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Fall down, get up, come back stronger—it’s clichéd advice to which all marathoners can relate.
But for Kenya’s Jemima Sumgong, Shoes & Gear London Marathon, Health - Injuries.
Sumgong, 31, crashed to the road after 22 miles when her legs tangled with reigning champion Tigist Tufa, an accident which also brought Aselefech Mergia and Mary Keitany tumbling down.
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While Mergia and Keitany both saw their chance eradicate in an instant and fell away from the lead, Sumgong rose to her feet, recovered, and swiftly rejoined the pack, intent to take her first win in a World Marathon Majors after her runner-up finishes in Boston, Chicago, and New York.
“I was never worried after falling,” Sumgong said later. “It was very painful, but I just tried to get back with the group as soon as possible.”
In the end, she harnessed the adrenaline to great effect and charged to the front after the fall, soon moving clear and coming home a worthy champion in 2:22:58.
Finishing second was last year’s champion Tufa of Ethiopia, who put up a stout defense and came home five seconds back in 2:23:03, while Florence Kiplagat was third in 2:23:39.
American Sara Hall bounced back to form after the disappointment of dropping out of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February. The 31-year-old passed halfway in 1:14:22 and despite running much of the latter half alone, came home strong to run a personal best of 2:30:06 to finish 12th.
“I would have liked to run faster, but I’m pleased with it,” Hall said. “I really battled for every mile out there. I was alone for the last 10 miles, which isn’t easy, but I’m proud of the effort I gave.
“It was not an ideal build-up, but I felt prepared and I enjoyed the distance. I think that’s a good thing. I’ve had some really rough runs, like at the trials, but this confirms to me that I want to keep getting better at this distance.”
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Despite cold temperatures in the high-30s greeting the race start, the East African contingent blasted through the opening miles, with a duo of pacemakers taking the field through 10K in 32:43.
At halfway, reached in 1:10:39, seven athletes were still in contention, with race favorites Tufa, Mergia, Sumgong, and Keitany among them.
Of those, Keitany seemed the most willing to push the pace, but with winds buffeting the runners, it was a strategy that ultimately backfired on the former champion.
At that point, the pacemakers were running 25 meters in front of the pack, and Keitany blocked the wind for those behind, who were happy to conserve their effort for the latter miles.
Just after 20 miles, cracks finally began to appear in the leading group, with Keitany and Mergia the first to falter in the wake of their tumbles. Having regained contact after crashing down, Sumgong took command of the race with three miles to run, surging to a split of 5:15 for mile 23.
“We were maintaining the pace at that point, but not pushing, so that is why I went to the front,” Sumgong said.
She followed that up with a 5:13 mile, and by then, the damage was done. Only one of her rivals was able to follow suit—Tufa—who fought hard over the final mile to maintain contact.
At one point, shortly after 22 miles, Sumgong had to shake off the distraction of an intruding spectator running alongside her, who was quickly grabbed by security.
“I saw him, yes,” Sumgong confirmed afterward. “Usually people run alongside the road, but he was close to me. He seemed to be enjoying it, so I wasn’t scared.”
In the end, the long-striding Sumgong had too much for the chasing Tufa, and successfully shook off the tag of marathon bridesmaid by claiming victory in 2:22:58.
It was some time before she emerged from medical care to speak to the media, brandishing a plaster on the crown of her head from her fall.
“I tried my very best today and had faith in my training,” said Sumgong, who will now lead the Kenyan Olympic marathon team in Rio de Janeiro later this year.
For Hall, meanwhile, London was not a chance to qualify for the Olympic marathon—that opportunity passed her by in February—but the race proved the first step back on a journey that she hopes will culminate at the Games in August.
“I want to do everything I can to recover and start getting those track legs back now,” said Hall, who has 10 weeks to prepare for the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials, which begin in Eugene, Oregon, on July 1. “I’ll see how my workouts go, where my best chances are, and just go for that event.”
Cathal Dennehy is a freelance writer based in Dublin, Ireland, who covers the sport for multiple outlets from Irish newspapers to international track websites. As an athlete, he was Irish junior cross-country champion and twice raced the European Cross Country, but since injury forced his retirement his best athletic feat has been the Irish beer mile record. He’s happiest when he’s running or writing stories about world-class athletes.
