limo Kimutai clocked one hour, three minutes and 10 seconds to finish ahead of Gishu Duda of Ethiopia (1:03:54).. Photo/ FILE
By NATION REPORTER and EME News
Posted Monday, May 2 2011 at 19:32
Posted Monday, May 2 2011 at 19:32
Kenyans took the battle to the backyard of their equally illustrious Ethiopians at the weekend when Kiplimo Kimutai broke the course record in winning the second edition of the Every One Half Marathon in Hawassa.
The Kenyan armed forces 10,000 metres champion clocked one hour, three minutes and 10 seconds to finish ahead of Gishu Duda of Ethiopia (1:03:54).
The women’s race came down to a sprint finish and was won by Ethiopian Sisay Measo in 1:16:41.
The races took place at an altitude of 1,700 metres above sea level with temperatures rising to above 30 degrees towards the end of the morning.
World marathon record holder and distance running legend, Haile Gebrselassie, present at the race and who spoke at the pre-race media events, started the races and presented prizes to the winners.
He was accompanied by Gebregziabher Gebremariam, the reigning New York Marathon champion, Shiferaw Shigute, the President of the Southern Region and the Hawassa City mayor.
The Every One campaign aims to achieve reduction in newborn, child and maternal mortality in Ethiopia.
Elsewhere, Kenyans completed a double at the Globus Marathon in St Wendel, Germany. Wilson Melly clocked 2:19:24 to win the men’s race and Esther Macharia (2:41:52) won the women’s race.
There were more Kenyan wins in the Italian cities of Merano, Benevento and also in Puy (France), Spokane (USA) and Vancouver (Canada).
At Merano, Edwin Kipyego won the 18th Half Marathon in 1:04:11 with Moroccan Soumiya Labani (1:13:51) taking the women’s title.
At the 20th edition of Strabenevento road race in Benevento, Ezekiel Meli clocked 28:49 beating Italians Ottavio Andriani (30:40) and Cosimo Calliandro (31:00).
There was another Moroccan winner, Meryem Lamachi (34:11).In Puy, Ethiopian Dino Sefir won the 29th edition of the 15-kilometre road race clocking 43:57. Kenyan Sarah Chepchirchir was the best woman with 50:28.
In Vancouver, Bernard Onsare won the Bank of Montreal Vancouver Marathon in 2:19:59. Keddi-Anne Sherbino was the first woman to cross the finish line in 2:43:00.
Meanwhile in Spokane, Kenyan Simon Ndirangu used a final sprint to the finish line to win the men’s elite race in the 35th Lilac Bloomsday Run.
Ndirangu unofficially ran a time of 33:57, just six seconds off the Bloomsday record. It was Ndirangu’s second Bloomsday after running in 2007.
