Kipsang wins in London as Farah fades
Kipsang wins in London as Farah fades
Marathon World Record holder Wilson Kipsang set a new course record of 2:04:27 en route to his second London Marathon victory on Sunday morning. The time surpassed the previous course record set by Emmanuel Mutai in 2011.
Double Olympic and World Champion Mo Farah finished eighth in his debut at the 26.2 mile distance failing to break Steve Jones’ 29-year-old British record of 2:07:13 with his time of 2:08:21. Farah trailed the leaders at the 13.1 mile marker by 38 seconds after a very conservative start.
“I'll be back. It's a matter of experience and learning,” Farah told the media afterwards.
He split the following:
5 Kilometers: 14:48
10-Kilometers: 29:56
15-Kilometers: 44:50
20-Kilometers: 59:55
Half-Marathon: 1:03:08
25-Kilometers: 1:14:47
30-Kilometers: 1:30:05
35-Kilometers: 1:45:41
40-Kilometers: 2:0133
Finish: 2:08:21
Kipsang and the rest of the field would soon pull away from Farah after the halfway point. Kipsang later chimed in on what he believes the future should hold for the British star.
"These guys are just so strong," Kipsang said. "I hope Mo stays on the track, runs the shorter distances and defends his title in Rio. I just think this is too much of an unknown territory for Mo."
Stanley Biwott finished in second place (2:04:55) and was 25 seconds behind Kipsang. Defending London Marathon champion Tsegaye Kebede finished in third just two minutes behind the world record holder in 2:06:30.
Ryan Vail was the top American with his 10th place finish in 2:10:57. Not to be forgotten, Chris Thompson of the Nike Oregon Track Club ran 2:11:19 for 11th place in his marathon debut.
In the women’s race, Edna Kiplagat defeated compatriot Florence Kiplagat in 2:20:19. Tirunish Dibaba finished third in her marathon debut.