WEARING a Le Cheile AC singlet, Kenyan Eliud Too was a surprise winner of the men’s Dublin marathon title last Monday with a time of 2.14.47.
Too, who ran only his first Marathon in Cleveland earlier this year, had missed out on the elite entries, but was then entered online by his coach Neil Fleming, Assistant Professor of Exercise Science at Indiana State University, a man with strong local connections from his base in Celbridge. Too stayed with Fleming’s family in Celbridge in the fortnight leading up to the annual event.
Fleming also arranged for him to train on the track at Le Cheile AC in Leixlip. As a thank you for their support, Too wore the singlet of Le Cheile AC in the race. Speaking after the race, Fleming said Too is an “unpolished diamond” who can make a impact in the future. “There are so many Kenyans running in Iten, so many fall through the cracks, and Too is really an unpolished diamond,” explained Fleming. “He ran the Cleveland Marathon last May, finishing second, and when it came to his second marathon Dublin was perfect. He’s been staying with my parents in Leixlip for the last two weeks. He’s not officially a Le Chéile member, but an honorary member, definitely!”
Sergiu Ciobanu of Clonliffe Harriers won the Irish National Championship, with Maria McCambridge retaining her National Title. Both received free electricity for a year from race sponsors SSE Airtricity. Veteran Irish Olympian Tullamore woman Pauline Curley was the second Irish woman home, with a time of 2.48.04.
McCambridge, last year’s champion, ran a super race in very humid and windy conditions but just couldn’t catch Macharia on the
final straight. Despite just missing out on the title, McCambridge said she was pleased with having given every last ounce of energy in her pursuit. “Yeah, it’s a happy disappointment, definitely,” she said. “At 25 miles, I could see her [eventual winner] Esther Wanjiru Macharia just up the road, and just kept saying to myself: ‘leave everything out here, empty it until the
line, have no regrets…’ “So I just closed my eyes, and ran as hard as I could. I couldn’t really see, anyway. The wind was blowing my contact lenses out of my eyes, and I couldn’t make much out. The wind was very, very strong too, and blowing all
over the place. Ultra Distance runner Tony Mangan, from Metro St Brigid’s club, who started a 50,000km run across the world at the 2010 Dublin Marathon, finished in a time of 6.08.30.
