Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich crossing the finish line to win the women’s marathon of the IAAF World Championships at the Corniche in Doha, yesterday.
Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich ignored warm conditions to win the gold medal after clinching the first ever night marathon on the opening day of the IAAF World Athletics Championships.
The 25-year-old clocked a time of 2hr 32min 43sec, finishing ahead of Bahrain’s Rose Chelimo (2hr 33:46) and Namibia’s Helalia Johannes (2hr 34:15) after the runners finished the race around Doha’s waterfront popularly known as Corniche.
Last night’s race was flagged off by the Amir H H Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
IAAF President Sebastian Coe and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach were also present on the occasion.
Last night’s time was a far cry from Ruth’s best which is 2:17:08 clocked at the Dubai Marathon early this year.
In what turned out to be a stiff competition against the weather and rival athletes, Ruth said she was confident of winning the race.
“The race was tough but I didn’t give up. I couldn’t let it out of my mind that I could be the winner,” Ruth said.
“At one point it felt tough but I made up my mind not to give up. I just wanted it so much because I worked for it in training,” the Kenyan added.
When asked about the conditions, Ruth said: “I only used water. I forced myself to drink it and also used the sponge to help make me cooler.”
Ruth said her strong training regime helps her overcome tough races.
“I train with a group of men and women. It’s a marathon team. And we have been working hard so that we can manage in races like this,” Ruth said.
“My coach was giving us a programme and we were doing it without any problem. We are a very disciplined group. It was hard but now I am a winner,” she said with a smile.
Second-placed Chelimo said the warm conditions did not deter her from producing a quality run.
“I think the way they planned it, it was OK,” Chelimo said when asked whether the race should have been held in hot conditions.
“They decided to hold it at night because it was too hot during the day. It was still very hot and at one point it came into my mind to stop. But I kept going and prayed that I could finish the race,” she added.
“I saw some other competitors had stopped but I was near the front and trying my best to keep going,” Chelimo said.
When asked if at some point in the race she felt like stopping, she said: “Towards the last lap, from about 37km, it was becoming very tough. My body was not still moving well, but I tried my best. I had to drink a lot because of the weather which were too hot. I had to take a lot of water and some of the other drinks,” she said.
Johannes, who finished third, said: “The race was not very easy because of the weather. I just tried my best because in my mind I had a song saying I must keep going until I finish the event. During the race I drank a lot because I was afraid of being dehydrated. I made sure I didn’t miss any water points.”
