Dec 6, 2012

Macau Marathon, course mistake makes athletes run more

It’s confirmed the Macau Marathon was over by * 3 km.
* Macau Daily Tribune News ( see below )
Instead of the  AIMS Standard Marathon distance of 41.195 km.
The distance was 44.195 km.
My Garmin registered 44.180 Km.
Some runners and I noticed the mistake when from the Starting line we existed the Stadium and made a left. We ran straight for a steel  barricade which we found weird. " What the F is a steel barricade doing  in the middle of the course. 
We also had to make a wide turn outside the stadium to get back on course.
According to the Race Organizer we should have made an immediate right after we existed the stadium.
In Conclusion....

Official Finish Time : 4:36:17
Average pace : 6:13 km
The Course was 3 kms longer than AIMS standard
3 kms x 6.13 pace = 18 mins and 39 seconds.
4:36:17 - 18:39 = 4:17:48
I should have finished -+ 4:17:48
Not really an issue for me but you see at my age "49", To attain a PR i need to put in a little more effort :-) . Because of Organizer error my PR quest at Macau went down the toilet. Time to move on for another marathon  
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Ethiopians sweep Macau Marathon, course mistake makes athletes run more

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Nearly 6000 athletes participated in the 31st edition of the “Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon” that took place yesterday, bringing together sportsmen from 60 countries and regions running in several classifications. However the race was marked by a course mistake that resulted in the athletes running for an extra three kilometers.
Ethiopia’s Heile Haja Gemeda and Ehitu Kiros Reda were the winners of the marathon. Gemeda sailed past the finish line in two hours 23 minutes and 56 seconds in chilly drizzle to lift the men’s title. Kenyan Duncan Cheruiyot Koech followed close at heel in 2:24:00, while Gemeda’s compatriot Gezahegn Alemayehu Abebe was third in 2:24.11.
In the women’s event, Ethiopia had a one-two finish as Reda set the winning pace in 2:50:11 before Tsega Gelaw Reta finished in 2:51.04. Irene Kemunto Mogaka of Kenya took bronze in 1:21. Each winner won a total of USD20,000 in prize money. According to the organizers, this edition of the annual event recorded the highest ever number participants. The marathon and half marathon started in the early morning at 5 am, with the mini marathon following at 5:15 am. The Ethiopian men’s winner Gemeda Haile Haja had already participated last year and finished third. According to the organizers, he came back this year to “fulfill his dream of winning”, doing so while achieving a record time.
In addition, the following athletes were also winners: Chepngabit Noah Kipruto, Maina Charles Wachira and Ngare Joseph Mwangi from Kenya in the male categories A, B and C. Chien Pei Yu from China and Jepngetich Naomi from Kenya won in the female categories A and B respectively. Ho Pui Yan won in the Macau half marathon category, and Elisabete Lopes, winner of the half marathon, received USD 3,000. The special prize in the mini marathon was given to the oldest participant, 75-year-old Peter Kwan from Canada.