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Sensational 67:07 Debut by Elvan Abeylegesse at RAK Half Marathon in United Arab Emirates
By David Monti
(c) 2010 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission.
February 19, 2010
Her frame is so slight, one might think that Turkey's Elvan Abeylegesse (photo by www.photorun.net at 2008 Olympics, 10,000m) would be blown off course by the 
slightest wind.
But Friday, February 19, in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), neither desert winds nor strong rivals could defeat the two-time Olympic silver medallist (5000m, 10,000m in 2008) as she scorched a 67:07 course record at the 4th RAK Half-Marathon, the fastest-ever half-marathon debut on a record-standard course*. (Sammy Wanjiru of Kenya set a men's world record at the inaugural RAK Half Marathon in 2007. The American women's half marathon record belongs to Deena Kastor, 67:34, 2006; Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands holds the women's world half record of 66:25, 2007)
"If the pace had been faster and steadier, my time could have been a lot quicker," Abeylegesse told the reporters after the event. "I felt easy at 15K (48:03), and it was only then I decided to start pushing the pace." (According to a RAK Half Marathon press release, Abeylegesse has no plans to race the marathon before the 2012 Olympic Games.)
With the temperature at 18°C (64°F) at the start, conditions were very good for racing. The opening 5K was slightly conservative for this notoriously fast race (16:02), but the pace quickened in the second 5K segment, passing through 10K in 31:54. Through 15K five women remained with Abeylegesse, all Ethiopians: Teyba Erkesso, Aselefech Mergia, Koren Jelela, Aselefech Mergia, and Mare Dibaba**.
Elvan Abeylegesse was ready to pounce. She reacted to a move by Erkesso, then blew through the 20K mark with a 15:44 5K segment behind her. Holding her pace, Abeylegesse broke the tape first, with Mare Dibaba following in an Ethiopian national record 67:13, Aselefech Mergia in third ( 67:22, personal best), Teyba Erkesso in fourth (67:41), and Dire Tune--who is in high mileage training for the Boston Marathon--in fifth (67:58).
The men's contest was won by Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai in 59:43. Ethiopia's Deriba Merga, the defending Boston Marathon champion, dropped out at 18K; Merga's compatriot, Tadese Tola, the reigning New York City Half-Marathon champion, placed second and broke the one hour mark for the first time (59:49). Third place went to Kenyan Titus Masai in 59:51, a personal best. Patrick Makau's course record of 58:52 was never under threat.
Both Elvan Abeylegesse and Geoffrey Mutai earned $20,000 (USD) in prize money, but Abeylegesse also earned a $5,000 course record bonus.
Organizers reported a record field of about 2000 entrants; the number of official finishers was not immediately available.
About RAK
Ras Al Khaimah is one of the seven Emirates that form the United Arab Emirates. Ras Al Khaimah is nestled between the Hajjar Mountains on the east and the Arabian Gulf on the west, and shares mountainous borders with the Sultanate of Oman.
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*The USA's Kara Goucher ran 66:57 in her debut at the slightly aided Great North Run, from Newcastle to South Shields, England, in 2007
**This athlete, born "Hurssa Mare Dibaba" in Ethiopia, became a citizen of Azerbaijan (June, 2009), but has reverted back to Ethiopian citizenship, according to Pierre Weiss of the IAAF.