Kenyans dominate the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Madrid

Valentine Kipketer and Eliud Barngetuny clocked 2:30:40 and 2:10:15 respectively to secure a Kenyan double at the 41st Rock ’n’ Roll Madrid Marathon on Sunday. Kipketer’s mark took one minute and 24 seconds off the course record set in 2009 by Turkey’s Mehtap Sizmaz while Barngetuny’s performance was the second-fastest winning time ever in Madrid. In the men’s race, Nicholas Kirwa and Joseph Kiprono Kiptum led the main favorites in the opening stages, covering the first uphill 5km section in 16:39. They reached 10km in 30:45 with 12 men still in contention. After a 45:46 15km split, the clock read a promising 1:04:36 at halfway. By then no fewer than 10 athletes remained with winning chances. As expected, the second half proved to be much tougher than the first because of the course profile and the rising temperatures. The 35-km split of 1:47:41 made it clear that the course record (2:09:15) was not going to be broken today. Kibiwott began to falter with 2km to go, so the race became a two-man battle between Kiplagat and Barngetuny. The latter found an extra gear during the closing kilometre to finish in a PB of 2:10:15. In second, Kiplagat also set a PB of 2:10:24, while Kibiwott was third in 2:10:32. Once the pacemaker in the women's race dropped out at 37km, Kipketer ran the closing section on her own. The gradually rising temperature (20C by the end) and the closing uphill meters prevented her from finishing within 2:30, but she still managed an overwhelming win in 2:30:40, a course record.

posted Tuesday April 24th