On Sunday in Germany, Dennis Kimetto set a world record of 2:02:57 to win the 41st edition of the Berlin Marathon. The previous record of 2:03:23 was set by Wilson Kipsang at last year’s race in Berlin, and today’s result makes the 6th consecutive marathon world record set at the event. Kimetto’s previous PR of 2:03:45 was set at the 2013 Chicago Marathon.

Perhaps most impressive about today’s result was that both Kimetto and second place finisher Emmanuel Mutai broke the previous world record, as Mutai stuck with his fellow Kenyan for 35k before settling for a 2:03:13. The pace picked up significantly after reaching the half-marathon in 1:01:45, and the pair reached 30k in 1:27:37, a world record in itself for the distance. By the 39th kilometer, however, Kimetto was surging to break Mutai, and the tactic worked to perfection as Kimetto won by a comfortable 16 seconds.  

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Kimetto’s record can finally put to rest the debate whether or not Geoffrey Mutai should hold the world record after he ran 2:03:02 at the 2011 Boston Marathon. While Mutai’s time was the fastest ever run in a marathon before today, the mark did not count as an official record because the Boston race was point-to-point, and slightly downhill. 

In the women’s race, Shalane Flanagan was seeking Deena Kastor’s 2:19:36 American record, but ultimately would settle for 2:21:14, good for third place. The time was a PR for the American record holder in the 10,000m, as she previously ran 2:22:02 at the 2014 Boston Marathon. 

Flanagan had been on record setting pace and was leading until the second half of the race, when Tirfi Tsegaye and Feyse Tadese swallowed her up. Tsegaye went on to win the race in a new PR of 2:20:18, while Tadese was second in 2:20:27