Philemon Rono from Kenya won the 100th International Peace Marathon in Košice in a course record of 2:06:55 h. He improved previous best from 2012 by six seconds. In a dramatic finish he beat Kebede Tulu of Ethiopia by one second. Marek Hladik, the best of the Slovaks, took 9th place with more than 15 minutes behind the winner, but he set a personal best with 2:22:14 and won the title of Slovak champion.
“My plans were a title and possibly a personal best. I managed to achieve both of these goals, so I have to be satisfied. I fought the wind, but it worked out in the end. I was able to accelerate at the end, the wind at my back helped me,” said the Slovak champion.
The race director Branislav Koniar considers the record time of Philemon Ron from Ethiopia 2:06:55 as a reward for all those who secured this anniversary event throughout the year.
The female favourites included Kenya's Margaret Agai, who has already set the course record twice in Košice. Nevertheless, this year it was Kenyan Jackline Cheron, who took the gold with the time 2:24:43 in a run that was only the second marathon in her life.
The race director expressed his appreciation of the course of the marathon weekend, during which a number of public, sports and athletics personalities came to Košice. Besides Olympic champions Anastasia Kuzminova, Matej Tóth, Robert Korzeniowski and Martin Koukal, the founder of the Berlin Marathon Horst Milde and Inaugural Director of the Heritage Department of World Athletics Christopher Turner and others were among the guests.
Source: TASR
