Cyprian Kotut running during Berlin Marathon. Photo/courtesy.
Kenyan runner Cyprian Kotut has admitted that his lack of experience nearly cost him during the Berlin Marathon on Sunday, where he ultimately secured an impressive second-place finish.
Kotut clocked a personal best time of 2:03:22, narrowly losing to Ethiopian Milkesha Mengesha, who crossed the line in 2:03:17 to claim victory.
Kotut stayed with Mengesha for most of the race but was edged out in the final 100 meters when the Ethiopian unleashed a powerful sprint. Remarkably, this was only Kotut’s second marathon, following his ninth-place finish at the Boston Marathon earlier this year.
“When I started, I was not sure if I would be in the first group. I had done my training well but I was doubting my experience. I was like, ‘should I go with the leading group or the second one?’ But I decided to go with the first group. I told myself if I go alone or with the second group it would be difficult to catch up,” Kotut shared in an interview with CNN’s Larry Madowo.
“So, I decided to go with the first group and see what would happen. I am happy it came out well.”
The Berlin Marathon was Kotut’s first major event since his ninth-place finish in Boston, and he admitted that his poor performance in the US had been on his mind, nearly costing him a place on the podium in Germany.
“When I went to Boston, I had trained very well, just like I did before I came to Berlin, but Boston is a very unique marathon, and it was tough for me because I lacked experience on how to handle the Boston course,” Kotut added.
“Coming here [Berlin], I told myself I have trained well, and I want to know if it was the nature of the Boston Marathon course or whether it is just my body. But I realized in Boston, I was in good shape but had a challenge handling the course.”
Kotut noted that Berlin was highly competitive but expressed his determination to give something back to the city, particularly as it celebrated its 50th anniversary. He was thrilled to achieve his personal best and his first podium finish in a major marathon.
Kotut’s last podium finish came in Amsterdam last year, where he placed second with a time of 2:04:34, which was his personal best at the time.
