Kasait rises from the tarmac to rule Daegu in marathon debut

Lilian Kasait in a past race/ FILE

Kenyan distance ace Lilian Kasait announced her arrival to the full marathon ranks emphatically, storming to victory at the Daegu race in South Korea.

Kasait picked herself up after falling in the last 400m to go on and win the race in 2:19:33. She outkicked Ethiopia’s Meseret Belete, who clocked 2:19:52 for second place, while Evaline Chirchir completed the podium in 2:20:42.

‎Despite the fall and visible bruises, Kasait remained composed and grateful after crossing the line. ‎“I fell okay, I fell, and I have some bruises, but it’s part of the race. I thank God I had a good finish and won the race,” Kasait said post-race.

Kasait revealed that her build-up to the marathon debut was executed with precision, with her training camp placing equal emphasis on endurance capacity and closing speed.

‎‎“Training was really good. The programme that my coach gave me focused on endurance and speed. We left nothing to chance,” she added.

‎Kasait was stepping into uncharted territory, but carried the pedigree of having tested out her legs over the half-marathon. She made her half-marathon debut in Valencia 2024, where she secured a podium finish, clocking 1:03:32. ‎In that race, she trailed compatriot Agnes Ng'etich (1:03:04) and Ethiopian Fotyen Tesfay (1:03:21).

‎However, it was during the 2025 season that Kasait truly tested her legs over 21km, featuring in three half-marathon races. ‎Her first race was in Prague, where she claimed her first-ever victory over 21km, stopping the clock in 1:05:27 to outkick compatriot Veronica Loleo (1:06:40) and Ethiopia's Sentayehu Lewetegn(1:08:41).‎

‎Kasait extended her flying for the Delhi half marathon,  claiming victory yet again in the 1:07:20, this time finishing ahead of Ethiopians Melal Siyoum (1:07:21) and Mulat Tekle (1:07:29).

‎However, she rounded off her year with a dissapointing fifth place finish at the Condor Antrim half-marathon, clocking 1:07:36. Ethiopia's Mizat Alem (1:05:38), Loice Chemnung (1:06:06) and Senayet Getachew (1:06:33) claimed the podium.

‎She further holds a rich resume over the 10km road race, which includes third-place finishes in Hong Kong (31:12) and Valencia (29:32) as well as victory in Bengaluru (30:56).

 ‎In the men's race in Daegu, Tanzania's Gabriel Geay claimed victory in 2:08:09, outkicking Ethiopia's Chimdesa Gudeta, who closed the same time. ‎Josphat Gisemo of Tanzania clocked 2:08:17 for third place.