1 AUGUST 2010: BOGOTA INTERNATIONAL HALF MARATHON, COLOMBIA

Deriba Merga ran away with the win and a new 1:02:31 course record writes Dave Keuhls. In the women's race, fellow Ethiopian Shewarge Asmare upset her more heralded countrywoman Dire Tune.

Merga wasted no time in breaking from the pack at 4km. By 10km (28:54) he had a 200m lead. Pre-race favourite Zersenay Tadese dropped out at this point. Another 10km race in Europe six days earlier, and the travel from there brought him down.

A cool, overcast morning was perfect for running. Merga appeared to be cruising as his lead grew to 90 seconds by 15km (43:52). Merga crossed the line three seconds under Fabiano Joseph's 2006 course record. “This race was very good” he said. “The altitude is high [2640m] but I am happy.”

The elite women started before the men and were the featured race for much of the early going. A pack of five settled in early: Amare, Tune, Russia's Tatiana Aryasova, Kenya's Pamela Chepchumba and Morocco's Asmae Leghzaoui. That pack held together until 14km when the two Ethiopians made a move on a bridge, the only hill on the course. They then ran together until 100m to go, when Amare sprinted past Tune.

More than 40,000 runners participated in the combined half marathon and 10km event which finished in Simon Bolivar Park.

MEN:
1  Deriba MERGA                     ETH  1:02:31
2  Isaac MACHARIA             KEN  1:04:39
3  Ahmed BAFAY                 MAR  1:04:47
4  Hillary KIMAIYO              KEN  1:04:54
5  Raul PACHECO               COL  1:05:10
6  Constantino LEON           COL  1:05:12
8  Tadesse ABRAHIM           ETH  1:05:52
9  Gobin CONDOR               COL  1:05:59
10 Waldir URETA                 COL  1:06:14

WOMEN:
1  Shewarge AMARE                ETH  1:13:54
2  Dire TUNE                       ETH  1:14:01
3  Tatiana ARYASOVA           RUS  1:14:22
4  Pamela CHEPCHUMBA       KEN  1:15:04
5  Jemena MASAYAURI         COL  1:15:55
6  Yolanda FERNANDEZ          COL  1:16:45
7  Asmae LEGHZAOUI            MAR  1:17:01
8  Gladys TEJADA                 COL  1:17:08
9  Bertha SANCHEZ               COL  1:18:20
10 Julia RIVERA                   COL  1:19:11

AIMS