22nd April 2024
CAIRESS AND MAHAMED AMONG THOSE TO STAR AT 2024 LONDON MARATHON
Emile Cairess (coach: Renato Canova, club: Leeds) and Mahamed Mahamed (Idris Hamud, Southampton) moved to second and third on the UK all-time list for the men’s marathon after exceptional performances at the 2024 TCS London Marathon on Sunday (21).
David Weir (Jenny Archer, Weir Archer Academy) captured his second Abbott World Marathon Major podium of the week with third place on his 25th appearance at the event, while Eden Rainbow Cooper (Arno Mul, Red Velvet Racing) was the top British performer in the women’s wheelchair race.
Mhairi MacLennan (Ross Cairns, Inverness) was the top British finisher in the elite women’s race with a sub 2:30 personal best.
In the elite men’s race, Cairess and Mahamed both ran inside the Olympic Games qualifying standard after stunning performances in the capital to take third and fourth position overall in the elite men’s field.
It’s the first time since Sir Mo Farah in 2018 that a British man has made the top three in the elite men’s race in London, and Yorkshireman Cairess did it in style, working his way through a bunch of runners on the Embankment to cross the finish line in 2:06:46. Only Sir Mo Farah has run quicker with a time of 2:05:11. The time moves him ahead of Steve Jones in the process.
Mahamed, who has represented GB & NI at a number of international cross country and road events over the last decade, enjoyed a fantastic first marathon as he also moved ahead of Jones in the all-time lists to run a time of 2:07:05, a time over a minute inside the qualifying standard for Paris.
The men’s race was won by Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso Munyao in 2:04:01 with Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) second in 2:05:15.
MacLennan pushed herself to the limit in the elite women’s race as she clocked 2:29:15 on her debut appearance in London, ending the race in 11th place overall, just ahead of Becky Briggs (City of Hull) who was 12th in 2:35:25; the latter taking the England title.
The elite women’s race was won by Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) in 2:16:16 after a breakaway with 400m to end the challenge of Tigst Assefa (ETH) and Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) who were second and third overall.
Legend of the event, David Weir, earned another podium placing in London after a solid performance which saw him record a time of 1:29:58 to comfortably take third place in the elite men’s wheelchair race.
Weir was in a battle with Marcel Hug (SUI) and Daniel Romanchuk (USA) for much of the race, but Hug would win the race convincingly in the end in 1:28:35, with the American taking second, just under a minute ahead of Weir.
JohnBoy Smith (Christine Parsloe, Sutton & District) was the next Briton over the line in the men’s wheelchair race in 1:37:00 in 10th, ahead of Simon Lawson (Ian Thompson, Carlisle Tri) who was six seconds behind in 12th spot.
After victory in Boston earlier in the week, Eden Rainbow-Cooper was sixth in the elite women’s wheelchair field on Sunday in a time of 1:50:39, winning the sprint finish with five athletes chasing her tail down The Mall.
Swiss athlete Catherine Debrunner – and training partner of Rainbow-Cooper – dominated the race from the outset and would take victory by just over six minutes from her compatriot, Manuela Schar (SUI). Debrunner would clock a time of 1:38:54, while Schar came in at 1:45:00. America’s Tatyana McFadden was third in 1:45:51.
In the mass start, there was a Guiness World Record for Paralympic champion Richard Whitehead who ran a time of 2:42:01, the fastest time for athletes with bilateral knee amputations.
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