Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang, 31, broke the world marathon record in the BMW Berlin Marathon on Sunday, Sept. 29, running 2:03:23!

Kipsang, who had come agonizingly close to the record two years ago, finally broke through, taking 15 seconds off countryman Patrick Makau’s mark of 2:03:38, set in this same race two years ago.

A month after Makau had set his world record in Berlin, Kipsang had won the Frankfurt Marathon in 2:03:42 – only four seconds off Makau’s mark!

After his record run in Berlin on Sunday, Kipsang said, “This is a dream come true; 10 years ago, I watched Paul Tergat break the world record in Berlin, and now I have achieved the dream. I felt strong, so I attacked at 35K, because the pace had become a little too slow.”

Kipsang, the bronze medalist in the marathon at the 2012 London Olympics, had been content to sit at the back of the leading group of 10 until the halfway point on Sunday. Then he and three other Kenyans began to pull away. They passed 35 kilometers in 1:42:36, some 20 seconds off Makau’s 2011 record pace, but Kipsang still had energy in reserve. Upping the pace, he soon distanced himself from the others and continued to the finish line and the new world record.

Kipsang’s performance solidified Berlin’s cachet of having the fastest marathon course in the world. This is the ninth world marathon record set in the Berlin Marathon and the eighth in the last 15 years!

Finishing second to Kipsang on Sunday was Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, running in only his second marathon. The 2003 world 5000-meter champion on the track, he ran 2:04:05, improving his best by more than a minute.

Still another Kenya, Geoffrey Kipsang (no relation to the winner) finished third in 2:06:26 -- at age 20! He had been the world junior cross-country champion in 2011.

Kenyans also took the top two positions in the women’s race. Florence Kiplagat, the race favorite, won in 2:21:13 despite a bad blister on her right foot. Sharon Cherop finished second in 2:22:28.

Germany’s Irina Mikitenko, who’s now 41 and the German women’s recordholder in the marathon (2:19:19, set five years ago in winning the Berlin Marathon), finished third in 2:24:54, achieving her objective of setting a new world Master’s best. Her time improved on the previous record by almost a minute.

Comments

Congrats to Wilson Kipsang! A new marathon world record...2:03:23. What makes this course so fast? I think something like nine world records have been run there.
Bob Anderson 9/30/13 4:18 pm