For the second time in the past week, the men’s winner at a Running Shoes - Gear Meb for Mortals Sisay Lemma holding on to win Boston. This morning, it was Alexander Munyao in London. The Kenyan survived a strong move in the 18th mile to win in 2:04:01.
Kenenisa Bekele, arguably the greatest male distance runner in history, placed second in 2:04:15, four seconds faster than the masters world record he set in Valencia last December. The 41-year-old Ethiopian superstar was, surprisingly, largely responsible for the 4:35 18th mile that broke up what had been a nine-man pack.
By 35K (21.7 miles), the race was down to Munyao and Bekele. The two shared the lead more because of doing the best job of recovering after the earlier push than because they were speeding up. Munyao then got half a step on Bekele early in the 22nd mile, and broke him in the next mile. In the final mile, Bekele was, as the locals might say, too knackered to overtake a clearly struggling Munyao. (Evidence of said struggle: Munyao covered from 40K to the finish in 6:52, only 11 seconds faster than women’s winner Peres Jepchirchir We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.)
Once they were dropped by Munyao and Bekele, other members of the lead pack that hit halfway in 61:29 suffered significantly. Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia, the 2022 world champion who broke the New York City course record last November, had looked eager to take over after the final pacer exited the course a little before 30K. Instead, Tola lost more than 20 seconds to the leaders before 35K, and dropped out before 40K. His compatriot Diwot Walde went from fifth at 35K to 30th at 40K—he covered that 5K in 64:12!—before dropping out. Another Ethiopian, Seifu Tura, the 2021 Chicago winner, was fifth at 35K but finished 29th and last in the elite race in 2:36:20, a time that would have gotten him 472nd place in the non-elite men’s race.
The severe disintegration of the lead pack led to third and fourth place going to British runners who had been paced more moderately early on. Emile Cairess finished third in a personal best of 2:06:16 after being in 13th place at halfway (62:50). Mahamed Mahamed placed fourth in 2:07:05, also a personal best. Both men are now likely to be named to the British team for the Olympic Marathon, which will be held on August 10.
Munyao and Bekele were also running in part to secure spots on their Olympic teams. Munyao’s win, combined with his 2:03:13 PR and runner-up finish in Valencia in December, makes a good case. Bekele’s bid is even stronger. With Tola’s poor showing and Bekele’s second strong marathon in a row, will Ethiopian selectors recognize that a three-time Olympic and 19-time world champion deserves to toe the line in Paris?
split that stretch.
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including Mo Farah Chases Thieves to Recover Stolen Phone, Advanced Marathoning, and Meb for Mortals. Scott has also written about running for Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
