Kenyan runners to the fore at LSR Marathon
James Tallam - Pic by Priyantha Wicramaarachchi
Kenyan men and women marathon runners dominated the recent LSR Marathon and took away US Dollars 10,000. They bagged the first three places in the men’s events and women’s events. Kenyan runners have been winning the first three places at the LSR marathons for the past 17 years.
The first places in the men’s and women’s events were awarded USD 2,500. Second place winners were awarded USD 1500 and third place winners received USD 1000 as well as air-tickets.
James Tallam of Kenya won the men’s full marathon. The women’s full marathon was won byMercy Too.
The men’s winner took two hours, 23 minutes, 37 seconds to complete the event while the women’s winner took two hours, 59 minutes, 46 seconds.
Forty seven countries took part in the event. All in all there were 316 foreign runners. There were 7500 runners from Sri Lanka.
In the Full Marathon the fourth place in the men’s and women’s marathons were won by Sri Lankan runners. G.K.K.S.T. Gunasekera took fourth place in the men’s event while V. Krishanthani was placed fourth in the women’s race. Gunasekera took two hours, 28 minutes, 58 seconds to complete the race while Krishanthani finished the race in three hours, 06 minutes, 59 seconds.
Sri Lankan dominated the Half Marathon men and women and the Veterans men and women races.
Hiruni Wijeratne, a US-based Sri Lankan runner together with her husband Luis Orta of Venezuela, won the first places in the Half Marathons. Hiruni who took part at the London World Athletics Championships this year failed to finish the event.
Seventy-seven-year-old German woman Sigrid Eichner who owns a Guinness Record for having competed in over 200 marathons however completed the race taking over five hours.
Results
(Full Marathon):
Men: (1). James Tallam (Kenya) 2:23.37s, (2). Peter Keter (Kenya) 2:24.28s, (3), Amos Maindi (Kenya) 2:25.43s, (4). G. K. K. S. T. Gunasekara (Sri Lanka) 2:28.58s, (5). Daniyal Manyara (Kenya) 2:29.31s, (6). Joseph Ngare (Kenya) 2:35.14s, (7). Elisha Kiprotichsawe (Kenya) 2:35.28s,( 8). Suganda Karunathilake (Sri Lanka) 2:35.42s, (9). Julius Seurei (Kenya) 2:35.50s, (10). Hosea Kogei (Kenya) 2:38.09s.
Full Marathon
(Women): (1). Mercy Too (Kenya) 2:59.46s. (2). Margaret Njuguna (Kenya) 2:59.46s, (3). Emily Jepkoech (Kenya) 3:02.00s, (4). V. Krishanthani (Sri Lanka) 3:06.59s, (5). Kanapathi Krishnakumari (Sri Lanka) 3:16.35s, ( 6). M. A. M. K. Fernando (Sri Lanka) 3:18.03s, (7). Mallika Chandrakanthi (Sri Lanka) 3:48.19s, (8). Shamali Yaparathna (Sri Lanka) 4:23.09s, (9). Lynette Boston (Britain) 4:45.09s.
Half Marathon
(Men): (1). Luis Orta (Venezuela) 1:10.39s, (2). Vijitha Kumara (Sri Lanka) 1:11.10s, (3). Saman Kumara (Sri Lanka) 1:11.29s, (4,). D. G. D. Sandaruwan (Sri Lanka) 1:11.49s, (5). Anura Bandara (Sri Lanka) 1:13.30s.
Half Marathon
(Women): (1). Hiruni Wijerathna (Sri Lanka) 1:23.21s, (2) Naum Jepkosgei (Kenya) 1:25.43s, (3). A. L. S. D. Liyanage (Sri Lanka) 1:25.54s, (4). Amanda Chang (Vatican) 1:28.21s, (5). Erandathi Karunarathna (Sri Lanka) 1:31.53s.
Full Marathon Veterans’
(Men): (1). Sunil Premarathna (Sri Lanka) 3:32.03s, (2). Ajith Pushpakumara Alwis (Sri Lanka) 4:10.44s, (3). Princely Liyanage (Sri Lanka) 4:12.59s.
Full Marathon Veterans’
(Women): (1). Patricia Doreen Gomez (Sri Lanka) – 3:54.45s.
Half Marathon Veterans’
(Men): (1) Anil Fernando (Sri Lanka) 1:29.20s, (2). H. A. D. C. P. Hathurusinghe (Sri Lanka) 1:30.25s, (3). Premalal Atapattu (Sri Lanka) 1:45.55s.
Half Marathon Veterans’
(Women): 1, Sharmini Wickramasinghe (Sri Lanka) 2:42.28s, (2). Chandra Perera (Sri Lanka) 3:07.45s.