At the 48th edition of the Istanbul Marathon, held consecutively without interruption, the course record was broken for the first time in seven years, while the race ended in dramatic fashion.

By Şevket F. ERBAY, İstanbul

The Istanbul Marathon, which drew more than 8500 runners and holds Gold Label status on the World Athletics road race calendar, saw a new men’s course record as Ethiopia’s Kasaneh Baze claimed her first major marathon victory in the women’s race.

In the elite men’s race, which featured 24 athletes, Philemon Kiptoo emerged victorious after taking the lead at the 41st kilometre. Kiptoo crossed the finish line in 2:08:45, improving the previous course record, set in 2019, by 59 seconds.

The race began on a wet course following rainfall an hour before the start, but finished under sunny skies. Kenyan athlete Shadrack Kipkurui played a decisive role in shaping the race.

Kipkurui surged ahead shortly after the fifth kilometre and ran alone at the front, covering the section between 5K and 15K in 28:40. He reached the halfway point in 61:59 and passed the 25-kilometre mark in 1:13:40.

At that stage, the Kenyan was running more than two minutes ahead of the course-record pace. However, he began to slow down after the 30th kilometre. A six-man chasing group caught him at the 38th kilometre, leaving Kipkurui behind.

Kiptoo made his decisive move on the 39-metre climb during the final 1.5 kilometres and crossed the finish line in record-breaking fashion.

Following Kiptoo, Sufaro Woliyi (2:08:55), Vincent Ronoh (2:08:58), Gemechu Yadesa (2:09:00) and Amdework Walelegn (2:09:29) all finished with times faster than the previous course record.

Seven athletes went under the 2 hours 10 minutes barrier, which had been broken only three times in the race's history.

Meanwhile, Shadrack Kipkurui, who led the race for much of the distance and was on pace for a 2:06 finish at the halfway point, eventually crossed the line in eighth place in 2:11:19.

FIRST MAJOR VICTORY FOR BAZE

In the women’s race, 27-year-old Ethiopian runner Kasaneh Baze claimed victory in 2:24:41 on Istanbul’s challenging course. Baze secured her first marathon victory at this level and also took home the $50,000 first-place prize.

Ethiopian athletes dominated the top five positions. Former Valencia Marathon runner-up Azmera Abreha finished second in 2:24:48, while Diribe Alemu, competing in her first-ever marathon, took third place in 2:25:01.

Kenyan Judith Korir, 2022 world silver medallist, finished sixth in 2:28:42.