BEKELE EASILY RETAINS GREAT IRELAND RUN TITLE - HOWARTH TAKES HONOURS IN WOMEN'S RACE 

The legendary Kenenisa Bekele produced an awesome performance, despite gusting winds reaching 50 miles per hour, to comfortably defend his SPAR Great Ireland Run title in Dublin.

The Ethiopian on a day definitely not favouring fast times confidently coped with the conditions to win the 10km race in 28:51, well clear of Ukrainian Sergey Lebid and the winner's fellow countryman Ibrahim Jeilan who clocked 29:08 and 29:18 respectively.

 

Lauren Howarth, better known for her performances over shorter distances, claimed the women's crown in a much closer contest defeating fellow Britons, the defending champion Gemma Steel by 13sec with a time of 33:36 and Julia Bleasdale who finished in 33:53.  

 

Bekele has never been beaten on Irish soil winning the World Cross Country long and short course title's there in 2002 and last year's SPAR Great Ireland Run in an All-Comers' record of 27:49, and this year was no different as he stood head-and-shoulders above his rivals at the Phoenix Park venue.

 

The 30-year-old and Jeilan who deprived Bekele of his World Championships 10,000m title in 2011, were at the front of the pack from the first kilometre towing them through and then passing 2km in 5:52.

 

Bekele running conservatively then stepped up the pace around 6km taking the highly rated Australian Collis Birmingham, Jeilan and Lebid well clear of the field, before unleashing his first real change of pace.

 

The speedy input after 21 minutes running saw the World 5,000m and 10,000m record holder open a gap of five metres with Birmingham , who finished an outstanding eighth in last month's World Cross Country and was the only opponent brave enough to try and track him down.

 

The Aussie paid the price though falling away and looked broken and exhausted after 8km as Bekele relentlessly forged even further ahead in his first race since losing his Olympic 10,000m title at last summer's London Games.

 

Indeed Birmingham's legs became so weary that Lebid flew by him at 9km followed by Jeilan, who also had a second wind, but neither was ever going to catch the world's greatest track and cross country athlete who had flown through the marker looking awesome.

 

"It's fantastic," said Bekele determined to make amends for his drop in form over the last couple of years, mainly with a serious calf injury. "I am so happy with my performance."

 

The multi-World Championships gold medallist determined to regain his title from Jeilan who has a "wildcard" entry in Moscow this summer, added: "Now I am slowly, slowly, getting better. This year will be a great year for me. In all championships I will do better."          

   

Howarth who is already enjoying a great start to 2013 with British cross country and indoor international vests, scored an unexpected but fully deserved success in the women's race where she defeated last year's winner Gemma Steel.

Steel along with fellow Britons Bleasdale, and Howarth, Diana Martin from Spain and Ireland's Linda Byrne sat comfortably amongst the lead group who succeeded in staying together until the three kilometres mark.

 

But then the former European Cross Country bronze medallist just after the halfway point made her first tactical move which was only covered initially by Bleasdale and Howarth. However the experienced Martin forged her way back into contention after 7km.

 

Steel with a gap of 20m from the chasing contestants was trying her hardest to break the remaining trio as she put her foot on the accelerator with just over a kilometre remaining and only Howarth could respond.

The title holder really piled on the pressure up the very last hill on the course but Howarth digging deep managed to stay with the pre-race favourite before unleashing a tremendous sprint finish for the line.

 

The European Indoor 3,000m finalist drawing on the speed which is part of her armoury over shorter distances was neck-and-neck 600m from the tape  before opening a healthy winning lead of 30m in the last 400m.

 

"I am really delighted to beat some big names out there," said Howarth. "Conditions were pretty tough in the wind. Winning fills me confidence for the season ahead."

 

In the men's race Stephen Scullion was the first Irishman to cross the line placing seventh in 30:15. Byrne was the host nation's leading woman finishing sixth in 34:24.

 

The meeting's inaugural street mile was claimed by Ireland's number one 1,500m track performer Paul Robinson. He took victory by two seconds in 4:14 ahead of fellow countrymen Eoin Everard and David Harper who recorded 4:18.