Sunday, April 17, 2011

London Marathon


London Marathon
Kenya's Emmanuel Mutai won the men's London Marathon in record fashion on Sunday, while countrymate Mary Keitany captured the women's title.
Mutai finished with a course record time of two hours, four minutes and 40 seconds, smashing the old mark of 2:05:10 set by Olympic champion Samuel Wanjiru in 2009. Mutai's time is also the fourth-fastest for any marathon.
"Since I've come to run in London I have twice finished fourth and last year I was second," said Mutai, who was also second in the New York Marathon last November. "This year I have come back and my dreams have come true. I so much wanted to win a major marathon and this time I did it."
Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia holds the two fastest times, including the record of 2:03:59 set at the 2008 Berlin Marathon.
Kenya's Martin Lei, who won the London Marathon in 2005, 2007 and 2008, beat countrymate Patrick Makau in a sprint to the wire to finish second on Sunday, 1:05 off the winning pace. Makau, the 2010 Berlin winner, was given the same time and Brazil's Marlison Gomes Dos Santos -- a two-time New York Marathon winner -- was next, 1:54 behind Mutai's winning time.
Defending London champ Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia was a distant fifth, 3:08 behind the winner.
Keitany crossed the finish line in a time of 2:19:19, 56 seconds ahead of 2010 champion Liliya Shobukhova from Russia. Reigning New York Marathon winner Edna Kiplagat of Kenya was third on Sunday, 1:27 off the pace.

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