April 25, 2010
The 30th edition of the Virgin London Marathon took place in damp, windy conditions that nonetheless produced the third-fastest men’s finish in the history of the race and a competitive women’s contest in which the top six broke 2:25. With defending champion Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya dropping out near the 30K mark, Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia outlasted Kenya’s Emmanuel Mutai and a host of other top entrants to win the men’s race, while Russia’s Liliya Shobukhova claimed the women’s title in a personal-best time. The race is Great Britain’s largest marathon and one of the five World Marathon Majors races. [Virgin London Marathon] |
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Shobukhova, the reigning Bank of America Chicago Marathon champion and the Russian 5000-meter record-holder, had been third in London in 2009.
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The runner-up today was Inga Abitova, also of Russia, in 2:22:19.
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Aselefech Mergia of Ethiopia took the last spot on the podium, placing third in 2:22:38.
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The fourth-place finisher was Bezunesh Bekele, also of Ethiopia; she ran 2:23:17.
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Another Ethiopian, Askale Tafa, finished fifth in 2:24:39.
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Yukiko Akaba of Japan took sixth place in 2:24:55.
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China’s Xue Bai was seventh in a time of 2:25:18, and was closely followed by Kim Smith, eighth in a New Zealand record of 2:25:21 in her first completed marathon.
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Mara Yamauchi of Great Britain, who won the NYC Half-Marathon on March 21, finished 10th in 2:26:16.
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American marathon record-holder Deena Kastor, hampered by cramps and allergies, finished a disappointing 18th in 2:36:20.
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Kebede, who was the London runner-up in 2009, the Paris Marathon and Fukuoka Marathon champion in 2008, and the 2008 Olympic Games and 2009 World Championships bronze medalist, was nonetheless not expected to outrun Wanjiru.
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Emmanuel Mutai of Kenya finished in 2:06:23, more than a minute behind Kebede, to claim the runner-up spot.
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Jaouad Gharib of Morocco, the 2003 and 2005 marathon world champion, was third in 2:06:55.
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Abel Kirui, the 2009 World Championships Marathon gold medalist, finished fifth in 2:08:04.
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Andrew Lemoncello of Great Britain delighted the home crowd by finishing eighth in 2:13:40 in his marathon debut.
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First in Chicago last October and now first in London, Shobukhova broke the tape in 2:22:00, a personal record by more than two minutes.
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Kebede’s winning time of 2:05:19 was one second slower than his personal best, set at Fukuoka last December.
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