiptum in 4th place (2:06:32) and Ethiopian Birhan Nebebew (2:06:49) in 5th, both with personal bests.

The normal results came with Kenyan Hosea Mayio (2:08:55) and Ethiopian Brihanu Teshome (2:09:28).

The best Portuguese was Rui Teixeira, with 2:25:14.

In the women’s race, Ethiopian Sechale Dalasa took the win with 2:29:51, far from her personal best (2.26:27), but enough for a good win, with the tall Kenyan Helen Jepkurgat in second, with 2.29:57. The third place of the podium was for Ethiopian Gedo Sule Utura (2:32:16).

At the end, Dalasa said she always thought in “winning the race, but after the pacer go out of the course I had to run lonely and I didn’t run fast enough to close my personal best.”

The first Portuguese was the debutant Jessica Pontes with 2:51.41.

The half marathon provided two more records. With a different course, this one respecting the road races records regulations, Kenyan Titus Ekiru take the win with 1:01:12, a new course record (previous was 1:00:13, by Mustapha El Aziz, since last year). He ran alone the last kilometres and that made it impossible to break the one hour barrier in the race.

“I intended to run faster, but without more competitivity was impossibility. Of course I’m happy with this spectacular race, with my win and the good weather,” said Ekiru after the race.

The second athlete on the finish line was Uganda’s Timothy Toroitich in 1:00:53 (a personal best) and Thomas Ayeko (1:00:56).

In the women’s race, Kenyans Peres Jepchirchir and Vivian Kiplagat provided a great sprint until the finish line where Peres finished in first place with 1:06:54, beating the course record (1:07:18), which was set by Yebrgual Arage last year (Arage finished in fourth place this year with 1:09:02). Kiplagat crossed the line one second after Peres Jepchirchir and Kenya swept the podium with Dorcas Kimeli (1:07.43).

For the winner: “This was a good day. I expected to provide a good time, and I’m happy with this win.”

The best Portuguese athlete was Catarina Ribeiro (7th) with 1:11:36, not far off her personal best (1:11.09).