Three-time winner Berlin Marathon winner, Gladys Cherono, drops out at 30K
Ethiopia's Ashete Bekere wins her third straight marathon in a personal best 2:20:14, but did not challenge Cherono's course record
Ashete Bekere of Ethiopia ran a personal best 2:20:14 to win today’s Berlin Marathon, in stark contrast to three-time champion and course record-holder Gladys Cherono, who left the course in obvious discomfort just before the 30K mark.
This was Bekere’s third straight marathon win after Rotterdam in April 2019 and Valencia in 2018. Mare Dibaba, also of Ethiopia, finished eight seconds behind Bekere for second place, in 2:20:22, and Sally Chepyego of Kenya was third in an almost two-minute personal best, in 2:21:06.
After winnnig Valencia and Rotterdam marathon, Ashete Bekere is now the Berlin marathon champion!
She ran a new personal best of 2:20:14. Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/mYv263lPyA
— NN Running Team (@NNRunningTeam) September 29, 2019
Dibaba won the 2015 World Championship in the marathon and was third in the 2016 Olympic marathon.
RELATED: Bekele runs two seconds short of marathon world record in Berlin
American Sara Hall, who is also planning to run the New York City marathon five weeks from now, ran an incredible four-minute personal best. Her fifth-place finish at 2:22:16 is the sixth-fastest marathon time by an American woman. Sally Kipyego, also of the US, finished seventh in an almost three-minute PB at 2:25:10.
The only Canadian elite to run Berlin this year, Krista DuChene, finished 13th, in 2:32:27.
Women’s Top 10
1. Ashete Bekere ETH 2:20:14
2. Mare Dibaba ETH 2:20:22
3. Sally Chepyego KEN 2:21:06
4. Helen Tola ETH 2:21:36
5. Sara Hall USA 2:22:16
6. Melat Kejeta GER 2:23:57
7. Sally Kipyego USA 2:25:10
8. Haftamnesh Tesfay ETH 2:26:50
9. Martina Strëhl SUI 2:31:24
10. Nina Lauwaert BEL 2:31:25
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2_hEd4p_wH/
In the men’s race, 5,000m and 10,000m world record-holder Kenenisa Bekele made an jaw-dropping comeback after fading badly at the 30K mark to score one of the most stunning victories in marathon history, just two seconds short of Eliud Kipchoge’s world record. His time was 2:01:41.
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