KENYANS finished in the top 17 in the men’s Singapore marathon, with winner Joshua Kipkorir completing the race about half an hour quicker than the fastest non-Kenyan.

Kipkorir, who is 24 and competing in the Singapore marathon for the first time, finished yesterday’s race in two hours, 12 minutes and 20 seconds – the second-fastest time in the event’s history, according to organisers.

Felix Kirwa was second, a minute behind Kipkorir, while Andrew Kimtai was third.

The fastest non-Kenyan was Singaporean Soh Rui Yong, who lagged far behind the winner with a time of two hours, 41 minutes and 49 seconds.

Kenyan runners also dominated the women’s event, bagging the top five spots.

Some 13,000 people took part in the 42km race.

The astonishing results underline the dominance of Kenyans in marathons, with even Singapore’s tropical heat and humidity proving no barrier to success for runners who typically train at high altitudes. 

Last week, Kenyan athlete Eliud Kipchoge, who has been acclaimed as the greatest marathon runner of the modern era, won the International Association of Athletics Federations men’s award for the year.

He has dominated marathon racing since making his debut in Hamburg in 2013. The Olympic champion set a new world record in Berlin in September, with a time of two hours, one minute and 39 seconds. – AFP, December 10, 2018.