Day Tergat nearly missed the world record in Berlin

The thought that we are always one decision away from a totally different outcome in life springs to mind when former Berlin marathon champion Paul Tergat explains his famous victory in the 2003 Berlin Marathon.

Tergat, who is now National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) President, had a stellar career before joining the marathon. He was a five-time world cross country champion, a two-time world half marathon champion, and a two time Olympics silver medallist, so it looked pretty obvious that he would go on to have a dazzling career.

“When I was moving to marathon I knew I was going to a space where success was not guaranteed,” he says with a nonchalant demeanour.

“In my first week of marathon training, I covered 300 kilometres in a week. That was mind boggling and I asked myself whether I had made a mistake to move to the marathon but I said to myself ‘let me try.”

Tergat had run five marathons in two years prior to the famous Berlin win. Although he posted fast times, he did not taste victory in any of them. In his first marathon in April 2001, he finished second in London followed by a second place finish in Chicago.

He then had a second stab at the London Marathon in April 2002 but finished second to America’s Khalid Khannouchi who set the world record in a time of two hours and 5.38 minutes, the athlete shelving off five seconds off his previous marathon record he had set in 1999 at the Chicago marathon.

“I never doubted myself despite not winning. I have never lost hope in my career. I have always been a fighter and I keep on fighting. You lose today, you accept. Tomorrow there is another opportunity,”Tergat says.

As he prepared for 2003 Berlin Marathon, he reckons he had only one plan - to win at all costs. He was coming back from two consecutive fourth-place finishes at the 2002 Chicago marathon and the 2003 London Marathon, almost six months before going to Berlin.

“When I decided that I was going to run the Berlin Marathon all my plans and preparations were geared towards breaking the world record,” he says with immense joy.

“I was giving my best to see to it that I win this race but in a record. I knew I had the potential because I had won the cross country five times, and broken a world record in the 10,000 metres, so why not?”

True to his word, Tergat went on to win his first ever marathon in one of the closest victories. He become the first man to run a marathon under 2:05, finishing in 2:04:55, his compatriot Sammy Korir finishing a second later.

But it could have been a different story today had Tergat had not rectified a mistake as he made his way towards the Brandenburg Gate. Having already shrugged off his competitors, he was on course for a famous victory, but a change in course from the previous year’s race almost cost him victory.

“The car that we were following moved out of the course and since we were following it, I thought that’s where we were meant to go, but I realized I was going in the wrong direction and I had to come back,” he says.

“It was very scary for sure,” adds Tergat with a smile on his face.

As the City of Berlin marks the historic achievement, marathon legends who have played a part in making history were also invited. A total of 13 men’s and women’s world records have been broken at the fast course, with six Kenyans breaking the record seven times. No country has contributed more world records in Berlin Marathon than Kenya. Some of the record holders such as the first Kenyan to break a world record in Berlin, Tegla Loroupe (1999), Patrick Makau (2011) and Japan’s Naoko Takahashi (2001) have been invited to celebrate Berlin Marathon’s 50th anniversary.

“For sure there are people who understand the value of people who brought glory to the event and that’s why we are here. It’s an honour to be here and to celebrate the Berlin Marathon, and we are also here to encourage upcoming athletes to do their best,” Loroupe said yesterday.

Two-time Berlin Marathon winner Makau was grateful to have been invited to the 50th edition of the race, and couldn’t help but reminisce on the atmosphere in Berlin.

“The people of Berlin are so cheerful. They are always on the road cheering the athletes and encouraging everyone to keep on pushing,” he said. The 50th edition takes place tomorrow, with a Nation Media Group giving you a 360-degree coverage of the race.