Kenya’s Beatrice Jepkemei, Mathew Kiplimo shine in Belfast
Kenyan athletes continued with their dominance in long-distance running after Mathew Kiplimo and Beatrice Jepkemei won the men’s and women’s races at Belfast Marathon on Sunday.
Starting with the women’s race, Jepkemei’s winning time of two hours 35 minutes, and three seconds cut one minute and 47 seconds off the previous women’s Belfast mark. Jepkemei, 26, withstood a late challenge from Morocco’s Lalla Aziza Alaoui Selsouli to win by 17 seconds.
The previous women’s race record of 2:36.59 was set by Ukrainian Nataliya Lehonkova in 2012. Last year’s women’s winner, Ethiopians Shewaye Woldemeskel was third in 2:39.58, which left her 23 sec-onds ahead of North Belfast’s 2022 winner Glady Ganiel who took fourth.
Jepkemei and 2023 winner Woldemeskel were out on their own in the women’s race from early on be-fore the Kenyan broke clear just after the 14-mile mark. Moroccan Alaoui Selsouli looked set to take victory as she moved into the lead with a couple of miles to go but Jepkemei, whose personal best is 2:30.14 set in Linz last year, regrouped to regain the advantage as she went on to smash the women’s event record.
In the men’s race, Kiplimo, running his debut marathon, took the victory in 2:14.44 as he passed long-time leader Bahrain’s Aweke Ayalew - in the final mile. Ayalew was eight seconds behind the winner with Kenya’s Moses Kilmulwo completing the men’s podium positions in 2:15.10.
Kiplimo, Ayalew plus other Kenyans Matthew Kemboi and Moses Kimulwo were in a leading group of four until halfway before the Bahrain athlete and Kimulwo broke clear. Ayalew seemed a certain winner as Kimulwo dropped back after the 22-mile mark but Kiplimo then produced a huge effort to catch and then stride clear of the Ethiopian-born athlete with less than a mile remaining.
More than 5,000 athletes finished the race making for a new record, with around 12,500 relay runners also taking on one of the route’s five legs. More than 1,000 participants were taking part in an eight-mile walk.
