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Course records for El Araby in Beirut and Masai in Hefei, China

Masai runs 2:28 for a course record in her marathon debut, while El Araby stuns the field with his unexpected win in Beirut

Kenya’s Magdalyne Masai ran her first marathon in Hefei, China yesterday, breaking the course record by six seconds with her 2:28:20 finish. Kenya’s Racheal Mutgaa finished second, in 2:28:37 (a new personal best) and Aberash Fayesa of Ethiopia was third, in 2:29:03. Leonard Langat of Kenya won the men’s race, with a time of 2:10:48, followed by Hillary Bet, also of Kenya, in second place (2:11:38) and Lencho Anbesa of Ethiopia in third (2:11:45). 

RELATED: VIDEO: Great North Run elites get engaged at finish line

 

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Meanwhile, at the BLOM Bank Beirut Marathon, Mohamed Reda El Aaraby of Morocco set a one-second course record with his 2:10:41 performance. Felix Chemonges was second in the men’s race, in 2:11:57, and Deresa Geleta third, in 2:12:33.

Ethiopia’s Medina Deme Armino was the women’s winner in Beirut, in 2:29:31, with runner-up Nazret Weldu Gebrehiwet setting an Eritrean record with her time of 2:29:48.

The biggest name in Beirut was Wesley Korir, the 2012 Boston Marathon champion who, until Sunday, had not run a marathon since April 2017. Korir’s wife Tarah is from central Ontario. Korir struggled with injuries during his training, finishing in seventh-place, with a time of 2:14:18.

El Araby ran a personal best time of 2:09:16 at the Chicago Marathon just last month, finishing in 11th position. He went out in front just after passing the 10K mark and built a strong lead going into the second half. 

Magdalyne Masai is engaged to Jake Robertson of New Zealand, who has lived and trained in Kenya’s Rift Valley with his twin brother Zane Robertson for 12 years. Jake ran the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 21, finishing in fifth place with a time of 2:09:52. Masai and Robertson became engaged when Robertson proposed to her after last year’s Great North Run in Newcastle, U.K.

 

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