{"id":353,"date":"2014-10-29T13:20:23","date_gmt":"2014-10-29T13:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/ireland\/?p=353"},"modified":"2014-10-29T15:05:00","modified_gmt":"2014-10-29T15:05:00","slug":"too-macharia-victorious-in-dublin-marathon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/ireland\/news\/too-macharia-victorious-in-dublin-marathon.htm","title":{"rendered":"Too, Macharia victorious in Dublin Marathon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dublin<\/a><\/p>\n

27th October 2014 – The Kenyan duo of Eliud Too and Esther Macharia were winners in Monday’s Dublin Marathon. <\/p>\n

Whereas Too, was a comfortable winner in the windy conditions, particularly over the last part of the course, winning in 2:14:47, his compatriot Macharia had to work far harder to secure her victory in 2:34:15. Ireland’s Maria McCambridge, the 2013 defending champion, did not want to relinquish her title without a fight. The Kenyan Women’s title winner was too strong and held the charging McCambridge by 4 seconds.<\/p>\n

Dublin Marathon 2014 Report from Race Organisers<\/h3>\n

LADIES<\/strong>
\nNot many runners reach the finish of a marathon praying for more. But for Maria McCambridge, 26 miles and 385 yards possibly wasn\u2019t long enough, leaving her four seconds short of another outright women\u2019s victory in the Dublin Marathon.<\/p>\n

Another few hundred yards might have made the difference. As McCambridge was closing \u2013 and closing fast \u2013 on Kenya\u2019s Esther Macharia. Just not fast enough, however, as Macharia held on for victory, clocking 2:34:15, and with that the top prize of \u20ac10,000.<\/p>\n

Not that McCambridge had many complaints. Her 2:34:19 improved her lifetime best by one minute and nine seconds, and at age 39, perhaps further proof that her best years might still be ahead of her, preferably as far as the Rio Olympics 2016.<\/p>\n

As the first Irish women\u2019s finisher, winning her fourth National Marathon title, McCambridge earned a \u20ac3,000 bonus plus a \u20ac7,000 runner-up prize. So financially she came away on a dead heat with Macharia.<\/p>\n

It came off arguably a tougher Dublin course than recent years too (due to the Luas works) and definitely off windier conditions than when McCambridge ran her previous best of 2:35:28 in Dublin, back in 2012. Last year, she was the outright Dublin winner, partly due to the absence of any elite overseas runners, yet this was still the best marathon of her life, and deep down she knew it.<\/p>\n

Absolute all<\/strong>
\n\u201cYeah, it\u2019s a happy disappointment, definitely,\u201d she said, knowing \u2013 and indeed looking as if \u2013 she had given her absolute all. \u201cAt 25 miles, I could see her (Macharia) just up the road, and just kept saying to myself \u2018leave everything out here, empty it until the line, have no regrets. . .\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I just closed my eyes, and ran as hard as I could. I couldn\u2019t really see, anyway. The wind was blowing my contact lenses out of my eyes, and I couldn\u2019t make much out. The wind was very, very strong too, and blowing all over the place.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could see the back of Macharia\u2019s vest for the last mile, and that\u2019s all I focused on. I just couldn\u2019t get onto her shoulder. I really, really wanted to win it, and really felt I could. I would have been lovely to have won Dublin twice, back-to-back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet McCambridge may well have timed her effort as best she could. She held back from the lead group, initially, but joined up with them around halfway \u2013 passed in 1:16:30. She then tested the lot, easing into the front, with only Macharia capable of going with her, as the Ethiopian Meseret Godana began to drop off, as well as another Kenya, Scola Kiptoo. Both of those finished a well back, Godana holding on for third in 2:38:53, over four minutes behind McCambridge.<\/p>\n

Cat and mouse<\/strong>
\n\u201cAt 13 miles, I was so wary of going to the front,\u201d added McCambridge. \u201cIt was a lot of cat and mouse after that. At 20 miles, we were still together, then she surged a little, coming up Milltown hill. I thought to myself she doesn\u2019t know about the Clonskeagh hill, and I\u2019d reel her in, but then I felt a little exposed, myself, running on my own. I just kept chasing, chasing. The gap was around 80, 100 metres, then at 25 miles I just realised I had to go now, if I was still going to do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, that finish at Merrion Square came just a little too soon. It wasn\u2019t long until she\u2019d fully recovered, however, to twice take her place on the marathon podium: as runner-up, then National Marathon champion \u2013 second in that race going to Pauline Curley from Tullamore, who was eighth overall in 2:48:02, with Dublin\u2019s Ailish Malone ninth in 2:48:48.<\/p>\n

Now coached by Chris Jones, head of endurance at Athletics Ireland, McCambridge has unquestionably found a new lease in her running life, partly explained by the fact she trains longer, harder on her hard days, but more importantly shorter, easier, on her easy days. Although she\u2019ll be 41 by the time Rio rolls around, she\u2019s clearly given herself enough incentive to continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the perfect day, with perfect conditions, I think I was in 2:31 shape. But I really have fallen in love with the marathon all over again. Before this summer I was really beating myself up in training, every day. It just took me all this time to realise that. It\u2019s still a long way to Rio, but I want to run faster, want to run another marathon. And that\u2019s definitely a nice feeling to finish with.\u201d<\/p>\n

