Kenyan wins Jerusalem Marathon for third consecutive year
Kipkosgei Shadrack clinches men's race, ahead of 25,000 runners. In the women’s race, Kenyans dominated all three top spots.
The Kenyan athlete Kipkosgei Shadrack for the third consecutive time won the Jerusalem Marathon for men.
Kipkosgei’s time Friday of two hours, 21 minutes and 25 seconds was about four minutes longer than his 2017 record.
Out of 25,000-odd participants in the 26-mile race, about a dozen sustained injuries or complications that required hospitalisation, Army Radio reported. The relatively low number owed to cool weather that broke the heat on Friday morning just in time for the event.
In years when the race was held on hot days, dozens ended up in the hospital from exhaustion and dehydration. Several people have died in marathons in Israel, mostly in connection with weather-related complications.
The third and second slots of the Jerusalem race also went to African runners: Wendwesen Tilahun Damte of Ethiopia and Ronald Kimeli Kurgat, a Kenyan.
In the women’s race, Kenyans dominated all three top places. Emily Chepkemoi Samoei won that race for the second consecutive time with a result of 02:52:33, followed by Mercy Jelimo and Naomi Jepngetich.
Last month’s Tel Aviv Marathon was also won by a Kenyan runner, Kebenei Ernest, whose time was 02:19:53. The second runner, Ethiopia’s Solomon Biratu came in at 02:20:10. In third place was an Israeli, Ran Alterman, whose time was 02:37:19
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