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In a year of uncertainty, this was a definitive statement from Brigid Kosgei. No one can touch her in the marathon distance; no one can even come close.
On a cold and wet morning at the London Marathon on Sunday October 4, the world record holder once again sealed her supremacy with a victory in 2:18:58. This gives her consecutive titles in London, adding to her consecutive titles in Chicago.
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In the end, the 26-year-old Kenyan raised her arms, slowed to a stop, and blessed herself. She then took a series of long glances behind her to see the runner-up.
It was three minutes before Sara Hall arrived, with the American star breaking new ground with a charge from behind to take second place in 2:22:01, four seconds ahead of world champion Ruth Chepngetich.
On Thursday, Kosgei had downplayed his fitness, citing how pandemic restrictions in Kenya had interfered with his training, though in recent months he was still running 110-120 miles per week at his training base in Kapsait.
Today’s goal was simple: to attack the women-only marathon world record of 2:17:01, set by Mary Keitany in 2017. But on a damp, cold and dreary day, it soon seemed unrealistic.
It was an early start for the elite women, with the race starting almost in the dark at 7:15 am BST (2:15 am EDT). Some competitors had set their alarms for 2 a.m. M. Local time, doing her pre-race reorganization on the competition hotel grounds on the outskirts of London before catching the bus for the tour at 4:30 a.m. M.
Rain was pouring down on the starting line, forcing the runners to keep as many layers as possible until the last moment, and the first kilometers of the race were adequately controlled.
“The weather affected us today, there was some wind and rain all the way, which chilled our muscles,” Kosgei said. “No one could warm up.”
The first 5km were covered in 16:26, with Kosgei hiding behind a wall of pacemakers. The next 5Ks were faster, at 15:59, putting them on track for the sub-2:17 to the first 10K. Then they accelerated again. Halfway through, reached in 68:11, the race had come down to the two big contenders: Kosgei and Chepngetich.
The world record holder against the world champion. Who would break up first?
At this point, Hall was back in ninth, passing the middle at 70:27. That strategy of running within itself would pay huge dividends later on.
With six of the 19.6 laps around St James’ Park remaining, Kosgei launched his first wave, picking up the pace a few hundred meters before giving in when he saw that he had done nothing to shake Chepngetich. At this point the leaders began to wane, their 5K divisions between 15K and 30K telling the story: 16:04, 16:42, 17:01.
They reached 30K together in 1:38:18, and Kosgei waited one more lap before making his decisive move after 20 miles. The effect was immediate, Chepngetich could not accompany her.
Kosgei later said the move was not planned. Over the last few miles, he seemed unfazed by the rain-soaked surface, opening nearly three minutes at Chepngetich with 5km splits of 16:42 and 16:41 that brought him to 40km.
Chepngetich, meanwhile, was beginning to fall into a hole.
Hall was beginning to smell blood as he passed Ethiopia’s Ashete Bekere in third position shortly before 40km. He still had 40 seconds to find in Chepngetich, but he had closed that gap when they last passed Buckingham Palace and headed home to The Mall.
Hall sped past Chepngetich with a 100-meter run and hit the line, exalted, in 2:22:01, with Chepngetich third in 2:22:05.
“Seeing the world champion on the last lap motivated me to give it my all,” Hall said. “I’m in shock, to be honest. I was only in part of the race so it was a really challenging way to run, but when I started to feel sorry for myself I was just saying how lucky I was to have a race during this time. “
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It had been 14 years since an American took the podium in London, since Deena Kastor’s victory in 2006.
“Deena was my teammate when she set the American record here and I am so honored to be able to enjoy my career to the fullest that I have had at the age of 37,” Hall said.
She said her husband, Ryan, was “freaking out” during the final laps, relaying the time gaps on the course to her, and on the line the excitement was visible for the 37-year-old Californian, who dropped out of the United States Olympic Marathon Trials. United in February after 22 miles.
“It was a huge disappointment,” he said. “This was a moment of redemption for me.”
Chepngetich was pleased with her podium. “I am happy because I finished, it was not easy,” he said. “The weather was not conducive. I decided to go at my own pace to finish the race, and not get out of it. “
Bekere was next in 2:22:51 with fellow Ethiopian Alemu Megertu fifth in 2:24:23. Molly Seidel came in strong in sixth place in 2:25:13, her personal best in what was her second marathon, after being part of the United States Olympic team in Atlanta on her debut in February.
While the exclusive world record for women was beyond Kosgei today, she was confident it would be his in the future. “It is possible because if it weren’t for these conditions, we could run [that time], “she said.” I’ll try again. “
The question now is: How long can Kosgei maintain this domain?
She is very, very good at shorter distances. In the marathon, it could be the best of all.
It took a world record to beat her at the RAK Half Marathon in February, Kosgei clocking 64:49 behind Yeshaneh Ababel 64:31. It also took a world record to beat her in a one-hour race in Brussels last month, where she was overtaken by Dutch star Sifan Hassan.
But once we get closer to the marathon distance, the evidence is clear, firmly reestablished on the streets of London today: Kosgei remains a class apart.
