Radcliffe record safe after Cheruiyot’s surprise win

Mary Keitany failed in her attempt to challenge Paula Radcliffe’s 15-year-old marathon world record as she faded out of contention before finishing more than five minutes behind surprise winner Vivian Cheruiyot.

Keitany had been targeting the 2003 record and looked set to threaten Radcliffe’s time of 2hr 15min 25sec after surging clear of the pack in a frighteningly fast start to the women’s race.

But the Kenyan paid the price for that blistering early pace as she lost her rhythm and her speed with 10 miles remaining. She was soon overtaken by Cheruiyot, who added the London Marathon title to the multiple medals she won during an impressive track career.

“The reason it was so good for me today was because I started slowly,” said Cheruiyot, 34, who crossed the line a personal best time of 2-18-31. “I didn’t go with the faster group because the faster group was quicker than I was at the start. I didn’t want to race against anybody – I wanted to race alone.”

Keitany’s main contender was expected to be Tirunesh Dibaba, who had also trained her sights on Radcliffe’s record, but the Ethiopian fell to a walking pace after 30km (18.6 miles) and was unable to complete the race.

“I saw Dibaba and I had enough energy that I thought, ‘I’m going to get her’,” Cheruiyot said. “After that I saw Mary, and I got her. I thought, ‘Yes, today I am going to be the winner of the London Marathon’.”

Cheruiyot, who is an inspector in the Kenya Police Force, played a patient game while Keitany and Dibaba ran themselves into the ground in pursuit of Radcliffe’s benchmark.

Keitany started so enthusiastically that she passed the half-marathon mark in a remarkable time of 1-07-16. By way of comparison, Radcliffe reached that point in 1-08-02 when she set the world record.

It did not last in the London heat, though, and Keitany slowed before her technique gave out and she staggered over the line in a time of 2-24-27.

Earlier in the day, British wheelchair racer David Weir had retained his marathon title after overcoming Switzerland’s Marcel Hug in a sprint finish. It was a record eighth London Marathon victory for Weir, whose battle with depression had cast a cloud over his triumph here 12 months ago.

“I am very hungry again,” said the 38-year-old said, who crossed the line in 1-31-15. “It’s always a pleasure to race on the streets of London. Last year was a funny year for me and to get that win felt weird, and I couldn’t really celebrate it. This time, training has been great and my head seems to be in a better place.”

The women’s wheelchair race was won by Australia’s Madison de Rozario with a time of 1-42-58.