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PHOTOS: Debutant Kiprop reigns in Mumbai Marathon
Jackson Kiprop of Uganda and rookie Valentine Kipketer of Kenya set new course records on their way to the men and women's titles respectively in the $350,000 10th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon in Mumbai.
Debutant Kiprop, who was supposed to set the pace in the closing stages, overcame a strong field that included defending men's champion Laban Moiben of Kenya to storm to the finish line in 2 hours, 9 minutes and 32 seconds, thus dipping under the two-year-old course mark of 2:09:54.
The victory made the 26-year-old richer by $55,000 which included the $15,000 bonus for breaking the record.
In second place was Jacob Cheshari of Ethiopia who, too, bettered the previous course mark by finishing in a fast 2:09:43, while Elijah Kemboi came third in 2:10:03. Last year's winner and pre-race favourite Moiben was 5th in 2:10:55.
'This is my first marathon'
Kiprop, who is the training partner for London Olympics men's marathon champion Stephen Kiprotich, said he came straight after his three-month-long training stint with the Olympic gold medallist in Kenya and it stood him in good stead.
"This is my first marathon. I have been training with Kiprotich in Kenya. I came here straight after training with him for the last three months. I started running in half marathons in 2005. This year, I have started my full marathon," said Kiprop.
Asked about the conditions, Kiprop said the weather was cool initially and became a bit hot towards the end.
Bollywood to support the runners
The men's race, in comparison to the women's in which 20-year-old Kipketer destroyed the field with front running from 20km out, was a close one with the bunch of nine, including Moiben, leading the field from the halfway stage -- the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link in Bandra.
'Very happy to break the course record'
Women's champion Kipketer, for whom this is her second marathon after the Hamburg race in April 2012, said she had no complaints about the weather or the course.
She said she could better her time in Germany where the conditions were much cooler as she drank more water during the race.
"The weather (in Mumbai) was good, no complaints about the weather or course. I am very happy to break the course record. But I can do better in future, do 2:20. I drank more water too than in Hamburg.
"My time here is a big improvement on the 2:28 I did in Hamburg," she added.
No shortage of enthusiasm
Runners queued up from the morning itself for the race.
The marathon saw more than 40,000 participants, which even included blind and wheel chair participants.