25 OCTOBER 2009: VENICE MARATHON, ITALY – John Komen and Anne Kosgei

John Komen broke the course record with 2:08:13, thanks to a faster second half on a very difficult section of the course writes Diego Sampoalo. Anne Kosgei won the women's race in a new personal best time.

Two Kenyan pacemakers led an eleven-man group through halfway in 1:04:32. By 30km there were only six left. At the start of the famous Ponte della Libertà (Bridge of Freedom) at 34km which links Mestre with Venice, Komen and Paul Samoei broke away from Benson Cherono and Alexander Kuzin. After 35km Komen injected a fierce change of pace which proved to be decisive.

He still looked fresh in the final 3km when he entered Venice to face the famous 14 bridges which have made the Venice Marathon famous all over the world. Komen's winning time of 2:08:13 is very good considering that the leading pack was keeping a 2:09-2:10 pace until Komen changed gear in the final 12km. Paul Samoei in second lowered his lifetime best by 1:28.

The women's race started a few minutes before the men's from Strà on the banks of the Brenta River. After a conservative start Bruna Genovese paced the leading group The leaders went through halfway in 1:13:46 but at 25km pacing finished and Kosgei took the initiative. Only the two Ethiopians Yal Koren and Haji Makda managed to keep up with her to start with, and at 30km (1:44:39) the race developed into a contest between Kosgei and Koren, with a neck and neck battle on the Bridge of Freedom as they went through 35km in 2:01:58.

Kosgei was the stronger and carved out a winning margin of 40 seconds, improving her previous best from her second-placed finish in Venice 2007. It was her first career win, after three second places here. It was Koren's first ever marathon and four women dipped under the 2:30 barrier.

MEN: 
1 John KOMEN                           KEN  2:08:13
2 Paul SAMOEI                    KEN  2:10:09
3 Benson CHERONO             KEN  2:10:19
4 Alexander KUZIN               UKR  2:10:54
5 Joseph LOMALA                 KEN  2:11:44
6 Jonathan KIBET                 KEN  2:12:09
 
WOMEN: 
1 Anne KOSGEI                           KEN  2:27:46
2 Jelena Yal KOREN               ETH  2:28:41
3 Alena SAMOKHYALOVA         RUS  2:28:47
4 Makda Haji HARUN               ETH  2:29:56
5 Ana DIAS                            POR  2:30:12
6 Yelena SOKOLOVA                RUS  2:31:54
7 Margaret TOROITICH             KEN  2:32:12
8 Giovanna VOLPATO               ITA  2:32:15

Source: AIMSworldrunning.org