London Recap 2005 - 2007

In the 2005 race, the major players for much of the race were Martin Lel (Ken) (setting the pace for much of it); Henrick Ramaala, 2004 New York winner; World champion Jaoud Gharib (Mar); Evans Rutto – for once taking a back seat; and the two fastest marathoners in the world – Paul Tergat (2:04:55) and Sammy Korir (2:04:56), both from Kenya. Lel came home in 2:07:26 - 23 seconds in front of Jaoud Gharib with Ramaala crossing the line 43 seconds later. Two-time London winner Abdelkader El Mouaziz picked off the fading Kenyans to take 4th spot in 2:09:03. Running tough, both Baldini and Brown also came through in the closing stages for 5th and 6th places, Brown setting a lifetime best of 2:09:31 and moving up to 12th on the all-time British list.

At the start of the 2006 race, probably the most talented field of marathon runners ever assembled set off on the road to Westminster. Seven contenders, Rodgers Rop (KEN), Lel, Gebrselassie, Kannouchi, Rutto, Limo and Henrik Ramaala (RSA) - sporting a colourful headcloth - were left to battle out the last 7km, but Gebrselassie was no longer smiling. As Buckingham Palace came into, view Lel inched in front and Limo waited. Turning the first of two corners Lel strided past the Palace but, as the pair turned the final bend, Limo Jumped to the front and stayed strong, crossing the line in 2:06:39, the year's second fastest marathon. Two seconds later Lel finished and removed 45 seconds from his PB. Sad sight was Gebrselassie finishing 9th in 2:09:05 in what he says was his worst performance since 1991.

The 2007 race featured the best men's field in history, and the event did not disappoint. It was close from the beginning until the last stages, when four men were left challenging in Birdcage Walk, bringing the marathon down to the sort of sprint you might expect on a track race. In the end, after his second place in 2006 Martin Lel (Ken) regained the Flora London Marathon title in style. Lel won in 2:07:41, three seconds ahead of Abderrahim Goumri (Mar), with the 2006 champion Felix Limo (Ken) third in 2:07:44. Sadly, double Olympic track champion Haile Gebrselassie again ended the race in disappointing circumstances, having been forced to stop at the 20-mile mark suffering from a stitch when he looked in a good position to make a serious challenge.

In 2008, the 100th anniversary of the marathon was marked in the most fitting way when Martin Lel won his third Flora London Marathon title. Lel joined Mexico’s Dionicio Ceron and Antonio Pinto of Portugal as a triple London winner, retaining his crown and breaking the six-year-old course record in 2:05:15. Lel's compatriot Sammy Wanjiru, in only his second full marathon, finished second in 2:05:24, clipping 75 seconds from his best, while Abderrahim Goumri came third in 2:05:30, a massive 2 minutes 14 seconds inside his PB. Further back in the field, world champion Luke Kibet finished 11th, and Stefano Baldini out-battled Britain’s Dan Robinson to finish 12th - a bad day for the Italian.