News

  • January 5th, 2018

    Record Number of Entries for Adana

    Registration for the International Adana Half Marathon reached to 1500 entrants. The race, set to take place on 7 January, will be timed by Depar Timing.

    Incorporating the first leg of the Turkish Half Marathon League this year, the event has already broken its entry record by the increase of the public interest. Depar Timing will make the best effort to serve the Adana Half Marathon with a team of 12 members who will be in charge of transponder distribution before the event, and officiate on the course during the race. On its eighth edition of the event since its inauguration in 2011, this is the sixth year that the services of Depar Timing are utilised.

    Along with many Turkish distance stars, foreign athletes with international achievements will also be on the course on Sunday, 7 January. Africans have been dominating for the last five years in Adana, however, Asian representatives may steal the show this year. Kenyan Truphena Chepchirchir, the winner of the recent Mersin Marathon, is expected to face strong opposition from the World U20 Championships medallist Dalila Abdulkadir Gosa of Bahrain. On the men’s side, Dawit Fikadu who switched to Bahrain this year, Moroccon Zakaria Boudad and Alfred Kipchirchir Mukche from Kenya will be in the spotlight.

    The women’s race record in Adana is 1:08:53, set by Kenyan Rose Chelimo in 2015. Men’s record is held by Barselius Kipyego with 1:00:46, standing from 2016. 

  • January 3rd, 2018

    RAK and London, The Best in 2017

    RAK Half Marathon and the London Marathon topped the 2017 Road Running Competition Rankings. Istanbul Half Marathon is ranked the best event in Turkey.

    Based on the scoring of the performances and the level of participating athletes in the road running events throughout the world in the calendar year, RAK Half Marathon took the first place among the road running competitions except marathons. Women’s world record was broken, and four men dipped under one hour at the event held in Ras al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates in February. RAK Half with 10851 points is followed by Prague (10583) and Valencia (10448) half marathons on the list. Istanbul Half Marathon, which produced the women’s Asian record and five sub-61 male performances, became seventh with 9839 points. Adana Half Marathon tallied 8664 points to rank 110th in the list where 512 competitions could make the minimum score.

    In the marathons category, London (10851) beat Berlin (10490) and Tokyo (10222) into second and third respectively. Istanbul Marathon (9332) finished the year 22nd, Mersin Marathon (8840) 56th.

    Top ten events in the 2017 Road Running Competition Rankings and their scores are as follows;

    Road Running Competitions Except Marathons:
      1.  RAK Half Marathon - 10851
      2.  Prague Half Marathon - 10583
      3.  Valencia Half Marathon - 10448
      4.  Copenhagen Half Marathon - 10200
      5.  New Delhi Half Marathon - 10045
      6.  Usti nad Labem Half Marathon - 9923
      7.  Istanbul Half Marathon - 9839
      8.  Goteborg Half Marathon - 9701
      9.  Lille Half Marathon - 9690
    10.  Lisbon Half Marathon - 9687

    Marathons:
      1.  London Marathon - 10662
      2.  Berlin Marathon - 10490
      3.  Tokyo Marathon - 10222
      4.  Dubai Marathon - 10001
      5.  Amsterdam Marathon - 9961
      6.  Chicago Marathon - 9948
      7.  Paris Marathon - 9870
      8.  Seoul Marathon - 9806
      9.  Rotterdam Marathon - 9782

    10.  Frankfurt Marathon - 9709

  • January 2nd, 2018

    Top Five In 2017 Turkish Rankings

    Although the rise of the Turkish road runners was interrupted in 2017, there were still a number of notable performances during the year.

    Mert Girmalegesse, who improved his career best by more than two minutes in Rotterdam in April, topped the marathon list with 2:11:56. Coming back from an injury after his outstanding 2:06:10 in Seoul in 2016, Kaan Kigen Özbilen took the 14th place by 2:14:29 in the World Championships in London, then went on to run 2:13:19 in Istanbul. While the average time of the top five marathoners was slower than the previous years, 24-year-old Nuri Kömür, who began his road running career eight months ago, found himself in the fifth rank with the 2:27:30 he ran in Mersin. In the half marathon, Kaan Kigen Özbilen became the fastest Turkish athlete of the year with 1:00:51 which he achieved in Istanbul in April. Özbilen’s 10km intermediate time of 28:38 in that race placed on the very top of the 2017 ranking.

