Chepchumba recalls Olympic race she didn't win

No sporting event exposes the secret frailties of human beings more than the marathon. But the 42.195-kilometre contest also uncovers a hidden dignity in those that triumph in this most punishing of disciplines.

Joyce Chepchumba, a self-effacing 30-year-old mother who works for the Post Office in her native Kenya, is the highest profile athlete in the UAE for the Samsung Dubai marathon festivities.

As a two-time winner of the London Marathon as well as a Tokyo Marathon victor Chepchumba is obviously accorded star status everywhere she goes, but it's the race that she didn't win that tends to be the main talking point.

Last September in Sydney, in the ultimate pressure-cooker environment of the Olympic Games, Chepchumba glided over the tarmac for a bronze medal. Nagashi of Japan courageously held on from Romania's Lydia Simon for gold and silver, respectively. It was one of the greatest marathons in the century-plus history of the modern Olympics.

Many felt Chepchumba would win the event. She was certainly coming home like the proverbial house on fire. What happened? "They got away from me so fast early on, they got a flyer," she says. "I had it all to do after that. But that's what it's all about. It's a race."

Chepchumba is yet another from the production line of glorious Kenyan runners, but it comes as a surprise she didn't take the sport seriously until seven years ago. "I ran a bit in my teens, mainly for my club. The same in my early 20s. I enjoyed running, but it wasn't a big thing."

Indeed, Chepchumba won't be competing in the Samsung Dubai Marathon, rather she'll be out for a leisurely jog in the 10-km event. With respect to the rest of the field, it is likely to be Chepchumba first, daylight second.

"I'm not ready for a marathon at the moment, I've been resting up because I trained so hard for Sydney," she says. Chepchumba also wanted to spend some time with her family, including her nine-year-old son in her hometown of Nakuru, central Kenya.

"I'm carrying a couple of extra kilos. I ran in Sydney at 43 kilos, now I'd be about 48 kilos." Chepchumba, who likes Dubai, but isn't keen on the heat (much of her training is in Germany) has been remarkably injury-free throughout her career. Hopefully this will carry her through to the next Olympics in Athens.

"I've been so fortunate that I've never had injuries. So many runners have problems with their calves and hamstrings. I don't think it's anything special that I do, it's just good luck. "I hope to run in Athens. I'd love to. We'll just have to wait and see because there are so many top runners coming through the ranks in Kenya all the time."

Korean giant Samsung has thrown its full weight behind the marathon in Dubai and Samsung Gulf Electronics general manager, D.K. Byeon, says: "The presence of Joyce Chepchumba during the Samsung Dubai Marathon is a massive bonus. We're so proud to see her here.

"We are talking about one of the world's elite athletes. There has been tremendous interest in Joyce wherever she goes. The sport of marathon running could have no better ambassador. She will also be a sentimental favourite for the gold medal in Athens. Many of us will be able to say we saw the start of her prepare for it right here in Dubai."