Dubai Marathon

[Marlow]

Two things stand out in the results:

A. Those Ethiopian men are redikalus (FIVE under 2:05?!)
B. Why are the women not similarly fast vis-à-vis the top times? I realize that Paula's time is too far out there, but there are four women in the 2:18s, so the men are consistently closer to the best than the women.

Men
1 Lelisa Desisa (ETH) 2:04:45
2 Berhanu Shiferaw (ETH) 2:04:48
3 Tadese Tola (ETH) 2:04:49
4 Endeshaw Negesse (ETH) 2:04:52
5 Bernard Koech (KEN) 2:04:53
6 Nicholas Kipkemboi (KEN) 2:06:33
7 Dadi Yami (ETH) 2:07:55
8 Mike Kigen (KEN) 2:08:24
9 Habtamu Assefa (ETH) 2:08:28
10 Gemechu Biru (ETH)

Women
1 Tirfi Tsgaye (ETH) 2:23:23
2 Ehitu Kiros (ETH) 2:23:39
3 Amane Gobena (ETH) 2:23:50
4 Aheza Kiros (ETH) 2:24:30
5 Belaynesh Oljira (ETH) 2:25:01
6 Shitaye Bedasa (ETH) 2:25:47
7 Isabellah Andersson (SWE) 2:26:05
8 Abebech Afework (ETH) 2:27:08
9 Beata Naigambo (NAM) 2:27:54
10 Misaki Katsumata (JPN) 2:30:42

[26mi235]

If these are the results, then an 'easy' possibility is that the races evolved differently. Maybe the mens race started fast enough for a CR bonus to be feasible and the WR time possible, while the women are not going to be getting that WR mark and the CR might have been too tough for the women in the field, so that took it more tactically.

Also, note that the number of women within a minute or two of the both the WR and the annual best is much lower than with the men -- the top is much thinner.

[Marlow]

If these are the results

?!

[26mi235]

Friday morning is the usually time for results, so maybe they are the entry times, I did not pay close enough attention.

[Conor Dary]

A. Those Ethiopian men are redikalus (FIVE under 2:05?!)
B. Why are the women not similarly fast vis-à-vis the top times? I realize that Paula's time is too far out there, but there are four women in the 2:18s, so the men are consistently closer to the best than the women.

Despite advances the depth in women's distance running is pretty small compared to the men. The latter is more like a tsunami and thus the pressure to perform well is enormous.

2:04 is par for the course for the East Africans. 2:05? Who cares...Get a real job!

[Conor Dary]

Friday morning is the usually time for results, so maybe they are the entry times, I did not pay close enough attention.

That does make more sense. Who runs a marathon on Friday?

Though I suspect the final times won't be that much different.

[gh]

Since Dubai shuts down on Saturdays (which means that not only can't you run it that day, but if you're not getting any prep work done either, then Sunday is out).

[TN1965]

Men
1 Lelisa Desisa (ETH) 2:04:45

2nd behind Tariku in the Hengelo race which was originally set up as the Ethiopian Olympic trial. He was later squeezed out of the team after another selection in Birmingham.

Is he already giving up his track career at age 22? Or is he coming back to track like Gebremariam did last year?

[Jon]

Why are the women not similarly fast vis-à-vis the top times? I realize that Paula's time is too far out there, but there are four women in the 2:18s, so the men are consistently closer to the best than the women.

The quality and depth of the men's field was much better from the outset. It also happened to be a very competitive race with a bunch of them pushing each other at a fast pace through to the finish. The women's race didn't have the same depth, and some of the better quality runners just had a bit of a bad day in a race where the pace was never really too hot. But that's not always the case in Dubai - last year's women's race had superb depth (best marks-for-place for 3rd-9th!)

Another thing to note about today's race - second-placer Berhanu Shiferaw's 2:04:48 is a world age-19 best.

[doug5321]

tilastopaja list shiferaw as having done 6 marathons with a previous best of 2:08.51 in 2012, the 3rd fastest junior, he also ran 2:09.19 in 2011, he was 5th in the world youth steeple in 2009.

[doug5321]

just a sidenote ibrahim jeilan was 4th in the accompaing 10k in 29:34, which was 44 seconds behind the winner. and 13th in the womens marathon was ann marie hyrylainen who as a junior in 1996 ran 8:48 for 3000, 14:56 for 5000 and 31:40 for 10000.

[Jon]

13th in the womens marathon was ann marie hyrylainen who as a junior in 1996 ran 8:48 for 3000, 14:56 for 5000 and 31:40 for 10000.

I think you're getting her confused with Annemari Sandell-Hyvärinen.

[GHM]

Short videos of 2013 race is on Youtue. I liked this one, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIY3rXxRZ3k

[kuha]

Short videos of 2013 race is on Youtue. I liked this one, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIY3rXxRZ3k

So the whole thing was run in the fog? Not what I would have expected.

[TN1965]

Short videos of 2013 race is on Youtue. I liked this one, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIY3rXxRZ3k

Four runners in the lead pack at the 42km mark.
I think this is the first time I ever saw that.
(Three were in the lead pack with 200m to go at 1979 Fukuoka.)

[Conor Dary]

Short videos of 2013 race is on Youtue. I liked this one, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIY3rXxRZ3k

So the whole thing was run in the fog? Not what I would have expected.

Fog or is it smog?

[kuha]

Short videos of 2013 race is on Youtue. I liked this one, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIY3rXxRZ3k

So the whole thing was run in the fog? Not what I would have expected.

Fog or is it smog?

I wondered too, but simply can't imagine that soup being noxious.

[Master Po]

The IAAF report described it as fog, and the women's winner mentioned that the humidity was a limiting factor in her performance.