by Perri Williams
A few days ago Run Republic flagged Hiko Tonosa as the Irishman to watch in today’s Dublin City Marathon, the man who had the potential to run sub 2.10. This was based on his sub 28 min 10,000m performances and his recent good form. Today in Dublin, our theories proved to be true as Hiko Tonosa (Dundrum South Dublin) scored on three accounts; a new national marathon record, winner of the Irish National Championships and third overall in the Dublin City Marathon, just a minute off the winner.
Grabbing the Irish flag he ran back down Mount Street waving it wildly, clearly elated by his achievements. “I know I can hold this flag, this is the one that saved my life, so I need to hold this,” he stated.
In ideal conditions, the overall title was won by Kenya's Moses Kemei recording a new personal best time of 2:08.47. Second was Ethiopia's Abebaw Desalew in 2:09.24, with a fast-finishing Tonosa in third in 2:09.42. A clearly delighted Tonosa told RTE in the aftermath of the race that against all advice he opted to run Dublin. "This is my home championship. Everyone said go to Berlin. I said I had to do my home championship”.
Tonosa came to Ireland from Ethiopia in 2017, escaping his war-torn homeland, the small Rastafarian town of Shashamane in the highlands of Ethiopia. In March 2020 he received Irish citizenship.
Eddie McDonagh the DSD coach took him under his wing and ensured his running career developed. From the early days of training under the tutelage of McDonagh, Tonosa then moved to Feidhlim Kelly in the Dublin Track Club.
His pathway to today was fraught with numerous difficulties, including having to drop out at the halfway mark in London thus missing the opportunity to qualify for Paris. Something that bothered him all summer. Such are the trials and tribulations of marathon running, when the pace drops, there is no point pushing it further if you are an elite runner and want to have an opportunity to run another marathon. Everything has to be so precise as opportunities have to be scheduled so carefully. Today Tonosa passed the halfway mark in 64:13 about a half a minute slower than he did in London. And while in London he needed to be close to 2:08 to gain qualification for Paris, today the aim was to get out and run the best possible marathon. He came into the race hoping 2:08 was on the cards. However, it was not to be and he was happy to take the national title and a new national record with it. How magical it must have felt, running along the streets of his adopted homeland, and ushered on so frequently and passionately by his Irish supporters, the euphoria of the crowd no doubt played a significant part in his marathon journey this morning.
Although his time has yet to be ratified, he has taken seven seconds off the 2020 record set by Stephen Scullion. Every few seconds count when your previous marathon best was 2:15 a time he set in Valencia. Behind Tonosa it was Ryan Creech (Leevale) who took the National Marathon silver medal with a time of 2:13.48 with William Maunsell (Clonmel) creeping up for third in 2:14.22. Creech finished ninth overall with Maunsell in tenth. It was a great race from the thirty-nine-year-old Maunsell who recorded 2:16.34 in London earlier this year. He has shaved a total of five minutes off his personal best in a year.
It was a clean sweep for Ethiopia in the ladies race where the winner was Asmirach Nega in a new course record of 2.24.13, thirty-two seconds ahead of Sorome Negash (2.24.45) and Grete Dukale (2.28.29). Ireland and Letterkenny’s Ann-Marie McGlynn as expected took the ladies National title and sixth place overall in a time of 2.34.05. Silver went to Aoife Kilgallon (Sligo AC) who ran 2:35:56 with Grace Lynch of (Dundrum South Dublin) finishing third in 2:36:09.
Sean Frame (GB) won the wheelchair race in a time of 1.45.31.