Dubai: David Baramasai did not expect to win the Dubai Marathon.
"The win surprised me," remarked the 23-year-old runner from Kenya, the rising star among marathon runners around the world.
"All that I aimed for was to finish among the top 10," added Baramasai, who had won his first marathon in Kass in 2009 and followed up with another victory in Nairobi last year.
Though he had finished with a career best time of 2:07:18 seconds, slicing a huge three minutes from his career best time of 2:10:31 in Nairobi, Baramasai is not satisfied with his timing.
"I could have finished with a better time. Once the last pace maker had gone it turned out to be tough for me. At around the 35k point I had the wind in my face and I had to push hard. I wish if I had the wind behind me so I could have finished with a better timing," said Baramasai, who received the winner's prize of $250,000 and the trophy from Shaikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum.
When asked what he would do with the prize money, a smiling Baramasai said: "I will use it to better myself and train well for more victories. I will use the money positively".
Asselefech Mergia Medessa had no hopes of winning the women's marathon. "After the 5k point I felt pain in my leg. Fortunately it disappeared. I've had pains in my legs for a while but thanks to my manager I've been able to get over it. I'm still not 100 per cent fit and when I am completely free of injury I want to run faster than today's timing of 2:22:45sec, said Medessa who could have shattered the Dubai Marathon course if she finished three seconds earlier.
Medessa didn't think she could win until the last minute. "I realised that I may have a chance only in the 41km mark. I was fighting all the way with Lydia [Cheromei]. I felt confident only once she was behind me and out of my way," she said.
