NAZ Elite's Mercy Chelangat made a statement Sunday in her marathon debut, winning in Ottawa and setting a new team record.
She ran a 2:23:33 on the Tartan Ottawa International Marathon course, besting former NAZ Elite athlete Kellyn Taylor's 2:24:28 set at Grandma鈥檚 Marathon in 2018. She claimed the $14,560 prize money on the women's side upon winning her second straight outing.
While the weather for the marathon turned for the best for the runners, the pacers provided some challenges for聽Chelangat in her first time competing at 26.2 miles.听
"A lot of her preparation had been based around 2:23 marathon pace, and Mercy recognized early on that the front of the pack was going faster than that," NAZ Elite head coach Jack Mullaney said via email. "We took a course tour on Friday and knew that the first half of the course would be more challenging than the second, so we wanted to be especially cautious at the start. I think when the front of the pack went through halfway in under 1:11 (sub 2:22 pace), Mercy wisely knew she couldn't continue to try to accelerate if she wanted to have a strong finish."
Her decision said a lot about her ability to understand her body during a marathon.
"Even though this was her first race at the distance, I think she understands her strengths enough to know that she can outlast a lot of competitors if she focuses on running her race at the start," Mullaney said.
Another Kenyan won the men's race, as Albert Korir clocked a 2:08:22 to take the gold.
Meseret Gebre of Ethiopia was at the lead most of the day until Chelangat overtook her around the 35K mark.听Gebre ended up finishing third in 2:30:46 as she fell apart, with Visiline Jepkesho placing second in 2:28:09
"In the marathon, so much of the separation occurs in the last 10-15K," Mullaney said. "Oftentimes the athletes who still have the energy in their legs in the closing stages are the ones who win or finish on the podium, and I think holding back in that moment [earlier in the race] allowed her to do that."
Mullaney said he has witnessed Chelangat devote herself to becoming a marathoner during her training block.听
"From the moment she committed to Ottawa," he said, "she has been all in. Success in this sport, and particularly in the marathon, is not about one workout. It's an encompassing process that involves higher training volume, challenging workouts, practicing fluids, extra massages, strength work in the gym, increased sleep and more. Mercy embraced everything that it meant to train and live as an elite marathon runner, and the athlete that everyone saw racing in Ottawa on Sunday was a representation of the athlete she has been in training: focused, determined and all in."