Kenyans break Cardiff Half, Kosice Marathon records

Kenyan road race runners had a good day in office over the weekend led by Edith Chelimo who set UK all-comers’ record at the Cardiff University/Cardiff Half Marathon on October 1.

The course was a bit different from the one used to host the 2016 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, Chelimo was able to shed more than three minutes from her previous personal best of 1:08:57 to 1:05:50.

Her compatriots, Dorcas Kimeli who was making her debut over the distance, clocked 1:10:48 and Beatrice Mutai stopped the timer at 1:10:55 to make it a Kenyan one-two-three.

“I’m really surprised (with the time),” said the 31-year-old winner. “This is a miracle for me. I was thinking I could maybe do 1:07:00. Yesterday I was discussing with my manager and I was telling him maybe I can do 3:14 per kilometre (68 minutes) and he was telling maybe I could go for 67. But it was amazing to see 65.

“I always see people running 65 and I think, ‘How can I improve my training so that I can improve?’ And I see everything is possible. The more you train, the more your body is coming. I say every time, ‘Don’t give up. Just go, go, go’.

Meanwhile, John Lotiang made it a Kenyan double in the IAAF Silver Label race after beating defending champion Shadrack Kimining by four seconds to take top podium place in 1:00:43.

Kimining crossed the line in 1:00:47, six seconds quicker than his winning time from last year to settle for the runners up position while Kipkemboi Kiprono came in third in 1:01:08.

In Slovakia, Reuben Kerio and Sheila Jerotich went away with victories and PBs at the Kosice Peace Marathon road race on Sunday.

Jerotich, who was competing in her second marathon, took 10 seconds off the course record set in 2013 by Ethiopia’s Ashete Bekele and more than a minute off her PB to take the race honors in 2:27:34.

The 28 year old lead her compatriots Sheila Chepkoech (2:29:13) and Emily Samoei (2:31:17) to a clean podium sweep.

Their counterpart, Reuben Kiprop Kerio lowered his PB to take the race title in 2:08:12 while Fikre Assefa Robi of Ethiopia spoiled the Kenyan party to take second place in 2:08:36. Richard Kiprotich Sigei settled for third place in 2:09.05 as Henry Chirchir (2:09:42) and Raymond Choge (2:09:53) took fourth and fifth places.

In China, Michael Njenga Kunyuga and Betty Wilson Lempus won the men and women race honors at the sixth edition of Hengshui Lake International Marathon, an IAAF Bronze Label road race, on Saturday 30.

The 30-year-old Kunyuga came from behind to win in 2:12:31, taking his second marathon title in five months after winning in Padua in 2:10:43. Morocco’s Hicham Laqouahi finished 39 second after Kunyuga while Regasa Mndaye finished third in 2:13:18.

In the women’s race, Lempus Hengshui made her second victory this season in addition to her conquest in the Dutch city of Enschede five month ago where she cut the tape in 2:29:31.

Her winning mark of 2:30:47 was five minutes shy of the 2:25:43 course record set by Agnes Jepkemboi Kiprop in 2015.

Ethiopia’s Abeba Tekulu Tekulu finished second in 2:30:50 while the third place went to pre-race favorite Peninah Arusei , who crossed the line in 2:30:58.

-Material sourced from iaaf.org