THE Kenyan athletes were unhappy with the Pune International Marathon officials as they said they were not informed that women could also participate in the 42-km full marathon

Wrong info cost us women's marathon: Kenya

THE Kenyan athletes were unhappy with the Pune International Marathon officials as they said they were not informed that women could also participate in the 42-km full marathon.
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They said this resulted in Ethiopia taking all the top spots.

Paul Mutwii, Kenyan coach and vice-chairman of Athletics Kenya, said the miscommunication left them unprepared for the main event.

"I was told that women can participate in the 21-km race, and so runners who are here are trained for 21 km.
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But after landing in India on Saturday, we were informed that women can run the 42 km race also, leaving us surprised and annoyed," said Mutwii.

"None of my runners could make it to the top because of the miscommunication. I can not make the girls run 42 km when they have trained for 21 km."

Though Kenya could make it to the fifth position, the top four spots were taken by Ethiopia. Last year Kenya took the first spot, which made yesterday's fiasco even more disappointing.

Language problem

Though the coach was happy with the treatment accorded them and the accommodation, he was unhappy that people here could not understand their language.

He said this created problems for the athletes, who were unable to convey their issues.

"Because of my association with the marathon here I know certain people.

But this year it has been all fresh faces, and the authorities did not provide a translator, who could have been of some use," said Mutwii. "My runners are finding it difficult conveying their needs and requirements."