World road racing scene in review

The IAAF has just conducted its annual world review of road racing in 2005.

Four male athletes entered the top six in the half marathon all-time list. In September, 18-year-old Kenyan Samuel Wanjiru set the world record of 59:16 in Rotterdam, bettering Paul Tergat's 59:17 set in Milan in 1998.

Then, Zersenay Tadesse, of Eritrea, ran the fastest ever half marathon clocking 59:05 in the Great North Run from Newcastle to South Shields, slicing one second off Tergat's actual fastest of 59:06 (2000).

This 'confusion' that someone can run the "fastest" and someone else the "world record" is explained by the elevation of the course.

Results achieved in downhill courses can never be accepted for IAAF record purposes. The Great North Run is about 30 metres downhill (from start to finish), just a little over the allowed 1m/km which would be 21m for the half marathon.

So, although Tadesse ran the "fastest" time ever for a half marathon, it cannot count as the world record.

A total of 19 male athletes ran a half marathon in under 61 minutes during the 2005 season. There were 22 in 2004 and 18 in 2003. Kenya has an absolute dominance in this event with an amazing 62 in the world top 100. Ethiopia has 11.

This dominance has long been the topic of study and conversation in running and sport science circles.

It is partly explained as being due to the athletes from E. Africa living their lives at high altitude.

In the marathon it was a quiet year with the world record never being threatened.

Haile Gebrselassie ran the fastest race with 2:06:20 in Amsterdam. Very few world class athletes even tried to run two major marathons and none were able to win two.

In the World Championships in Helsinki, Jaouad Gharib, of Morocco, retained his crown. He also finished second in the London Marathon with a season's best of 2:07:49.

Helsinki was the Moroccan's sixth career marathon. He has won two of them, both times in the World Championships (2003 and 2005).

A total of 29 male athletes ran under 2:09 this season. In 2004 there were 30 and a huge 51 in 2003.

Kenya is once again the best country with 51 athletes in the world top 100. Japan is second with 10 (to the surprise of many who do not know the reverence in which the marathon is held in that country).

Paula Radcliffe won the marathon this year in Helsinki in convincing fashion. Many were glad, believing Radcliffe deserved the global medal since she has dominated big city marathon since her debut in London 2002, in the process having lowered the world best (now world record) by over three minutes.

Helsinki was her seventh marathon, and Radcliffe has the three fastest marks of all-time.

Radcliffe has won London three times (2:18, 2:15, 2:17), Chicago once (2:17) and New York (2:23) also once. Her only marathon failure was at the 2004 Olympics.

Her winning time of 2:20:57 in Helsinki was, by over two minutes, the fastest ever run in a global championship.

It might be thought that Radcliffe's world record of 2:15 would inspire many other female runners to view sub-2:20 as a realistic target. But this has not been proven by the facts.

Both Naoko Takahashi and Catherine Ndereba broke the 2:20 barrier in 2001 (and before Radcliffe), but from then on just one more new face has achieved this time each year.

In 2002 it was Radcliffe, in 2003 Sun Yingjie, in 2004 Yoko Shibui, and now in 2005 Mizuki Noguchi.

Breaking 2:20 is still an incredibly tough barrier for women.

It would appear that the extraordinary example of Radcliffe has actually not resulted in a general rise in standards in women's marathon racing worldwide.