MUMBAI: Derara Hurisa didn’t feature in any lists of favourites for the 17th edition of the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2020 but the Ethiopian, a late addition to the elite field, upset the odds to win in a course record of 2:08:09 on Sunday.
As a reward for coming home in front of the strongest men’s marathon field ever assembled in India, and running the fastest time over the classic distance ever seen on Indian soil, Hurisa was rewarded with his biggest ever pay day: a $45,000 winner’s cheque and a $15,000 course record bonus.
In fact, the amount he picked up on Sunday for his stunning win was more than he had pocketed across his entire previous career. In addition, his victory came in borrowed racing shoes, or so he claims.
“I mislaid my shoes while travelling from Addis Ababa to Mumbai earlier in the week so I borrowed some shoes from my friend Abraham Girma (who was also in Tata Mumbai Marathon) so I only tried them on for the first time yesterday,” Hurisa revealed after the race.
“As for the money, I was only thinking about running well and trying to win during the race but now I will obviously start planning on what I am going to do with it,” he added.
He tried the shoes for the first time a day before the race? Seriously?
For the record, Hurisa didn't just break Gideon Kipketer’s four-year old course record, he smashed it by all of 26 seconds, while setting the new mark.
And in a thrilling finish to the World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, Hurisa's compatriots Ayele Abshero and Birhanu Teshome who finished second and third respectively in 2:08:20 and 2:08:26, were also inside the former course record of 2:08:35.
Prior to Sunday, the 22-year-old Hurisa’s most notable achievement was taking the Silver medal in the African Cross Country Championships U20 race four years ago.
His win in the City of Dreams – which certainly lived up to its nickname as far as Hurisa was concerned – was only his second international win, the only other being a low-key half marathon in Turkey in 2017.
The fact is that TMM 2020 went on to become what marathon commentator Tim Hutchings rated the fastest edition of the Mumbai Marathon after seven men’s runners finished inside the 2:10:00 hr mark. And what did all seven runners have in common? All wore a variant of the Nike's revolutionary, but controversial, Nike Vaporfly shoes.
It is worth noting that Eliud Kipchoge wore a protype Vaporfly - the Alphafly - when he became the first person to run a sub two-hour marathon last year, although the time wasn't ratified by World Athletics because it was not set in a proper race.
Kenya's Brigid Kosgei also wore Nike's Vaporfly Next when she beat Paula Radcliffe's 16-year-old women's marathon world record last year.
According to the New York Times, the top five fastest men's marathon times in history have been set by runners in Vaporflys.
Meanwhile, CNN quotes World Athletics as having said in a recent statement that a working group, including officials, athletes, scientists and lawyers, are reviewing shoe technology and the wording of the rules. A decision is likely by the end of this month, but any change must be approved by the World Athletics Council, a World Athletics spokesman has told the news channel.
Coming back to the Mumbai Marathon, the women’s race also had an engaging story to tell with Amane Beriso coming back after a 15-month injury-induced absence from competition to win in 2:24:51.
Despite her credentials as the fastest woman in the field, the fact that she had spent 2019 out of action meant few pundits rated her chances particularly highly but she returned to top-level racing in fine style.
Despite being 38 seconds adrift of race leader Kenya’s Rodah Jepkorir at the 30km checkpoint, with Ethiopia’s defending champion Worknesh Alemu drifting back off the lead and shortly to drop out, over the next kilometre Beriso reeled in Jepkorir and then overhauled the 2019 winner of the Gold Coast and Buenos Aires Marathons.
Once out on her own, Beriso was never challenged and despite looking extremely tired over the final few kilometres, she came home more than two minutes clear of Jepkorir who crossed the line second in 2:27:14 with Ethiopia’s marathon debutante Haven Hailu third in 2:28:56.
Beriso will go into the record books as the second fastest woman in Tata Mumbai Marathon history despite finishing 18 seconds outside the 2014 course record of Kenya’s Valentine Kipketer.
A stellar show was put up by the elite Indian athletes as well.
Army man Srinu Bugatha and defending champion Sudha Singh secured winning titles in the Indian Elite athlete men and women’s category respectively.
Arjuna Awardee Sudha Singh clinched the title with a timing of 2:45:30s.
First time full marathon Bugatha finished first amongst the Indian runners by clocking 2:18:44.
Sher Singh who was participating for the first time in the Mumbai Marathon finished second clocking a timing of 2:24:00.
Durga Bahadur Budha, another army man, joined the winning runners by finishing third with a timing of 2:24:03.
Two-time Mumbai marathon winner, Jyoti Gawate emerged as a runner-up of the 2020 edition of the Mumbai Marathon, clocking a timing of 2:49:14s.
Shyamali Singh, a marathoner from West Bengal attained the 3rd position in the Indian Elite women category with the timing of 2:58:44s. She was previously the winner of Allahabad marathon.
In the women’s elite half marathon, Parul Chaudhary finished as a winner, breaking the course record by clocking a timing of 1:15:37. Aarti Patil and Monika Athare secured the 2nd and 3rd position with the timing of 1:18:03 and 1:18:33 respectively.
Parul Chaudhary pockets an additional Rs 150,000 bonus amount as Course Record Jackpot.
In the men’s elite half marathon, Tirtha Pun emerged as the winner, finishing the race in 1:05:39s. Securing the runner-up position, Man Singh clocked the timing of 1:06:06. Whereas, Balliappa AB finished third with the timing of 1:07:11s.
Leading results
Men
1. Derara Hurisa (ETH) - 2:08:09
2. Ayele Abshero (ETH) - 2:08:20
3. Birhanu Teshome (ETH) - 2:08:26
4. Jackson Kiprop (UGA) - 2:08:41
5. Abdi Ali (BRN) - 2:08:56
6. Paul Maina (KEN) - 2:09:01
7. Abera Kuma (ETH) - 2:09:15
8. Kebede Wami (ETH) - 2:10:04
9. Merhawi Kesete (ERI) - 2:10:36
10. Bira Seboka (ETH) - 2:10:37
Women
1. Amane Beriso (ETH) - 2:24:51
2. Rodah Jepkorir (KEN) - 2:27:14
3. Haven Hailu (ETH) - 2:28:55
4. Fetale Dejene (ETH) - 2:30:11
5. Maeregu Hayelom (ETH) - 2:31:26
6. Mulu Gadise (ETH) - 2:31:53
7. Askale Alemaheyu (ETH) - 2:33:05
8. Motu Megersa (ETH) - 2:36.01
9. Meseret Gebre (ETH) - 2:40:14
10. Sudha Singh (IND) - 2:45:30
Leading results – Indian Elite Athlete
MENS
1.SRINU BUGATHA - 02:18:44
2.SHER SINGH - 02:24:00
3.DURGA BAHADUR BUDHA - 02:24:03
4.RAVI PRAKASH - 02:24:32
5.RAHUL PAL - 02:26:56
6.PRADEEP SINGH CHAUDHARY - 02:29:27
7.MOHIT RATHORE - 02:31:16
8.SANVROO YADAV - 02:31:53
9.SANJAY KAIRA - 02:52:30
WOMENS
1.SUDHA SINGH - 02:45:30
2.JYOTI GAWATE - 02:49:14
3.SHYAMALI SINGH - 02:58:44
4.RITU PAL - 03:04:33
5.JIGMET DOLMA - 03:05:11
6.TSETAN DOLKAR - 03:05:14
7.ARPITA SAINI SAINI - 03:14:20
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