Gideon Kipketer wins Mumbai Marathon, sets new course record time

Kenyan pacemaker Gideon Kipketer won the mens race in an expected allEast African clean sweep of the podium by setting a new course record in the 13th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon on SundayKipketer who started the race as a pace setter decided to continue till the end after taking over the sole lead midway through the return leg of the race and stopped the clock at 20835 shaving almost a full second off the 2013 record of 20932 set by Ugandan Jackson KipropGideon Kipketer winner of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2016 PicBipin KokateKiprop who won USD 56000 including the bonus for breaking the course record worth USD 15000 was followed home in second place by Ethiopias Seboka Dibaba in 20920 and Marius Kimutai of Kenya 20939The corresponding womens crown was clinched by Ethiopian runner Shuko Genemo in 22750 well off the 224 course record set in 2013 by Kenyas Valentine Kipketer sister of the winner of the mens raceIn second place was Kenyas Bornes Kitur 23200 while Valentine whose shoe lace got untied at the 29km mark when she was closely trailing the winner finished a distant third in 23407 For India the highlight was the breaking of the fouryearold home countrys course record of 21659 by two Army Sports Institute of Pune runners Nitendra Singh Rawat and pacemaker Gopi T and the Rio Olympic Games qualifying mark bettered by this duo as well as by another ASI competitor Kheta RamUttarkhands Rawat who had already qualified for the Olympics at the World Military Games in South Korea did better than that as well as setting a new record when he finished overall 10th in a creditable 21548Keralas Gopi finished one rung below Rawat in overall 11th place by crossing the finish line in 21615 while Kheta ended up 15th in 21723 also dipping below the 21900 Rio Olympic Games qualifying standardAmong the Indian women Sudha Singh got the best spot 7th by clocking 23928 thus improving on her show last year while her distance running compatriots Lalita Babar and OP Jaisha ended up in 10th and 11th spots with slow timings of 24155 and 24326All three have already qualified through the marathon for Rio but Lalita and Jaisha today once again ruled out their intention of competing in the 42km run at the Olympics while Sudha said she will go by the advice of the trios coach Nikolai Snesarev of BelarusThis is my last marathon I will try and qualify for the 1500m and 5000m in Rio said the 32yearold 2014 Incheon Asian Games medalist Jaisha who had said the same thing prior to todays race tooI am concentrating on the 3000m steeplechase only I have however benefited by running the marathon said Maharashtra athlete LalitaSudha sung a different tune and said though she was also a steeplechaser and was confident of qualifying for it too she will go by what the Belarussian coach advises her to do in RioFor the last two years we have been training for the marathon without any breaks I have not done any steeplechase event for one year because I am confident of qualifying I feel I should listen to what the coach decides for me she said She also said that but for running in the national cross country event as advised by her employers Railways she and the other two runners could have done better hereWe were told to participate by the Railways to take part in the national cross country in between the Open Nationals and marathon that affected the preparations a bit as none of us trio had trained over the last one week she saidAlso finishing in the top 15 in the womens race were Swati Gadhave Kavita Raut making her debut in the 42km event and Jyoti GawateThey finished in 12th 13th and 14th spots respectively by clocking 24734 24943 and 25420Havaldar Rawat the best finisher among Indian men who ran wearing goggles complained that because of the joggers coming in the main competitors way he could not find the water spots between the 21 and 28 km marksI was personally confident after the training we had been put through in the national camp at Ooty by our coach Surinder Singh Bhandari I have to thank him It feels good to set a new course record said RawatI was told to set the pace for others till the 30km mark but I felt good and decided to continue It feels pretty good to finish the race said GopiKheta Ram hailing from Rajasthan who bettered his time set last October in the VasaiVirar Marathon by almost five minutes said the hard fivemonth training that the trio and others did in Ooty had done a world of good The hard work done over the last 35 months in Ooty has helped I wanted to better the old course record but it did not happen said KhetaBoth Kheta and Gopi said they were basically track runners and would try to qualify for the 5000m and 10000m for the Rio Games At the Olympics only three per country are allowed to take part in a single eventAlso finishing in the top 20 overall in the mens race between 15 and 20 were Elam Singh 16th in 22002 Md Yunus 17th in 22030 Th Sanjith Luwang 18th in 22051 Rahul Kumar Pal 19th in 22204 and V L Dangi 20th in 22346Mens champion Kipketer said that though he had entered the race as a pace setter once he crossed the 33km mark well in front of others he decided to continue and finishIts my biggest pay day I will build a house and buy some more farm My next marathon will be in April he saidLike Rawat womens winner Genemo also complained that too many people casual runners interfered as she ranThe temperature as compared to Europe was on the higher side The uphills gradients were also tough to negotiate she saidThe results top 3 positions Mens marathon 1 Gideon Kipketer Ken 20835 New course record 2 Seboka Dibaba Eth 20920 3 Marius Kimutai Ken 20939Womens marathon 1 Shuko Genemo Eth 22750 2 Bornes Kitur Ken 23200 3 Valentine Kipketer Ken 23407Mens half marathon 1 Deepak Bapu Kumbhar Ind 010601 2 A B Belliappa Ind 010637 3 Indrajeet Patel Ind 010659Womens half marathon 1 Monika Raut Ind11720 Manisha Salunkhe Ind 011917 Monika Athare Ind 012008