Kigen, Jerotich win Stanchart marathon

By Mutwiri Mutuota

Irene Jerotich. Photos: Stafford Ondego/Standard

"My performance today was encouraging since what I lacked today was experience running at this distance. The guy who beat me has run full marathon before," Naibei said. In the women’s race, Jerotich who smashed Emma Muthoni’s (2008) previous course best of 2:33:42 in a career top performance of 2:28:57 won the battle of former champions.

The runner-up from last year (2:37:08) thus became the first repeat winner in the history of Nairobi Stanchart following her 2:32:42 winning effort in 2006.

"I was feeling strong today and I’m happy with my PB. I decided to come and run at home and it worked out fine," Jerotich, who was third at this year’s Ottawa Marathon (2:34:28) said.

Jerotich beat the first ever winner of Stanchart Nairobi women’s race (2003), Alice Chelagat (2:30:38) to second with Sharon Jemutai, a World Junior bronze medallist over 5,000m in 2000, came third (2:33:53) on her full debut.