Kamiel wins Egmond half marathon

January 8th 2006 - A week after winning the last race of 2005 Kamiel has won the first major event of 2006, the Half marathon of Egmond aan Zee. The Egmond half marathon is a tough one, with dunes and beach it's almost like a long cross country race. Back in Egmond it was a close sprint between Kamiel, Kenyan Wilson Kigen and Abiyotte Guta from Ethiopia. Maase, already winner in 2001 managed to beat Guta and Kigen, who won the classic event in 2000 and 2002.

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Pictures taken by Karel Delvoye

Race info

1    Kamiel Maase        Leiden Atletiek     1:03:29
2    Wilson Kigen        Kenia               1:03:30
3    Abiyotte Guta       Ethiopië            1:03:30
4    Solomon Tsige       Ethiopië            1:03:37
5    William Kipsang     Kenia               1:03:43
6    Jamal Baligha       Zuidwal             1:03:50
7    Jason Mbote         Kenia               1:04:37
8    Guus Janssen        Nijmegen Atletiek   1:04:41
9    Michel Butter       Lycurgus            1:04:48
10   Jussi Utriainen     Finland             1:04:50

Maase, Chepkemei win 34th Egmond Half Marathon

Sunday 8 January 2006 - Egmond aan Zee, The Netherlands - After a year of disappointment through injuries, Dutch multiple record holder Kamiel Maase is back. Eight days after his victory in the Hydron cross at Soest, Maase took top honors at the 34th edition of the Egmond Half Marathon, the classical opening race of the new year. Maase beat former Kenyan winner (2000 and 2002) Wilson Kigen, who won here in 2000 and 2002, and Ethiopian Abyote Guta by just one second, clocking a winning time of 1:03:29. Maase won this race five years ago, then clocking in 1:03.42.

The event is unique in the fact that after three kilometres, passing through the village of Egmond aan Zee, the runners go down through the dunes for a stretch of 7km along the beach, and then a further 11km back on a road surface along the dunes to the finish on the boulevard of Egmond aan Zee.

Maase controls the race
On a gray but not too cold (4 C.) day the men’s race began 8 minutes and 46 seconds after the women’s, creating a race in a race. After a loop through the sea resort of Egmond, a group of thirteen, lead by Maase –“With my long stride I wanted to lead on the sand of the beach” he later said - reached the beach for the seven kilometre stretch over the wet sand. After several lead changes, Maase, Kigen, Guta, Solomon Tsige, William Kipsang and Jamal Baligha were the leaders on the way back to Egmond over the road through the dunes. 200 metres from the finish, Maase, Kigen, and Guta were still together, until the Dutchman’s long strides prevailed in the final sprint.

"It feels fine to win here again," said Maase, who will now begin preparation for a spring marathon. His next race is the Groet 30Km.

Chepkemei, Kibet dominate women's race
The women’s race was an all-Kenyan affair with Susan Chepkemei, winner in 2002, winning again in 1:12:16. Dutch-based compatriot Hilda Kibet came home second in 1:12:21.

Chepkemei and Kibet were in a class of their own in the women’s race after breaking from their main opponents, Germany’s Susanne Ritter and Worknesh Tola of Ethiopia, on the stretch of beach early in the race. On the Boulevard of Egmond aan Zee, Chepkemei was, just by one second, overtaken by Maase.

Source: IAAF, Wim van Hemert

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