Makau breaks world record

Sunday morning’s Berlin Marathon was one for the record books for as Kenya’s Patrick Makau finished the marathon in a world record 2:03:38.

While Makau’s finish wasn’t quite as fast as Geoffrey Mutai’s 2:03:02 finish at this year’s Boston Marathon, the Boston time did not qualify as a world record because of the course’s net downhill.

Berlin, however, is often the site for record-setting runs. Haile Gebrselassie set the previous world record of 2:03:59 in Berlin in 2008.

Gebrselassie also ran in Berlin on Sunday, in an attempt to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics, but dropped out of the race sometime between 35 and 40K when it became clear his time was not fast enough to qualify for London.

Current (and hotly debated) women’s world record marathon holder Paula Radcliffe placed third with a time of 2:23:46. Kenya’s Florence Kiplagat led the women with a time of 2:19:44, while Germany’s Irina Mikitenko placed second in 2:22:18.

On the men’s side, the Kenyans dominated with Stephen Chemlany coming in second with 2:07:55 and Edwin Kimaiyo placing third with 2:09:50.

Watch video at runnerspace.com. Makau’s surge happens around 27K, dropping Gebreselassie immediately.