© Copyright – 2014 – Athletics Illustrated
Reid Coolsaet of Guelph, Ontario will be competing in this Sunday’s Virgin Money London Marathon. He will be seeking a personal best time, a new Canadian record and finally a qualification time for international competition, such as the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games or the IAAF World Track and Field Championships standard. The 34-year-old owns a personal best marathon time of 2:10:55, which he ran at the 2011 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The 2014 London Marathon is the best race to accomplish all three at.
London offers a fast course, for example, Paula Radcliffe has run the world record there, a time which still seems untouchable 11 years after she set it at 2:15:25 and the men’s course record is 2:04:40, by Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai. Additionally, the entry list is being heralded as the strongest ever, as world record holder Wilson Kipsang (2:03:23), Olympic and world champion Stephen Kiprotich, reigning London champion Tsegaye Kebede and the course record holder Emmanuel Mutai will battle Mo Farah in his debut at the distance, but Coolsaet will have good competition around him, back at the approximate sub-2:10 pace group.
Athletes at Coolsaet’s level who are entered into the race are American Ryan Vail who owns a personal best time of 2:11:45, Great Britain’s Chris Thompson who will be debuting in the marathon distance; however, he owns a 10,000 metre personal best time that is 30 seconds faster than Coolsaet’s, with his 27:27.36, saying this, Coolsaet did not spend much time focussing on the 10,000, he was more of a 5,000 metre runner before moving up to the marathon. Then there is Scott Overall who happens to have a marathon personal best identical to Coolsaet’s at 2:10:55. It could be argued that Overall’s 2:10:55 having been run on the Berlin Marathon course is not as good of a performance as Coolsaet’s; however, Overall’s half-marathon best is over a minute faster at 61:25 versus Coolsaet’s 62:42. American Fernando Cabada is another competitor who should provide competition. Although Cabada’s marathon best is over 2:11, he does own a half-marathon best of 62:00, not only is this faster than Coolsaet’s, it is a more recent performance, from his 2014 Houston Half Marathon race from January 19th.
The Canadian marathon record was set in 1975 at the Fukuoka Marathon by Jerome Drayton, who clocked in at 2:10:08, the time stands today. Drayton won back-to-back Fukuoka Marathon’s and three in total. Canadians recently have come close to bettering the record with Eric Gillis – Coolsaet’s training partner – running the Canadian Olympic-A standard time (by one second) during the 2011 Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon in 2:11:28. Dylan Wykes owns Canada’s fastest time for active competitors with his 2:10:47.
The Canadian standard for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games Marathon are 2:11:29 as the A-standard and 2:15:00 for the B-standard. Unless Coolsaet becomes injured during the race and walks a few kilometres the B-standard should be a proverbial walk in the park for him.
Although it could be argued that placement is a secondary concern for these athletes who are expected to run around 2:10:00, it is still a race! See the prize money available below.
Virgin Money London Marathon 2014
Elite Race Entries – (Last updated: April 10th)
Elite Men
Tsegaye Kebede – ETH – 2:04:38
Wilson Kipsang – KEN – 2:03:23
Emmanuel Mutai – KEN – 2:03:52
Geoffrey Mutai – KEN – 2:04:15
Ayele Abshero – ETH – 2:04:23
Tsegaye Mekonnen – ETH – 2:04:32
Feyisa Lilesa – ETH – 2:04:52
Stanley Biwott – KEN – 2:05:12
Marîlson dos Santos – BRA – 2:06:34
Stephen Kiprotich – UGA – 2:07:20
Samuel Tsegay – ERI – 2:07:28
Amanuel Mesel – ERI – 2:08:17
Paulo Roberto Paula – BRA – 2:10:23
Scott Overall – GBR – 2:10:55
Reid Coolsaet – CAN – 2:10:55
Ryan Vail – USA – 2:11:45
Pedro Nimo – ESP – 2:12:10
Craig Hopkins – GBR -2:16:51
Yared Hagos – ETH – 2:19:32
Mo Farah – GBR – Debut
Ibrahim Jeilan – ETH – Debut
Chris Thompson – GBR – Debut
Ben Livesey – GBR – Debut
Pacemakers:
Haile Gebrselassie – ETH – 2:03:59
Edwin Kiptoo – KEN
Richard Sigei – KEN
Fernando Cabada – USA – 2:11:53
Milton Rotich – KEN – 2:08:55
Linus Maiyo – KEN – 2:11:34
Cyprian Kotut – KEN –
Prizing:
Men Women
1 $55,000 $55,000
2 $30,000 $30,000
3 $22,500 $22,500
4 $15,000 $15,000
5 $10,000 $10,000
6 $7,500 $7,500
7 $5,000 $5,000
8 $4,000 $4,000
9 $3,000 $3,000
10 $2,000 $2,000
11 $1,500 $1,500
12 $1,000 $1,000
Total: $156,500 $156,500
Total prize money: $313,000
Men Women
Any runner recording sub: Any runner recording sub:
2:11:00 $1,000 2:28:00 $1,000
2:10:00 $3,000 2:27:00 $3,000
2:09:30 $5,000 2:26:00 $5,000
2:09:00 $10,000 2:25:00 $10,000
2:08:30 $15,000 2:24:00 $15,000
2:08:00 $25,000 2:23:00 $25,000
2:07:00 $50,000 2:22:00 $50,000
2:06:00 $75,000 2:20:00 $75,000
2:05:00 $100,000 2:18:00 $100,000
Any runner achieving the following will receive, in addition to the above:
First in race and men’s course record (2:05:10) – $25,000
First in race and women’s only course record (2:17:42) – $25,000
First in race and men’s world record (currently 2:03:59) – $125,000
First in race and women’s only world record (currently 2:17:42*) – $125,000
