Mary Keitany, the 2007 silver medallist, moved up to the top rung of the podium this year with a dominant run that took the gold at today’s IAAF / EDF Energy World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham, leading home a Kenyan team triumph in race run in light drizzle and a temperature of 11C.
Keitany, already the fastest half marathoner in the world this year (1:07:00) a full 50 seconds quicker than any of her opponents entered for Birmingham, made her strength tell breaking away from her one persistent opponent, Ethiopia’s Aberu Kebebe between the ninth and tenth kilometre, to score a resounding victory in 1:06:36, the fastest time of her career.
Only the World record run by Lornah Kiplagat in the 2007 edition in Udine, Italy (1:06:25) is faster in the history of these World Half Marathon Championships (NB. 2006 and 2007, this competition was renamed the World Road Running Championships). Keitany had been silver medallist on that occasion in her previous best of 1:06:48….Read More