    The first athlete in the women’s marathon list was Meryem Erdoğan with 2:43:33, the time she ran in Israel, in the only race she competed in 2017. Esma Aydemir, who produced her three best marathon results in 2016 (Rotterdam 2:35:22, Rio 2:39:59, Istanbul 2:40:28), clocked 2:44:57 in her only marathon in 2017. Following her first sub-three hours marathon in 2016, Nursel Karataş cut more than seven minutes off her personal best in October and ranked fifth with 2:48:39.

    Top five Turkish athletes in the marathon, half marathon and 10km run on the officially measured courses in 2017 are as follows;

    Women’s marathon:
    2:43:33    Meryem Erdoğan (Tiberias, 6 January)
    2:44:57    Esma Aydemir (Istanbul, 12 November)
    2:45:32    Fadime Suna (Istanbul, 12 November) 
    2:47:53    Şeyma Karagöz (Istanbul, 12 November)
    2:48:39    Nursel Karataş (Zagreb, 8 October) 

    Women’s half marathon:
    1:11:55    Esma Aydemir (Istanbul, 30 April)       
    (P) 1:14:42  Büşra Nur Koku (Pamukkale, 29 October)
    1:15:03    Büsra Nur Koku (Adana, 8 January)     
    1:15:47    Şeyma Karagöz (Istanbul, 30 April)    
    1:16:06    Sebahat Akpınar (Samsun, 19 May) 
    (P) 1:16:15  Emine Hatun Tuna (Pamukkale, 29 October)
    1:16:54    Fadime Suna (Istanbul, 30 April) 

    Women’s 10km:
    32:42+    Yasemin Can (Istanbul, 12 November)
    33:37+    Esma Aydemir (Istanbul, 30 April)
    34:11      Sevilay Eytemiş (Kocaeli, 29 October)
    34:34      Büşra Nur Koku (Gaziantep, 17 December)
    34:55      Sebahat Akpınar, (Kocaeli, 29 October) 

    Men’s marathon:
    2:11:56    Mert Girmalegesse (Rotterdam, 9 April)
    2:13:19    Kaan Kigen Özbilen (Istanbul, 12 November)  
    2:18:22    Yavuz Ağralı (Zagreb, 8 October)
    2:20:17    Ercan Muslu (Istanbul, 12 November) 
    2:27:30    Nuri Kömür (Mersin, 3 December)   

    Men’s half marathon:
    1:00:51    Kaan Kigen Özbilen (Istanbul, 30 April)
    1:03:14+  Mert Girmalegesse (Rotterdam, 9 April)
    1:04:14    Alper Demir (Istanbul, 30 April)
    1:04:42    Vedat Gönen (Istanbul, 30 April)
    (P) 1:04:51  Ercan Muslu (Pamukkale, 29 October)
    1:05:50    Muzaffer Bayram (Istanbul, 30 April)   

    Men’s 10km:
    28:38+    Kaan Kigen Özbilen (Istanbul, 30 April)
    29:02+    Aras Kaya (Istanbul, 12 November)
    29:04      Ali Kaya (Istanbul, 12 November)
    29:05+    Polat Kemboi Arıkan (Istanbul, 12 November)
    29:24      Süleyman Bekmezci (Gaziantep, 17 December) 

    (P) Point to point, hence does not fulfil the IAAF criteria
    +    Intermediate time in a race over longer distance

  • January 2nd, 2018

    Top Five In 2017 World Rankings

    2017 saw several historical performances of female road runners. The year will particularly be remembered by Joyciline Jepkosgei’s records.

