Organisers had their heart set on a new world record and had an almost perfectly flat course and ideal weather conditions for it.
Sadly, it wasn’t to be even if the 2014 Dubai Marathon witnessed perhaps the birth of a new running sensation as 18-year-old debutant Tsegaye Mekonen Asefa who took the gold with a time 02:04:32.
The reason for the lack of record, paradoxically, could be that the Ethiopian was too fast. The youngster, along with the leading pack, was well on the way to breaking Wilson Kipsang’s world record of 02:03:23.
Tearing down the Beach Road in Dubai, the pack were on course to record a time of 02:03:15. But by the 30km mark the expected finish time was nearly two minutes slower.
Moroccan legend Said Aouita, one of the Arab world’s most prominent long distance runners and an Olympic gold medal winner is convinced that has Asefa kept his pace slower early on, he could have kicked on to record a better time, possibly even a world record. Aouita put it down simply to a lack of experience.
“I think in the marathons you have to control your race, that means control your pace,” said the legendary runner. “That’s the most important thing.
“I think that the first half was a little bit too fast, who starts fast finishes weak, and that’s what happened today.
“I know he can do that, maybe if it had been a bit slower we could have seen a better score. We can never be sure he could have beat the record. Maybe if he had had a competitor alongside him pushing him he could have done it but he’s young, he has no experience.
“If he has experience he can manage the experience. Today was world record day, the conditions were perfect for breaking a world record but I think he showed his age, he is 18, I look at him and he doesn’t know what he is doing.”
While Asefa’s time was one of the best ever, the circumstances make it even more impressive. Not only was the race Asefa’s first but the lack of a close competitor, allowing him to virtually cost for nearly a quarter of the race, surely held back what potentially could have been an even more stunning run.
Once the leading pack began to break up before the turn at Media City three quarters of the way into the race, Asefa made his move.
The 18-year-old moved away with a furious kick taking three kilometres in under nine seconds opening the vast lead that would eventually see him into the finishing line where he was showered with praise from the ever-strong Ethiopian contingent that had been in song from around 6:30am, half an hour before the race began.
Record or not, what Asefa did at his age and in his first marathon was truly amazing. While Aouita was critical of his strategy, the Moroccan believes Dubai saw the future world holder.
“It was fantastic, really it was fantastic,” gushed the Aouita. “It’s his first race, to run his time is not easy at all so he if can control the first part of his race then he can break the world record easily, that’s what I believe.
“And he did maybe in the last 15 km he changed the rhythm and went ahead. When he was with the group I thought he would break the record because he was so comfortable.
"This is very good for the Dubai Marathon, it was a fantastic performance. “But if there was good athlete alongside him he could have broke the record today.”
