Dominic Ngeno won the Perth Running Festival marathon after fierce head winds over the final 9km cost the Kenyan a course record by just nine seconds.
Ngeno had been on course for a finish of around 2hr 12min before conditions slowed him. He completed the race in 2hr 16min 52sec, with Japan’s Ryoma Takeuchi second in 2hr 17min 45sec.
Takeuchi stayed with the pre-race favourite until the 20km mark, when Ngeno broke clear. Matt Smith was third in 2hr 19min 49sec, a personal best, and took the state championship.
Antonina Kwambai sets women’s course record
Kenya’s Antonina Kwambai produced the fastest performance of the day in the women’s marathon, setting a course record in 2hr 28min 06sec.
Western Australian veteran Nera Jareb was the first home competitor from the state, finishing in 2hr 44min 48sec. New South Wales runner Brooke Willams was third in 2hr 48min 06sec.
Matt Ramsden won the men’s half-marathon in 1hr 09min 41sec, while Amy Buckingham took the women’s race in 1hr 21min 53sec.
Max Shervington claimed the men’s 10km in 31min 11sec, with Rachel McCormick winning the women’s event in 35min 36sec. Dante Armstrong won the men’s 4km dash in 11min 34sec and Mace Hehir the women’s race in 13min 30sec.
The sold-out festival attracted 18,500 registered runners across the four events. The marathon field of 5,500 was the biggest ever staged in Western Australia, with competitors representing 58 countries.
AFL legend, Channel Seven broadcaster and Telethon ambassador Kane Cornes completed the marathon in 2hr 54min 25sec. He is due to run another 42km around Rottnest Island on Thursday to raise money for sick Western Australian children.
Now in its third year, the Perth Running Festival has raised more than $600,000 for Telethon.
