Kipkemoi, Helen Bekele win at 39th Barcelona marathon

Kenya's Jonah Kipkemoi, 27, won the men's race of the 39th edition of the Marathon of Barcelona on Sunday while Ethiopia's Helen Bekele, 22, won the women's.

Kipkemoi completed the race with a time of 2:08:57 and Bekele finished on 2:25:04, setting a new record and shaving four minutes off her personal best, reports Efe.

Speaking after his victory, Kipkemoi said Sunday's event was his first marathon and that he had tackled some half marathons where he had done well.

He said he did not expect to win and was "really surprised" that he had.

More than 20,000 runners participated in Sunday's marathon in the eastern Spanish coastal city.

 

--IANS

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