Addis Ababa, September 15, 2024 (FBC) – Ethiopia’s Worknesh Edesa has made significant improvement on the course records at the TCS Sydney Marathon, winning the World Athletics Platinum Label road race in 2:21:40.
Worknesh took almost three minutes off the previous course record in a race where the top four women finished inside Stella Barsosio’s former mark of 2:24:33, set five years ago.
A group of seven women ran together through the first 10km in 33:44, putting them on course record pace from the outset. Just four women – Worknesh Edesa, Valary Jemeli Aiyabei, Ruti Aga and 2022 world champion Gotytom Gebreslase – remained in the lead pack as the half-way point was reached in 1:11:11.
The quartet ran together for another six or seven kilometres before Worknesh and her compatriot Ruti made a break. The Ethiopian duo reached 30km in 1:41:16 with a 16-second lead over Gotytom Gebreslase. Aga was next to fade, leaving Worknesh as the sole leader.
The Ethiopian had a 22-second lead at 35km and was picking up the pace as the race went on. She reached the finish line in 2:21:40, 89 seconds ahead of Ruti. Gotytom completed the Ethiopian sweep in third with 2:24:16.
The men’s race set out at a steady pace with a large lead pack going through 10km in 29:58, inside course record schedule. By the time the half-way point was reached in 1:03:13, just four men remained in the lead group – Misoi, Geoffrey Toroitich, Ezra Tanui and Chalu Deso Gelmisa – while four or five other runners were strung out behind.
By 30km, reached in 1:29:49, Leul Gebresilase had joined the leaders to form a quintent, but they only ran together for a few kilometres before Misoi forged on ahead. The Kenyan got to 35km in 1:44:41, still comfortably inside course record pace, with a 53-second lead over Kirwa. Tanui and Toroitich, meanwhile, dropped out.
He continued to extend his lead through the closing stages and reached the finish line in 2:06:17, taking 46 seconds off the course record set two years ago by compatriot Moses Kibet. Gelmisa was a distant runner-up in 2:08:01, just ahead of Kirwa (2:08:17).