Cheruyiot smashes course record at Lisbon Half

Vivian Cheruyiot smashes Lisbon course record

Living up to pre-race expectations, Vivian Cheruyiot shattered the course record at the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Race, on Sunday (17). In the men’s race, won by Ethiopian Mosinet Geremew, 14 runners finished in under 1:01.

On an almost perfect day with just some slight winds for the runners to contend with, Cheruyiot (marathon world rank: 3), the 2016 Olympic 5000m champion, ran on her own from the 10km point en route to her 1:06:34 victory. The 35-year-old Kenyan improved her personal best, a 1:07:43 performance set at last year’s Great North Run, by more than a minute.

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At Friday’s pre-race press conference, Cheruyiot promised to mount an assault on her personal best – and she followed through.

“It was a good race for me,” she said. “Only the strong wind made me run slower. I raced to beat my personal best, and I’m happy. It was a great test the London Marathon, next month.”

The previous record (on this flat course) was 1:08:22 set by Kenyan Rose Chelimo in 2015.

Ethiopian Zeineba Yimer (road running world rank: 13) was second, more than a minute after the winner in 01:08:07. Debutante Sandra Tuei Felis (road running world rank: 41) rounded out the podium in 1:08.14 with countrywoman Linet Masai (marathon world rank: 93) further back, clocking 1:08:51 for fourth, and another Kenyan debutante, Caroline Chepkemoi (road running world rank: 124), next in 1:09:13.

In a thrilling sprint finish, Swede Meraf Bahta (road running world rank: 44; 10,000m: 10), also making her half marathon debut, edged Portugal’s Sara Moreira, both credited with 1:12:09.

Women
1 Vivian Cheruiyot, KEN, 01:06:34
2 Zeineba Yimer, ETH, 01:08:07
3 Sandra Tuei Felis, KEN, 01:08:14
4 Linet Masai, KEN, 01:08:51
5 Caroline Chepkemoi, KEN, 01:09:13
6 Meraf Bahta, SWE, 01:12:09
7 Sara Moreira, POR, 01:12:09
8 Jéssica Augusto, POR, 01:13:07
9 Elena Loyo, ESP, 01:15