Global Courant
Tigst Assefa broke the women’s world record by more than two minutes during the Berlin Marathon
By means ofThe Associated Press
September 24, 2023, 5:37 am
Marathon participants run through the orange paint poured on the asphalt by activists from the climate protection group ‘Last Generation’ at the start of the Berlin Marathon, in Berlin, Sunday, September 24, 2023. (Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/dpa via AP)
The Associated Press
BERLIN — Tigst Assefa improved the women’s world record by more than two minutes during the Berlin Marathon on Sunday, as Eliud Kipchoge won the men’s race for the fifth time, but could not break his own record.
Ethiopian runner Assefa, the winner in Berlin a year ago, ran 2 hours, 11 minutes and 53 seconds, breaking the previous women’s record of 2:14:04 set by Brigid Kotsgei at the 2019 Chicago Marathon.
Kipchoge ran alone from 32 kilometers (20 mi), but slowed slightly towards the end. His time of 2 hours, 2 minutes and 42 seconds was more than a minute and a half away from the record he set in Berlin last year.
Kipchoge broke the two-hour barrier in Vienna in 2019 when he ran 1:59:40, but this was not officially considered the world record. He ran in an event that didn’t follow the rules because it was timed, with groups of pacemakers and drinks delivered by a cyclist.
The German environmental group Last Generation had indicated that it wanted to disrupt the Berlin Marathon. Shortly before the start of the race, police and security personnel prevented a group of people from blocking the route and orange paint was splashed across the road.
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