Chumo surprise winner of Silver Label Road Race

Marathon star Victor Chumo

Victor Chumo was perhaps the least-heralded of the contingent of Kenyan runners who stood on the start line, but he produced the best race of his life to come out on top at the 43rd edition of the famous Corrida Pedestre International de Houilles, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race on Sunday.

Clearly feeling good despite the chilly conditions which saw most of the leading runners in long-sleeved T-shirts and many of them gloves and beanies, Chumo broke away from the leading pack early in the second half of the 10km race with only Eritrea’s 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships 5000m silver medallist Abrar Osman for company.

After staying on the heels of Chumo for most of the final few kilometres, Osman briefly took the lead about 400 metres from the finish, but Chumo responded quickly and found another gear with the finish line in sight about 100m from home to finish in a personal best of 28:04.

It was the third successive win over 10km on the French roads in his last three races for Chumo, and three times he has reduced his personal best: running 28:16 in Languex in June, 28:12 in Rennes in October and in Houilles he was eight seconds faster than ever before. Osman tossed in the towel in the final metres but still finished just one second in arrears, crossing the line in 28:05.

In the duel for third, 2014 Frankfurt Marathon winner Mark Kiptoo showed there was still a bit of zip in his legs despite now being 37 and held off Ethiopia’s Hailemariam Amare, both men being given the same time of 28:34.

The 2013 winner, Kenya’s Cornelius Kangogo, was not able to put up much of a fight in the defence of his title and came home fifth in 28:38, while three-time winner Micah Kogo, had to settle for eighth place in 28:53.

Like Chumo, Kenya’s women’s winner Peris Jepchichir clearly has an affection for French road races.

She showed good form when winning the Montbeliard half marathon in a personal best of 1:09:12 back in September and set a personal best of 31:34 in the Parisian suburb on Sunday, just five seconds outside the course record set by her compatriot Margaret Wangari Muriuki in 2011.

Jepchirchir was a comfortable winner over 2014 World Junior 3000m steeplechase champion Ruth Jebet, who was second.