PARIS Marathon 2017 Husband-wife duo Lonyangata and Rionoripo take Paris marathon crowns

The husband-wife duo of Paul Lonyangata and Purity Rionoripo won their respective titles at the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Sunday (9).

Rionoripo broke the women’s course record, clocking 2:20:55 while Longyangata won the men’s race in 2:06:10. 

As expected the women’s race provided a wide-open contest. Frenchman Frederic Bouvier, who was responsible for setting the tempo, guided the lead group through the first five kilometres in 16:51 and through ten in 33:32.

The pack passed the halfway checkpoint in 1:10:19 suggesting a winning time well inside the 2:21:06 course record set in 2013 by Feyse Tadesse. Still led by Bouvier, the group was composed of six athletes including Netsanet Gudeta, defending champion Visiline Jepkesho, Yebrgual Melese, Fiomena Cheyech and the Kenyan pair of Rionoripo and Agnes Barsosio.