World Half: women's race analysis
CLICK HERE for our race report. Men's race analysis can be found here.
Whether it was the very tight course or the inability of cornering in stacked racing shoes, it was a pity that falls took out three key athletes - the defending champion, the world record-holder and the former world record-holder.
Despite the turns, 66 of the 101 set PBs, with nine of those being national records.
And it was a fantastic performance by the first three who all broke the previous women-only world record.
The 5km splits show almost everyone went out fast but they don’t really give the whole picture.
To be more precise, everyone went out too fast and it was just a case of who could survive and slow the least, but Peres Jepchirchir did kick in significantly with 3:12 for the final 1.1km.
Had Jepchirchir maintained her pace through the first 5km of 15:20 and run the same last kilometre then she would have run 64:32 - one second down on the mixed world record!
Jepchirchir's 5km splits (65:16): 15:20, 15:27, 15:37, 15:40 & 3:12
The silver went to Germany’s Ethiopian-born Melat Yisak Kejeta who no one would have predicted as runner-up (including myself as I did not have her in my top 10 prediction).
It was a European record in a women-only race.
A 68:41 PB from 2018 and an 11th place at Ras Al Khaimah well over four minutes down on the winner did not show medal or even top 10 potential.
It’s also worth noting her official road 5km PB is 15:50 and her 10km PB is 31:50.
All four of her 5km splits were better than her PB as she ran successive back to back marks of 15:20, 15:27, 15:38 and 15:39 and then sped up significantly with a 3:14 last 1.1km.
She also destroyed her 10km PB en route as she did back to back 30:47 and 31:17 splits.
Yalemzerf Yehualaw ran similar splits and also did a big PB and confirmed her Ethiopian trials victory. She might have finished second but for a tumble in the straight.
The three who fell earlier on did not lose much time with their falls but the impact had an effect. Such was the pace of those who stayed on their feet, it would have been near impossible to make up the lost ground.
The dangers of running too fast and near flat out are illustrated by the two athletes who were expected to be the leading Europeans - Yasemin Can and Lonah Chemtai Salpeter.
Can was at the front through the first 15km but she dropped off fast once she lost contact and lost nearly a minute in the final 5km compared to the pace of her first 5km.
Salpeter as world leader in the marathon was expected to make a stronger challenge but she just got slower and slower after she had been in the lead group at 5km and her second 10km was two and a half minutes slower than her first.
Can (66:20): 15:20, 15:27, 15:37, 16:16 & 3:40
Salpeter (68:31): 15:21, 15:51, 16:42, 17:07 & 3:30
Fabienne Schlumpf was the first European-born athlete in 13th and though she got slower as she largely ran solo she took almost a minute back on Salpeter on the second half and held her pace well as she moved through.
Schumpf (68:38): 16:00, 16:14, 16:22, 16:38 & 3:24
The British athletes also ignored even pace running. Had Samantha Harrison and Becky Briggs maintained their first 5km split throughout and produced the same last kilometre as they did they would have run around 70:04.
Harrison lost 15 seconds, then 23 and then 18 on her previous 5kms which is not the most efficient way of doing it but it was not a drastic drop off compared to Can and Salpeter and suggests she could run up to a minute faster with a slower first 5km as she missed her PB by nine seconds.
Briggs did set a PB and her pacing was even more aggressive compared to her previous best - matching Harrison - but she did at least come back well in the last kilometre.
Clara Evans had been nine seconds down at 5km and caught her in the third 5km section and went slightly away in the fourth but Briggs responded to catch her in the last kilometre.
It is difficult holding back when everyone goes out aggressively but stats suggest that you run faster with even pace or negative splits.
Harrison (71:53): 16:37, 16:52, 17:15, 17:33 & 3:36
Briggs (73:08): 16:37, 17:13, 17:44, 17:59 & 3:35
Evans (73:11): 16:46, 17:12, 17:32, 17:56 & 3:45
Other than Gudeta’s omission, it was respectable with all my top 10 making the top dozen and being eight seconds out on the time.
(Find predictions and explanation here)
Predicted: 65:08
Actual: 65:16
1 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) finished 5th
2 Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) finished 1st
3 Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) finished 6th
4 Netsanet Gudeta (ETH) finished 8th
5 Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) finished 3rd
6 Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) finsihed 10th
7 Dorkas Kimeli (KEN) finished 11th
8 Zeineba Yimer (ETH )finished 4th
9 Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (ISR) finished 12th
10 Yasemin Can (TUR) finished 7th
Briton: Samantha Harrison did come top
Not chosen
Melat Kejeta(GER) finished 2nd
Brillian Jepkorir Kipkoech (KEN) finished 9th
(Photo by Dan Vernon for World Athletics)
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