MASS-MEDIA ATTENTION on the 26-miler this year pretty much focused on Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-2:00 pursuit, but you’ll find we gave that “race” no status. Unlike 2 years ago when we gave consideration to his Monza race, this one had no other competitors and took technological aids to an over-the-top level. Make no mistake, our Rankings Panel remains mightily impressed by the Vienna affair, but it just doesn’t qualify in a competitive sense…
KIPCHOGE’S BID for a sixth straight No. 1 got off to a very good start when he won the big London race with the second-fastest time ever, a 2:02:37 that trailed only his own 2:01:39 from last year’s Berlin race. Kipchoge eschewed the always-fast German race in favor of his Vienna adventure, so it was left to Kenenisa Bekele to attack the Berlin route. He missed the Kenyan’s WR by only 2 seconds and that was enough to give him his first No. 1 here after many such on the track…
LAWRENCE CHERONO wasn’t particularly fast, but with a pair of WMM wins (Boston 2:07:57, Chicago 2:05:45) he was the logical choice for No. 3 ahead of world champ Lelisa Desisa, whom he had just edged in the Patriots’ Day race… Overall, times became unreal with the rise of high-tech shoes.
| JUMP TO U.S. RANKINGS | VIEW WORLD TOP 50 LIST | VIEW U.S. TOP 50 LIST |
| # = World Marathon Major; ‘ = aided course | |||||
| 1. KENENISA BEKELE (Ethiopia) (6/13/82, 5-3¾/119) (1.62/54) | |||||
| 2:01:41 | … | 1)Berlin # | 9/29 | ||
| 2. ELIUD KIPCHOGE (Kenya) (11/05/84, 5-5¾/115) (1.67/52) | |||||
| 2:02:37 | … | 1)London # | 4/28 | ||
| 3. LAWRENCE CHERONO (Kenya) (8/07/88, 5-7/121) (1.70/55) | |||||
| 2:07:57’ | … | 1)Boston # | 4/15 | ||
| 2:05:45 | … | 1)Chicago # | 10/13 | ||
| 4. LELISA DESISA (Ethiopia) (1/14/90, 5-7/115) (1.70/52) | |||||
| 2:07:59’ | … | 2)Boston # | 4/15 | ▷ | 1. Cherono |
| 2:10:40 | … | 1)World Ch # | 10/05 | ||
| 5. BERHANU LEGESSE (Ethiopia) (9/11/94, 5-6/121) (1.68/55) | |||||
| 2:04:48 | … | 1)Tokyo # | 3/03 | ||
| 2:02:48 | … | 2)Berlin # | 9/29 | ▷ | 1. Bekele |
| 6. MOSINET GEREMEW (Ethiopia) (2/12/92, 5-8½/126) (1.74/57) | |||||
| 2:02:55 | … | 2)London # | 4/28 | ▷ | 1. Kipchoge |
| 2:10:44 | … | 2)World Ch # | 10/05 | ▷ | 1. Desisa |
| 7. MULE WASIHUN (Ethiopia) (10/20/93) | |||||
| 2:03:16 | … | 3)London # | 4/28 | ▷ | 1. Kipchoge; 2. Geremew |
| dnf | … | –)World Ch # | 10/05 | ▷ | 1. Desisa; 2. Geremew; 3. Kipruto; 4. Hawkins; 5. Mokoka; 6. Tadese; 7. El Abbassi; 8. Sahili; 9. Abraham; 10. Mateo… |
| 8. VINCENT TOROTICH (Kenya) (8/03/90) | |||||
| 2:06:56 | … | 1)Vienna | 4/07 | ||
| 2:05:09 | … | 1)Amsterdam | 10/20 | ||
| 9. GEOFFREY KAMWOROR (Kenya) (11/28/92, 5-6/119) (1.68/54) | |||||
| 2:08:13 | … | 1)New York # | 11/03 | ||
| dnf | … | –)New York # | 11/03 | ▷ | 1. Kamworor; 2. Korir; 3. Bekele; 4. Tola; 5. Kitata; 6. Ward; 7. Sambu; 8. Takenouchi; 9. Abdirahman; 10. McMillan… |
| 10. GETANEH TAMIRE (Ethiopia) (1/10/94, 5-7¼/121) (1.71/55) | |||||
| 2:03:34 | … | 1)Dubai | 1/25 | ||
| U.S. RANKINGS | ||||
| 1. | Jared Ward (Saucony) | 6. | Shadrack Biwott (Hansons-Brooks) | |
| 8)Boston, 6)New York | 15)Boston | |||
| 2. | Scott Fauble (Hoka NAZ Elite) | 7. | Abdi Abdirahman (Nike) | |
| 7)Boston | 27)Boston, 9)New York | |||
| 3. | Leonard Korir (American Distance Project) | 8. | Jake Riley (unattached) | |
| 11)Amsterdam | 9)Chicago | |||
| 4. | Augustus Maiyo (American Distance Project) | 9. | Jerrell Mock (unattached) | |
| 13)Boston, 4)Pan-Am Games | 10)Chicago | |||
| 5. | Elkanah Kibet (American Distance Project) | 10. | Ahmed Osman (unattached) | |
| 11)Boston, 38)World Ch | dnf)London, 23)World Ch | |||
