BANQUE DU LIBAN BEIRUT MARATHON, LEBANON – 10 NOVEMBER 2013

William Kipsang won his first Marathon since Rotterdam 2008, and posted his fastest time since then, to end a six-year Ethiopian winning streak in Beirut writes Phil Minshull. He broke away from the leading group shortly after halfway and went through 30km in 1:33:56 with a 19-second lead over the five-man chasing group.

By 35km his lead had grown to 39 seconds with Kenya's Benjamin Serem and Sammy Malakwen, along with Ethiopia's Gemechu Lemma still together around 250m behind Serem then started to chase but could not quite reel him in.

Race favourite Kedir Fekadu, who won last year in 2:12:57, was part of the chasing group at 30km but soon afterwards the Ethiopian started to struggle and he finished a disappointing seventh. Temperatures reached an unseasonably warm 23°C and the course records were never threatened.

Over 36,000 participated in the event which included various youth and fun runs.

  Photos: Organisers

MEN:
1 William KIPSANG KEN 2:13:34
2 Benjamin SEREM KEN 2:13:45
3 Gemechu LEMMA ETH 2:14:17
4 Sammy MALAKWEN KEN 2:14:47
5 Stephen CHEPKOPOL KEN 2:15:56
6 Birhanu GEDEFA ETH 2:16:10
7 Kedir FIKADU ETH 2:17:07
8 Khalid LABLAQ MAR 2:17:57
9 Omar ISSA LIB 2:32:51
10 Habib DUBE ETH 2:37:38

WOMEN:
1 Rehime Kedir ROBEL ETH 2:33:29
2 Shuko Genemo WOTE ETH 2:36:47
3 Rebecca Jerotich TALLAM KEN 2:41:07
4 Ayantu DAKEBO ETH 2:42:03
5 Rahel Kebede SHIFEREW ETH 2:47:25
6 Mihiret Anamo ANTONIO ETH 2:50:28
7 Nicole ELIAS LIB 3:23:01
8 Shannon MCNAMARA-SMITH USA 3:23:50
9 Ghina ASSIR LIB 3:31:23
10 Elga TRAD LIB 3:32:02

Source: AIMSworldrunning.org