MENS<\/strong>
\nThey really do need to start erecting a warning sign at 20 miles: marathon starts here. Because, not for the first time, that\u2019s where the Dublin Marathon got going.<\/p>\n

It was where Eliud Too hit the front, and Dmitry Safronov hit the wall. For everybody it was where the wind seemed to hit them straight in the face.<\/p>\n

It was definitely where the race for victory was won and lost, as Too, who trailed Safronov by nearly three minutes at half-way, cruised on to the finish, winning in 2:14:47.<\/p>\n

It was only the second marathon for the 26-year-old from Kenya, who found himself in Dublin via Le Ch\u00e9ile AC in Leixlip, and his assistant coach and mentor, Neil Fleming.<\/p>\n

Safronov held on bravely for third, the Russian clocking 2:15:12, with another Kenyan Paul Kimutai second man home in 2:14:56. First Irishman \u2013 or soon-to-be-adopted Irishman \u2013 was Sergiu Ciobanu, a native of Moldova resident here since 2006, who was fifth overall in 2:21:01<\/p>\n

If Too was a somewhat surprise winner he didn\u2019t necessarily see it that way. He wasn\u2019t even listed among the elite runners, entering himself like everybody else. Yet he certainly looked the part, and comfortable at the finish, immediately paying tribute to Fleming, and Le Ch\u00e9ile AC, whose club singlet he wore to victory.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a slightly roundabout story: Fleming, who now works in exercise physiology at Indiana University, credits one of his American students, James Walters, for first discovering Too, after he went to Kenya on a student placement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many Kenyans running in Iten, so many fall through the cracks, and Too is really an unpolished diamond,\u201d explained Fleming. \u201cHe ran the Cleveland Marathon last May, finishing second, and when it came to his second marathon Dublin was perfect. He\u2019s been staying with my parents in Leixlip for the last two weeks. He\u2019s not officially a Le Ch\u00e9ile member, but an honorary member, definitely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u20ac10,000 prize<\/strong>
\nThe Kenyan earned himself a tidy \u20ac10,000 for his efforts, and spoke eloquently of where that money might go: \u201cWe\u2019re 10 in the family. My three sisters are all married. My parents are getting older, and I have many brothers coming behind me, who need to go to school. We\u2019re farmers, only to feed ourselves, from a humble background. So I will spend the money well.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was eloquent in motion too, slowing closing the gap on Safronov between miles 13-20: once he passed the Russian, outside O\u2019Shea\u2019s pub in Clonskeagh, he never looked in danger.<\/p>\n

By then, Ciobanu looked safe as the first Irish finisher. The 31-year-old, now living in Clonmel, coached by Jerry Kiernan, and running with Clonliffe since 2006, is now on the brink of receiving Irish citizenship.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would love to run for Ireland soon. I\u2019ve been feeling Irish for a long time now. I\u2019m going out with an Irish girl too, Eimear. We\u2019re getting on well and we have plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Completing the top Irish finishers was Barry Minnock from Athlone, ninth overall in 2:22: 42, and Dublin\u2019s Eoin Flynn, who, at 34, ran a lifetime best of 2:25:01. Patrick Monaghan from Naas set a record in the wheelchair race at 1:52:53, clear of Paul Hannon (2:05:56), and Luke Jones (2:09:33).<\/p>\n

Dublin Marathon results:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Men’s<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Eliud Too (Kenya) 2:14:47
\n2. Paul Koech Kimutai (Kenya) 2:14:56
\n3. Dimitry Safronov (Russia) 2:15:12<\/p>\n

Irish Men<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Segiu Ciobanu (Clonliffe Harriers) 2:21:01
\n2. Barrry Minnock (Rathfarnham WSAF) 2:22:42
\n3. Eoin Flynn (Rathfarnham WSAF) 2:25:01<\/p>\n

Women’s<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Esther Macharia (Kenya) 2:34:15
\n2. Maria McCambridge (Ireland) 3:34:19
\n3. Meseret Godana (Ethopia) 2:38:53<\/p>\n

Irish Women<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Maria McCambridge (Dundrum South Dublin) 2:34:19
\n2. Pauline Curley (Tullamore) 2:48:02
\n3. Ailish Malone (Clonliffe Harriers) 2:48:48<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

27th October 2014 – The Kenyan duo of Eliud Too and Esther Macharia were winners in Monday’s Dublin Marathon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,4,87,1],"tags":[111,127,137,138,148,139],"class_list":["post-353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dublin","category-featured","category-kenya","category-news","tag-111","tag-dublin-marathon","tag-eliud-too","tag-esther-macharia","tag-kenya","tag-maria-mccambridge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/ireland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/ireland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/ireland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/ireland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/ireland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/ireland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":356,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/ireland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353\/revisions\/356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/ireland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/ireland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/ireland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/ireland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}