Kenya's Paul Lonyangata Reclaims Shanghai International Marathon

18th November 2019

A group of 12 runners led the race to a fast pace in the early stages, reaching 5km in 14:57 and 10km in 29:58.

Lonyangata Paul Kipchumba of Kenya wins the 2015 Shanghai International Marathon in a time of two hours, seven minutes and 14 seconds in Shanghai on November 8, 2015. Shanghai marathon kicked off in the morning of November 8, with 35,000 runners starting their race from the Bund, local media reported. PHOTO | AFP
Lonyangata Paul Kipchumba of Kenya wins the 2015 Shanghai International Marathon in a time of two hours, seven minutes and 14 seconds in Shanghai on November 8, 2015. Shanghai marathon kicked off in the morning of November 8, with 35,000 runners starting their race from the Bund, local media reported. PHOTO | AFP
SUMMARY
  • Kenya’s Paul Lonyangata came close to breaking the course record he set in the Chinese city in 2015 when he came home in a time of 2:28:11 to clinch the Shanghai International Marathon on Sunday
  • The 26-year-old Lonyangata broke clear before 35km and led alone the rest of the way to hit home with a clocking of 2:28:11, 57 seconds shy of the 2:07:14 course record he set in 2015

SHANGHAI, China- Kenya’s Paul Lonyangata came close to breaking the course record he set in the Chinese city in 2015 when he came home in a time of 2:28:11 to clinch the Shanghai International Marathon on Sunday. 


Lonyangata dominated the men’s title, a World Athletics Gold Label road race with temperatures around 15 degrees when the race started but rose quickly. 


The 26-year-old Lonyangata broke clear before 35km and led alone the rest of the way to hit home with a clocking of 2:28:11, 57 seconds shy of the 2:07:14 course record he set in 2015.


“It has been five years since I last run here. 


“I noticed nobody had broken my course record, so I came back to break it myself. But the weather was much hotter than five years ago,” Lonyangata stated.


A group of 12 runners led the race to a fast pace in the early stages, reaching 5km in 14:57 and 10km in 29:58.


When the leaders passed the 15km mark in 45:01 they were already 47 seconds ahead of the course record, and by 20km they were still six seconds ahead.


But the pace slowed after 20km and when the last pacemaker left the seven-runner leading pack, the leaders were 43 seconds behind the record time. 


“I think the pacers stopped too early. One of the two pacers stopped after 11 kilometres and the other left by 25km. Because of the weather and the pacemaker, I did not break the course record,” said Lonyangata. 


Hassan El Abbassi of Bahrain, who set the Asian record of 2:04:43 last year in Valencia, finished second in 2:08:58, followed by Lmenih Getachew of Ethiopia with a clocking of 2:09:14.