PORTUGAL’S CAPITAL city hosted one of the six most important IAAF Half-Marathons of the year last Sunday afternoon.
A record entry of 36,000 people took to the streets of Lisbon, spearheaded by the finest road runners in the world. In a race that has been won by African athletes 10 out of the last 11 times, the Kenyan duo of Paul Tergat and Susan Chepkemei went to post as the hot favourites to take the 2006 men’s and women’s individual titles. Neither finished first, but Kenya’s strength in depth was only too clearly demonstrated by the fact that the East African country still managed a clean sweep. Last year’s London Marathon winner, Martin Lel, took the men’s race in a new personal best time, while Selina Kosgei took the women’s crown.
