Mosop blazes new trail in Chicago Marathon
So much for that sore left Achilles tendon.
Kenyan Moses Mosop, who missed more than a month of training this summer because of the nagging injury, rose to the occasion to capture the Bank of America Chicago in impressive fashion Sunday.
In his debut Chicago Marathon in less than ideal weather conditions, Mosop set a course record in 2:05:37, shaving four seconds off the record Sammy Wanjiru set in 2009.
With the win, Mosop takes home $150,000 — $100,000 for the win and $50,000 for setting the course record.
This was only Mosop's second career marathon. His debut came in April in Boston, where he ran the fastest debut time in history (2:03:06), aided by a tail wind and the point-to-point course.
In Chicago, he bested a strong field on yet another warm October day. The official temperature for the start of the race at 7:30 a.m. was 64 degrees.
“I am very happy about my job today,” Mosop said. “I was only about 85 percent. I was worried about my leg at 25K. It was a little humid today.”
Mosop made it look relatively easy, finishing ahead of countrymen Wesley Korir (2:06:15) and Bernard Kipyego (2:06:29) as well as Bekana Daba of Ethiopia (2:07:59) and American Ryan Hall (2:08:04).
Sunday proved to be another example of the terrific running theater the Chicago Marathon has offered its fans for numerous years.
A pack of 11 runners, including three pacers, separated early from the rest of the challengers around the 10-kilometer mark. But during the 14th mile with the pacers falling back, a group of five separated with a blistering 4:36. Hall fell behind at that point.
Mosop and Korir made it a two-man race late in the showdown. It was Korir who made a move first in the 19th mile.
“I had to break up the group because I am not that good of a kick,” said Korir, who beat his previous personal record (2:08:24) by more than two minutes.
“I felt like that was the moment and I decided to go. I knew Moses was a real strong guy. I knew I was awakening a lion that was asleep. I was ready.”
Boy, did Korir ever awaken a lion.
Mosop countered his surge right away, and then some. He pulled away with miles of 4:37 and 4:38. As he came up the final stretch on Roosevelt Road and Columbus Drive, the 26-year-old waved to the cheering crowds.
“When Korir made a challenge, I decided to go after him and to push from the front,” Mosop said.
Mosop's Kenyan friends call him the “Big Engine” for his prowess in track. In June he set a world record in 30,000 meters at the Prefontaine Classic.
His coach, Renato Canova, thinks Mosop can run the marathon as fast as 2:02 when he is completely healthy. The world record is 2:03:38, held by Patrick Makau of Kenya.
“I take my big engine now to the marathon,” Mosop said.
Mosop certainly will be one of the runners Kenyan officials look at closely when they pick the three runners to represent the country at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
For Hall, he hoped to build on the momentum from Boston where he had finished fourth in 2:04:58.
He wasn't disappointed with his time in his Chicago Marathon debut and felt his performance will be beneficial once he starts to prepare for the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Houston on Jan. 14. The top three finishers will represent the United States in London.
“I am glad that I did this race because I learned so much from the training and the race itself,” Hall said. “I don't want to have a learning experience at the trials itself.
“My body felt great out there, totally smooth. It was good to have a humbling experience and rethink things a little.”