In Berlin, Germany
Pauline Esikon and the Wuxi Marathon Champion Veronica Maina are the only Kenyan entries in the Berlin Marathon women’s race set for Sunday in the German capital.
For Esikon, an accomplished long distance runner, this will be her first competitive full marathon race. She would have debuted in the marathon earlier, but twice, her attempts were derailed by injury.
She pulled out of last December’s Abu Dhabi Marathon with a hip injury and most recently the Vienna Marathon in April following another injury.
The 33-year-old now believes that the hand of fate has placed her career marathon debut in Berlin where she had always dreamt of racing.
"Since I started this career, I always wished that if at some point I decide to run the entire 42 kilometres then a good place to start would be on the fast Berlin course.
“It felt bad when I got those injuries, but looking back I am happy. I feel like God had a plan for me all a long," said Esikon in an interview with Nation Sport at Istanbul International Airport en-route to Berlin.
"I don't want to push my self so hard, considering the fact that I just came from an knee injury. My main Goal now is to just finish the race, but I am hoping to do that under 2 hours and 30 minutes," she said.
"I have much respect for a marathon. I know it's tough and making your debut in a World Majors doesn't make it any easier. But I am under no pressure. In fact, I feel happy and relaxed," added Esikon.
Born in Nyandarua, in Central Kenya, Esikon credits her late father for believing in her talent and supporting her.
"I discovered that I could run when I was in Standard Three and when my dad noticed that I liked running, he started taking me training and sometimes accompanying me to competitions where he would cheer me on and that meant a lot," she said.
She adds that she has trained in several areas in Kenya before finally settling in Iten, in her quest to reach the high professional levels of the sport.
Esikon has a personal best time of 67 minutes and 15 seconds (67:15) in the half marathon, registered in her victory at the Santa Pola Half Marathon in Spain, in January 2022.
She has a personal best time of 32:07 in the 10km posted when she won the Torino Tuta Dritta 10km in Italy back in 2017 when she launched her international road racing career.
Her most recent podium finish was at the Den Haag Half Marathon held in the Netherlands in March last year.
Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui finished second in last year’s women’s race in 2:17:49 as Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa won in a women’s world record time of 2:11:53.
