Athletics - Albert Marie’s, Eddie Kilindo’s marathon records are 25 years old |25 October 2013

Seychelles’ standing junior and senior marathon records are 25 years old and it seems these records will stay long into the future.

The Seychelles senior marathon record holder is Albert Marie and he clocked 2 hours 25 minutes 48 seconds (2h25:48) – the fastest time ever – on October 23, 1988.
The male junior record of 2h40:49 belongs to Eddie Kilindo and he got it on the same day Marie set the senior best time.

Marie’s and Kilindo’s records now seem more monumental than they were 25 years ago as no one has been able to really challenge these times in the energy-sapping race.

Not even Simon Labiche, whom many thought could pulverise the senior record and has himself said publicly that his aim is to make the marathon record his, has come anywhere close to removing some seconds off Marie’s time.

What is certain is for the records to be broken it will take athletes to get in really good shape, run a controlled race and get the right conditions on the day.

Speaking to Sports Nation, Marie said: “Marathon is a tough race compared to even half-marathons. You have to be disciplined and not skip training. People could see me training everyday – on sunny and even rainy days – early in the morning and at night. I knew what I wanted to achieve and I remained focused on attaining my goal.”

He noted that fellow Diguois Selby Dora, who was at the time studying on Mahe, spotted him and gave him some basic training every time he returned to La Digue.

“I was a small boy living on La Digue and did not know what was going on in Mahe.  Selby gave me some basic training and later Ronald Wong, who is also from La Digue, became my coach.

The 56-year-old added that to be a good marathon runner one needs to be self-disciplined as most of the time, your coach cannot follow the whole training, meaning you have to do all the repetitions he asks you to do.

“This is the only way you can become a good runner. Skipping training or not doing the full sets will do you no good,” he said adding that had he not left Seychelles in 1989 for England, he would have improved the record as he was he was strong and was running well.

When Eddie Kilindo, set the junior marathon record, he was only 19 years old and like Marie he believes discipline is the key to success.

“At the time, we were totally committed to our sport and wanted to achieve something. Therefore we trained hard although we did not have all the facilities that exist today. I would have expected the record to have been beaten by now, but until Seychellois athletes get their priorities right this will not happen,’ the 44-year-old told Sports Nation.

Andrea Radegonde holds the male veteran marathon record with a time of 3h38:23 clocked on September 10, 2000 during the inaugural International Marathon in Paradise organised by the Italy-Seychelles Association.

The holder of the women’s senior marathon record is Simone Zapha and her time is 3h30:53 clocked during the second Ekolomarathon in Tampon, Reunion in 2010.
Rachel Esparon holds the Seychelles female veteran best time of 3h42:25 which she got during the Fifth Indian Ocean Islands Games in 1998 in Reunion.

As for the junior female category, there is no standing record as no young Seychellois female athlete has ever completed a marathon.

Time will only provide the answer as to when the next marathon record will be bettered.

G. G.