New course records set as Ethiopians end Kenyan reign

MUMBAI: The firsts were many. New course records, sub 2:10 timings, several personal bests, end of Kenyan domination in elite men's section... Sunday's Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon witnessed all that and more.
With the cool morning breeze egging them along, the athletes, both Indian and foreign, went on a record-setting spree. Old marks were lowered to make space for new feats.By the time the eighth edition of the race ended, SCMM had become much, much taller.
The overall men's title went to Girima Assefa, the 24-year-old Ethiopian scorching the streets of Mumbai to return a stunning 2:09.54, a good 2.3 minutes below the course record of 2:11.51, set by Kenyan Kenneth Mugara in 2009.
Assefa trailed countrymate Botor Segaye Wolde almost till the last before unleashing a lung-bursting run to the tape. Wolde (2:09.57) was followed by Kenyan Patrick Muriuki three seconds behind. All three bettered the 2009 course mark by nearly two minutes.
"I stayed a little behind and took it easy because the pace-setters were doing their job. I made my move near the final turn to the finish," was how Assefa explained his winning strategy.
What made the win even more special for Assefa and Wolde was that they had finally managed to end the Kenyan men's domination in this race. So what if it took them eight long years!
There was no such turnaround in the women's section though, where Ethiopian sweep continued unabated. It was a sprint to finish for the top two finishers, with Koren Yal just about managing to pip Merima Mohammed at the tape by a second. Koren's 2:26.56 was 3.8 minutes below the course record of 2:30.04, set by countrymate Mulu Seboka in 2008. Elfenesh Alemu steamed in third at 2:29.04. All three bettered countrymate Mulu Seboka's 2008 mark of 2:30.04.
It was familiar plight for Merima, who also lost the title at last year's Delhi Half Marathon by a second. "It doesn't matter because I lost to an Ethiopian," said a gracious Merima.
The lower timings had race director Hugh Jones jumping in joy. "The weather was great. It got slightly warm towards the end but otherwise the conditions were perfect. We could not asked for better timings. This is a big moment for the race," said Jones.
The men's and women's champions in the elite category will gain $36,000 each in keeping with the SCMM's Gold label status.