Berlin Queen Cherono Glows In Record Kipchoge's Shadow

NAIROBI, Kenya- The year was 2013. The setting was the scenic Iten, the dusty high altitude (7,900 feet) capital of Elgeyo-Marakwet County.

The grand occasion was the home coming party for Wilson Kipsang and Florence Kiplagat who were fresh from delivering an emphatic Kenyan double at the 2013 Berlin Marathon.

On that sunny October 2 day where the party started at the tiny Mindililwo village in Iten, Kipsang was accorded a roaring home coming fit for a king since he had just set a then new world marathon record when he stopped the clock at 2:03:23.

Kipsang memorably beat a certain Eliud Kipchoge to the tape for victory in the September 29, 2013 showdown and to date, he remains the only man to have stolen a march on the marathoner hailed the Greatest of All Time.

At the time, fellow Kenya Police Service officer, Kiplagat was also returning home having crushed the field in the corresponding women’s race, powering to victory in 2:21:13, well over a minute ahead of her closest challenger and countrywoman, Sharon Cherop.

“I’m tired of escorting men to world records and I want to break one of my own. I’m happy for Kipsang but in 2011, I also won in Berlin when (Patrick) Makau broke the world record. Next time, I want everything to be all about me,” Kiplagat poignantly noted.

In 2011, her maiden outing in Berlin returned a 2:19:44 triumph where she overpowered women’s world record holder, Paula Radcliffe of Britain and the feared Russian-born German legend lrina Mikitenko but her achievement was overshadowed by Makau who set a new world record of 2:03:38.

Scarcely believable

Spare a thought then for Gladys Cherono, who ‘escorted’ Kipchoge to the world record on Sunday as the women’s winner at Berlin!

Understandably, the fellow three-time Berlin winner is all the rave at the moment after putting together the scarcely believable 2:01:39 epic performance that not only smashed but completely obliterated Dennis Kimetto’s previous standard of 2:02:57.

Cherono however, did manage to leave the German capital with a piece of remarkable history, for starters blowing up the previous women’s course record that had stood for 13 years by a massive 69 seconds.

Her commanding 2:18:10 lifetime best victory also set another milestone when Cherono led Ethiopian pair Ruti Aga (2:18:34) and pre-race favourite Tirunesh Dibaba (2:18:55) across the line to mark the first time ever that the top three finishers in a women’s marathon have dipped under 2:19. 

On any other occasion, her resounding conquest would have hogged international headlines and the Kenya Defence Forces runner, 35, deserves to be celebrated to the hills but how does someone eclipse Kipchoge?

“Perhaps motivated by what Kipchoge has done, Cherono is powering majestically to the finish,” the English television commentator said as the Kenyan motored towards the Brandenburg Gate before turning for the finish.

Male pacemakers

Therein perhaps lies an answer.

It seems the only way for Cherono to earn the kind of plaudits that have followed her compatriot and fellow hat-trick winner in Berlin is to attack and beat the seemingly untouchable women’s marathon world record of 2:15:25 set by Radcliffe in 2003.

“I was running my own race, so it didn’t worry me that Tirunesh was in front,” Cherono told www.runnersworld.com after the race.

“My training was good, and when I took over the lead at halfway, I was feeling very strong. I wanted negative splits. I never looked behind, because I was not fearing anybody,” she added.

Cherono remained non-committal on whether she was thinking of an assault at Radcliffe’s record that was run at the London Marathon with the aid of male pacemakers, claiming all she wanted was a party to celebrate her course record.

For Tirunesh, the six-time Olympic gold winner who complained of cramps, the pursuit for the record is still on.

“I know the record is very fast, but I think I can attack it. That is my plan,” the Ethiopian distance-running queen asserted.

Having planned and executed her race strategy almost to perfection bar the last 2K where she appeared tired, no one can rule Cherono out of a world record attempt at a course she has mastered, winning three of the last four editions, with injury costing her an appearance in 2014.