SECOND TIME LUCKY: Two-time world marathon Edna defends Great Scottish Run title

Kenyan women marathon champion Edna Kiplagat

Two-time world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat and Uganda's Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion Moses chalked up victories at the Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, in Glasgow on Sunday.

Kiplagat, who started running while in Kapkoi Primary School in Keiyo North, defended her women's title in 1:08:21, which was a morale-boosting win for her after she finished fifth in the 2015 IAAF World Championships marathon less than a month ago.

Kiplagat, who is targeting an elusive Olympic medal in Rio next summer, raised the stakes with a surge to the front after 10 kilometres, leaving her compatriot Doris Changeywo behind in a chasing group of three.

From that moment, nothing seemed to trouble the 36-year-old in the second half of the race and she finished 1:29 ahead of Changeywo, albeit 24 seconds slower than her winning time last year.

Changeywo finished second in 1:09:50 with Gemma Steel, last year's European cross country champion, finishing third. Steel's time was six seconds slower than Changeywo, but was enough to ward off 2014 European 10,000m gold medallist Jo Pavey, who was fourth in 1:09:58.

"I should have been closer to Changeywo, but I didn't get things right," said Steel. "But I'll learn from it and get ready to defend my European cross-country title (in Toulon-Hyere, France, on 13 December)."

Pavey, now 42, ran the second fastest time by a European runner over 40 and was just two seconds shy of the continental best set by Russia's Irina Permitina in 2008.

In the men's race, Kipsiro, who trains in Kaptagat and won gold in the Commonwealth Games in the same city last year, headed a leading pack of four that emerged in the early stages of the half marathon.

The two-time IAAF World Cross Country Championships medallist had only competed in one half marathon before, but timed his race well, turned off acceleration over the final six kilometres as he finished in a personal best of 1:02:18.

"I enjoyed the run, it was a nice smooth race," Kipsiro said. "I thought it would be difficult coming in, but I was confident in my running, especially when it came to the break. I was feeling okay at 15 kilometres and I could have sat for a while. But I said to myself: 'no, it's time to make a push.' And I went for it."

For much of the race, he was tracked by local favourite Callum Hawkins and 2013 IAAF world cross country champion Japhet Korir, who dropped Eritrea's Tesgai Tewelde just after the halfway point.

However, once Kipsiro made his break, Hawkins – who is currently gearing up for his marathon debut in Frankfurt on 25 October – had to settle for duel for second place with Korir.

The Great Britain international produced a late flourish to set a personal best of 1:02:42, which augurs well for his marathon outing in the German city in three weeks' time, with Korir 32 seconds behind.