    While the Kenyan dominance continued in the top lists, Mary Keitany set the women-only world record by 2:17:01 at the London Marathon. The 35-year-old was 41 seconds faster than Paula Radcliffe’s previous record stood from 2005. However, the star of 2017 was another Kenyan who is still at the beginning of her career. Joyciline Jepkosgei, born in 1993, had personal bests of just 1:09:07 for the half marathon and 31:08 for 10km at the start of the year. She surprised the athletics world in Prague where she led through 10km in 30:04, 15km in 45:37, then 20km in 1:01:25, all new world records, before smashing the half marathon world record with 1:04:52, the first sub-65-minute performance in history by a woman. The Kenyan cut another second off her half marathon record in Valencia. In the year where the six fastest 10km times in history have been set, Jepkosgei also became the first ever woman to run under 30 minutes when she clocked 29:43 over the distance.

    On the men’s side, Eliud Kipchoge’s 2:03:32 in the marathon and Abraham Cheroben’s 58:40 in half marathon were overshadowed by the “Breaking2” project introduced by Nike. Although the attempt in Monza fell short, Kipchoge produced the fastest ever time for the marathon distance finishing in 2:00:25. The time was not ratifiable as a world record due to various conditions during the event, yet it was the performance of the year.

    Top five athletes in the marathon, half marathon and 10km in 2017 are as follows;

    Women's marathon:
    2:17:01  Mary Jepkosgei Keitany, KEN (London, 23 April)
    2:17:56  Tirunesh Dibaba, ETH (London, 23 April)
    2:19:47  Sarah Chepchirchir, KEN (Tokyo, 26 February)
    2:20:22  Brigid Chepchirchir Kosgei, KEN (Chicago, 8 October)
    2:20:23  Gladys Cherono Kiprono, KEN (Berlin, 24 September)

    Women's half marathon:
    1:04:51  Joyciline Jepkosgei, KEN (Valencia, 22 October)
    1:05:06  Peres Jepchirchir, KEN (Ras Al Khaimah, 10 February)
    1:05:13  Mary Jepkosgei Keitany, KEN (Ras Al Khaimah, 10 February)
    1:05:22  Violah Jepchumba, BRN (Prague, 1 April)
    1:05:36  Fancy Chemutai, KEN (Valencia, 22 October)

    Women’s 10km:
    29:43    Joyciline Jepkosgei, KEN (Prague, 9 September)
    30:05+  Violah Jepchumba, BRN (Prague, 1 April)
    30:06    Fancy Chemutai, KEN (Prague, 9 September)
    30:28    Sheila Chepkirui Kiprotich, KEN (Prague, 9 September)
    30:38    Senbere Teferi, ETH (Tilburg, 3 September) 

    Men's marathon:
    2:03:32  Eliud Kipchoge, KEN (Berlin, 24 September)
    2:03:46  Guye Adola, ETH (Berlin, 24 September)
    2:03:58  Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich, KEN (Tokyo, 26 February)
    2:04:11  Tamirat Tola, ETH (Dubai, 20 January)
    2:05:09  Lawrence Cherono, KEN (Amsterdam, 15 October) 

    Men's half marathon:
    58:40    Abraham Naibei Cheroben, BRN (Copenhagen, 17 September)
    58:48    Jorum Lumbasi Okombo, KEN (Copenhagen, 17 September)
    58:51    Alex Oloitiptip Korio, KEN (Copenhagen, 17 September)
    59:10    Bedan Karoki Muchiri, KEN (Ras Al Khaimah, 10 February)
    59:14    Barselius Kipyego, KEN (Usti nad Labem, 16 September) 

    Men’s 10km:
    27:10    Benard Kimeli, KEN (Prague, 9 September)
    27:11    Mathew Kipkorir Kimeli, KEN (Prague, 9 September)
    27:13    Rhonex Kipruto, KEN (Prague, 9 September)
    27:29    Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei, UGA (Durban, 8 October)
    27:33    Alfred Chelal Barkach, KEN (Berlin, 8 October)

    (+) Intermediate time in a race over longer distance

  • January 1st, 2018

    Best New Year Wishes From Depar Timing

    May you have a good start to 2018, live life at your own pace, and finish the year strong!