Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei shattered Paula Radcliffe’s 16-year-old women’s marathon world record Sunday, winning the Chicago Marathon in 2 hours, 14 minutes and 4 seconds. Kosgei broke the mark of 2:15:25 set by Radcliffe in the London Marathon on April 13, 2003 as she won in Chicago for the second straight year.
Kosgei, the 25-year-old who won the London Marathon in April and clocked the fastest half-marathon in history this year of 1:04:28, quickly separated herself from the women’s field as she ran with two male pace-setters.
She crossed the finish line alone, with Ethiopians Ababel Yeshaneh and Gelete Burka a distant second and third in 2:20:51 and 2:20:55.
Kenya’s Lawrence Cherono won a men’s race that came down to the wire in 2:05:45 – barely edging Ethiopia’s Dejene Debela who was second in 2:05:46 with Ethiopian Asefa Mengstu third in 2:05:48. Last year’s winner Mo Farah of Britain finished a distant eighth in 2:09:58.
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