Double Kenyan victory in Frankfurt Marathon

By Feverpitch Reporter and IAAF

Sunday’s Frankfurt and Venice marathons celebrated double Kenyan victories with course records in the men’s races at both events falling as well.

In Germany, Gilbert Kirwa both the defending champion and course record to win the Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon in 2:06:14, a time that puts him in the top-20 all-time at the distance. It also netted him 95,000 (Sh10.735m) euros in prize and bonuses.

Kirwa, 23, was running only his second marathon, having won his first in Vienna six months ago, in 2:08:21.

Gilbert Kirwa

Defending champion Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot took the lead shortly after 25km; it looked as if he was on his way to retaining his crown. But Kirwa pegged him back within five kilometres, and they ran together until 38k when Kirwa gradually moved away to win by over 50 metres, with Cheruiyot clocking 2:06:23 for second, still 58sec better than his course record of 2008.

Agnes Kiprop won the women’s race in 2:26:57, ahead of her colleague, Hellen Kimutai, 2:27:50, with Karolina Jarzynska of Poland third, in 2.29.10.

Elsewhere, John Komen won the 24th edition of Venice Marathon breaking the course record with 2:08:13, thanks to an outstanding second half in which he ran a negative split on a very difficult section of the course. Anne Kosgei won the women’s race in her new personal best of 2:27:46.

Komen and Paul Samoei battled it out for a couple of kilometres until Komen managed to pull away at 35km when he injected a fierce change of pace which proved to be decisive. Komen had increased his lead over Samoei to 50 seconds by 39km that he passed in 1:59:28.

Samoei in second set his PB with 2:10:09 with Cherono, past winner in Beijing in 2005, Los Angeles and Milan in 2006, completing the Kenyan clean sweep clocking 2:10:19.

In the women’s race, Kosgei changed gear in the final kilometres to carve out a gap of 40 seconds over challenger Yal Koren and crossed the finish-line in 2:27:46 to improve her previous PB of 2:28:27 set when second in Venice in 2007 for her first career marathon win.