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Kenya’s Philimon Kiptoo Kipchumba set a new men’s course record at the 48th Istanbul Marathon on Sunday, and Ethiopia’s Kasanesh Ayenew Baze took the women’s title.
Kipchumba completed the 42.195-kilometer (26.2-mile) course in two hours, eight minutes and 44 seconds, breaking the previous record of two hours, nine minutes and 44 seconds set by fellow Kenyan Daniel Kibet in 2019.
Ethiopia’s Sufaro Woliyi Kebeto finished second in the men’s race, while Kenya’s Vincent Kipyegon Ronoh took third place.
Organized by Spor Istanbul, a subsidiary of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and sponsored by Türkiye Is Bankasi, the marathon was held for the 48th time. A metropolitan municipality is the local government body that administers a large city.
Known as the world’s only intercontinental marathon, the race began 250 meters (820 feet) behind the July 15 Martyrs Bridge on Istanbul’s Asian side and finished at Sultanahmet Square.
An intercontinental marathon is a race that crosses from one continent to another, in this case from Asia to Europe. The July 15 Martyrs Bridge is a suspension bridge over the Bosphorus Strait that links the two continents, and Sultanahmet Square is a historic square in Istanbul’s old city.
Ethiopia’s Kasanesh Ayenew Baze won the women’s race with a time of two hours, 24 minutes and 40 seconds.
Ethiopian runners claimed all three podium positions, with Azmera Abreha Gdey finishing second in two hours, 24 minutes and 47 seconds.
Diribe Hirko Alemu, also from Ethiopia, took third place with a time of two hours and 25 minutes.
Among Turkish national athletes competing in the elite men’s category, Huseyin Can finished 11th with a time of two hours, 17 minutes and 53 seconds. The elite category is the group of top professional runners who receive priority placement in the race.
Can, who finished among the top 10 last year, narrowly missed a top-10 finish this year.
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Fellow Turkish athlete Mert Girmalegesse placed 12th in two hours, 18 minutes and 47 seconds.
Halil Yasin finished 14th with a time of two hours, 19 minutes and 31 seconds, followed by Ahmet Alkanoglu in 15th place with two hours, 19 minutes and 38 seconds.
Yavuz Agrali completed the race in 16th place with a time of two hours, 21 minutes, and 44 seconds.
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