SPORT MAN
SAYS sport man says by MANFRED SEIDLER
Images : Erik van Leeuwen / Wikimedia & courtesy Boston Marathon
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glance at the women ’ s all-time marathon lists shows an astounding number of 64 women have now run sub-2:20 , with only nine having done so pre-2018 . Recently , Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey ran the fastest ever debut marathon for women , clocking 2:16:49 , and to date , three women have run under 2:15 . In the half marathon , sub-65 is now the norm , and Gidey has taken the women ’ s half marathon World Record to an astounding 62:52 . Furthermore , fellow Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualew recently ran 29:19 for 10km in Valencia , in an out-and-out attempt at breaking her own World Record of 29:14 . And on the 5km front , if you can ’ t run sub- 15min , you are not in the mix , as the top 45 times of all time are below 15min – and most run in recent times .
A look at the 2023 Boston Marathon field shows an insane depth for this Marathon Major . It is absolutely loaded , with an incredible 16 women who have broken 2:21 , nine who have gone sub-2:20 , of which four are sub-2:17 , and another Ethiopian , Amane Beriso ( surprise winner in Valencia in 2022 , beating favourite countrywoman Gidey ) is one of the three in the world to have gone sub-2:15 . You can bet that the London Marathon will not be far behind in the depth department , as it has a history of attracting the deepest fields , and will not want to be upstaged by Boston . Meanwhile , Valencia in December has developed a reputation for deep fields and is on the verge of overshadowing the Majors . It was in Valencia last year that we saw the third-fastest women ’ s marathon time and the fastest ever debut run .
Great Expectations
Given all of this , I believe that 2023 will be the year in which women ’ s racing will hit another level . I predict that 29 minutes in the 10km will fall , and the women ’ s half marathon and marathon World Records are also going to go . For starters , Gidey is on fire . She holds the World
Rise of the Superwomen
Women ’ s road running has become so incredibly exciting , it is in many instances starting to overshadow the men ’ s racing as the depth grows at a rapid rate and boundaries are being pushed at a phenomenal rate .
Record in the half marathon with her 62:52 ( Valencia 2021 ), ran that fastest marathon debut in 2022 , also in Valencia , and holds the World Records in the 5000m and 10,000m on the track as well ! Surprisingly , she doesn ’ t feature at all on the World 10km ranking lists , but I ’ m sure that will be rectified soon .
However , Gidey will without a doubt have a big bull ’ s eye on her back in 2023 . Kenyans Brigid Koskei ( marathon World Record 2:14:04 , set in 2019 ) and Ruth Chepngetich ( 2:14:18 ), as well as Ethiopians Beriso ( 2:14:58 ), Tigist Assefa ( 2:15:37 ) and Almaz Ayana ( 2:17:20 debut – fastest until Gidey ran 2:16:49 ) will be amongst those pushing the limits in the marathon . Do not be surprised if we see the first woman post a 2:13 . In fact , if my prediction is correct and the Marathon World Record does fall , then it will be a 2:13 .
Catching the Action
While there is no doubt that women ’ s road running in particular is experiencing a phenomenal surge , one can only hope that the women ’ s races will garner the same amount of coverage and attention as the men ’ s . Typically , women-only races are rare , meaning that a broadcast tends to focus on the men in mixed races .
With the Boston field so loaded , I am hoping that the women ’ s race will enjoy the same amount of coverage as the men , and the broadcast director
Kenya ’ s Brigid Koskei set a new women ’ s marathon ( mixed race ) World Record of 2:14:04 at the 2019 Chicago Marathon , and was congratulate at the finish by former World Record-holder Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain
Relive Letesenbet Gidey ’ s terrific run at the 2021 Valencia Half Marathon to shatter the Brigid Koskei ’ s World Record by 70 seconds , clocking 1:02:52 at an average pace of 2:58 per kilometre !
will have his work cut out for him , as the men ’ s field is also incredibly stacked , featuring World Recordholder Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya . But that ’ s why we have technology , and we can show split screens . In fact , so far advanced is the technology that you could show both races separately , with separate commentary . Or , if you go the split screen route , you could have a choice of commentary . Supersport offers that in its cricket and rugby bouquet , so it can easily be done .
Obviously , this depends on demand from the viewers , and presently , the greater demand is with the men . In Tennis , it was that way for many years , but not so much anymore . Same with football ( soccer ), a massively male-dominated sport in every aspect , but the women ’ s World Cup and Euro Champs had huge television numbers , and this has largely been responsible for a dramatic rise in the women ’ s game . Road Running could go that way , too , but it will take a bit of vision from those who are marketing the sport , and vision by the broadcasters . Meanwhile , the current crop of elite women are doing their bit , pushing boundaries all the time , and 2023 looks set to be the year of the women in road running . And it ’ s going to be glorious !
About the Author
Manfred Seidler is a freelance sport journalist who has been in the industry since 1994 , in both print media and broadcasting , covering four Olympic Games for SABC Radio , and producing various athletics shows for the SABC . Follow him on Twitter : @ sportmansa ; Facebook : Sport Man SA ; Instagram : sportman _ sa .
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