Stanley Biwott Runs 59:20 World Lead To Win NN City Pier City Half-Marathon In The Netherlands
Race Results Weekly
March 8, 2015
NN City Pier City Half-Marathon (41st)
Den Haag, NED; Sunday, March 8
Distance: 21.1 km, certified out-and-back course; 10 km
Finishers: 10,097 in half-marathon (up from 9556 last year); there were many more finishers in companion races
Prize Money: Not reported
Weather: Sunny and windy
Course Records: Men, 58:35 WR, Samuel Wanjiru (KEN), 58:35; Women, 1:06:56, Lornah Kiplagat (KEN), 2000
NOTE: Story and results from WIN VAN HEMERT –Ed.
DEN HAAG — Is was proven again: The NN City-Pier-City from Den Haag to Scheveningen and back has one of the fastest half-marathon courses in the world.
On a sunny but sometime windy Sunday, Stanley Biwott won the 41st edition of the event in 59:20. With this time he clocked the fastest time of 2015. Maja Neuenschwander of Switzerland won the womens event in 1:11:08.
The 28 year-old Biwott, winner of 2012 Paris marathon and runner up in last year’s Virgin Money London Marathon, was very happy with his victory. “I know this is great course and a very fast one,” he said. “I think I showed this afternoon.”
A big gruop got off to a rather fast start, clocking 14:02 for the first 5 km. The pace only fell slightly when 10-K was passed in 28:09.
Biwot, with Kenyan compatriots Edwin Kiptoo, Eliud Tarus, Cyprian Kotut, and Bernard Kimani, passed the 15-K in 42:12. Kimani was the first who lost contact with the leaders. Shortly after Tarus could not follow. It was clear then that the winner would be Biwott, Kotut or Kiptoo .
In the final kilometres Biwott pressed the pace and he broke away from his last opponents. Kotut was his last opponent but finally lost eight seconds to Biwott, who finished in 59:20. Kiptoo was third, also running sub-60:00.
The women’s race wasn’t close. Switzerland’s Neuenschwander was already alone through 10 km (33:23), and went on to win in 1:11:08, a career-best time for the 35 year-old.
MEN (gun times) –
1. Stanley Biwott, KEN 59:20 WL
[14:02 / 28:09 / 42:12 / 56:15]
2. Cyprian Kotut, KEN 59:28
3. Edwin Kiptoo, KEN 59:35 PB
4. Eliud Tarus, KEN 1:00:04 PB
5. Bernard Kimani, KEN 1:00:05 PB
6. Vincent Rono, KEN 1:00:52 PB
7. Azmeraw Mengistu, ETH 1:00:54
8. Mark Kiptoo, KEN 1:02:21
9. Khalid Choukoud, NED 1:02:52
10. Mohammed Burka, NED 1:03:43 PB
11. Soufiane Bouchikhi, BEL 1:03:45 PB
12. Tom Wiggers, NED 1:03:52
13. Mats Lunders, BEL 1:03:55
14. Koen Naert, BEL 1:04:16
15. Koen Raymaekers, NED 1:04:17
16. Willem Van Schuerbeeck, BEL 1:04:39
17. Lema Tola, NED 1:04:49
18. Abdelhadi El Hachimi, BEL 1:05:17
19. Bart van Nunen, NED 1:05:20
20. Henri Manninen, FIN 1:06:05
21. Stuart Spencer, GBR 1:06:06
22. Rolf Steier, NOR 1:06:12
23. Neil Renault, GBR 1:06:59
24. Alexander O’Gorman, GBR 1:07:02
25. Florent Caelen, BEL 1:07:11
26. Colin Bekers, NED 1:07:15
WOMEN (gun times) –
1. Maja Neuenschwander, SUI 1:11:08 PB
2. Gezashign Hunduma Gemeda, ETH 1:12:41 PB
3. Fabienne Schlumpf, SUI 1:13:56 PB
4. Anna Holm Baumeister, DEN 1:14:19 PB
5. Martina Tresch, SUI 1:16:18 PB
6. Stefanie Bouma, NED 1:18:01
7. Renate Wyss, SUI 1:18:31
8. Evelien Ruijters, NED 1:18:53