Hassan, Wanders Credited With 5K WRs In Monaco

By Adam Kopet of DyeStat

Sifan Hassan and Julien Wanders broke world records Sunday at the Herculis 5K in Monaco, becoming the first to officially do so over the 5K distance (see below).

RESULTS

Hassan, from The Netherlands and a member of the Nike Oregon Project, pulled away from the field early in the race and won by more than 40 seconds in 14:44. Great Britain’s Laura Weightman finished second in 15:29.

Wanders, of Switzerland, entered the race fresh off his European record performance a week earlier at the RAK Half Marathon where he ran 59:13 to break Mo Farah’s European record. This time, the 22-year-old athlete who trains in Kenya broke another record, running 13:29. Norway’s Sondre Moen finished second in 13:37.

Hassan followed her two American pacemakers, Shannon Osika and Rachel Schneider, gapping the rest of the field by the time she exited Port Herculis, the start and finish of the out-and-back course. Hassan passed two kilometers in 5:57 and then three kilometers in 8:53.

However, for the world record to be hers, Hassan would need to close fast. She did that, using her noted finishing speed in the final 200 meters.

For Wanders, he had the pacing help from Bram Som, who a day earlier helped pace 19-year-old Samuel Tefera to a world indoor record in the 1,500 meters at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix. Wanders started out aiming to run near 13:20, but he began to slow over the second half of the course. He bested the pending world record by one second, giving him two European records and one world record in the past two months.

Seville Marathon

The 2019 edition of the Zurich Maratón de Sevilla (Spain) featured a new course that was reported to be flatter and faster. The changes seemed to have paid off as Ethiopia's Ayana Tsedat and Guteni Shone broke the event records by over a minute each.

RESULTS

Tsedat took 67 seconds off the event record, running 2:06:36. Using even pacing that included a 1:03:18 first half, he was able to outlast the competition. However, he did lead four others under 2:07. His compatriots Belay Asefa and Birhanu Berga finished second and third, respectively, in 2:06:39 and 2:06:41.

Competing in mixed-gender conditions, Shone bested the old event record by 66 seconds, running 2:24:29. She pushed for home from seven kilometers out, earning a 12-second lead over fellow Ethiopian Abeba Gebremeskel. Shone then surged again in the final 2K to secure a 24-second victory. Third was Ethiopia’s Dinkesa Yenenesh, another minute back.

Hong Kong Marathon

Warm and rainy conditions did not stop Volha Mazuronak of Belarus and Barnabas Kiptum of Kenya from breaking the course records at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon.

RESULTS

Mazuronak, who finished fifth in the 2016 Olympic marathon, won by nearly four minutes, running 2:26:13. That took more than three minutes off the course record.

In the men’s race, Kiptum became the first man to break 2:10 in Hong Kong, running 2:09:20. That also served as a one-second personal best.

Old Course Record Broken in Japan

Brett Larner reported for Japan Running News that Kenya’s Ezekiel Cheboitibin bested the 38-year-old course record at the Ome 30K. His time of 1:29:06 took 26 seconds off the record and made him the second man to complete the hilly course in less than 90 minutes.

A Note On 5K WRs

The IAAF did not recognize the 5K road distance for world records until 2018. Introducing the records, the IAAF stipulated that performances under 13:10 for men and 14:45 for women would be considered. No one achieved those times in 2018.

The best marks of 2018 were beaten Sunday by Wanders and Hassan. Wanders ran 13:29 and Hassan ran 14:44.  

It should also be noted that Sunday’s performances were not the fastest ever run. Sammy Kipketer of Kenya ran 13:00 at the 2000 Carlsbad 5,000, but it was done so prior to the distance being accepted for record purposes. Further, the record ratification process cannot be carried out after such a long time has passed.

The fastest women’s road 5K came in 2017, months before the new record standards were in place. Joyciline Jepkosgei ran a then world best 14:32 en route to her world record 29:43 10K in Prague. The en route distance met world record rules.

It should also be noted that although Wanders was credited with a world record for 5K, he does not hold the European record. That record is held by Alistair Cragg at 13:26, also from the Carlsbad 5,000.