Oct 07, 2012,CHICAGO)--Tsegaye Kebede became the first Ethiopian to win the Chicago
Marathon on Sunday, setting a course record in the process. The
25-year-old Kebede and countryman Feyisa Lilesa separated themselves
from a pack of East African runners at around the 23-mile mark. The two
traded the lead down the stretch until a burst by Kebede in the last
mile and a half propelled him across the finish line first.
Ethiopia also emerged victorious in the women’s division when Atsede
Baysa edged Kenya’s Rita Jeptoo by a step in a thrilling finish. The two
women ran shoulder to shoulder for the last two miles, matching each
other through the final straightaway. They reached the finish line in
tandem, but Baysa held off Jeptoo’s final surge. Baysa finished in
2:22:03.
Liliya Shobukhova of Russia had won a record three consecutive Chicago
Marathons. She led the women’s field at the halfway mark, but faded and
finished fourth. Lucy Kabuu of Kenya was third.
Sunday morning was crisp and cool with the temperature at 42 degrees
when the elite runners left the starting gate, providing ideal running
conditions. Sunshine peeked through the cloud cover as the elite runners reached the finish, but the day was significantly cooler than last
year’s 64-degree starting temperature and the notable heat at the Boston Marathon earlier this year, which reached 89 degrees.
Source: The New York Times
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