OVERSEAS

CROSS-PURPOSE RELAYS

THE area cross-country relays are struggling to match the quality of the English national event and their own area road relays. The North was stronger, but there were faster runners in a university event. Certainly, all three English events

Steve smythe, results editor

JEPCHIRCHIR WINS AGAIN

SPAIN

Trinidad Alfonso Valencia Half-marathon, Valencia, October 23

WORLD half-marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir won in 67:09 to give world No.1 Violah Jepchumba her first defeat of the season.

Despite very warm conditions, Jepchumba began at world-record pace and passed 10km in a staggering 30:57, but then she faded in the second half.

Jepchirchir overtook Jepchumba in the 12th kilometre and reached the 15km marker in 47:01. Jepchumba, suffering problems with her right foot, had fallen back drastically, passing 15km in 47:21.

Thereafter, Jepchirchir was on her own to the finish, taking 25 seconds from the course record set last year.

Jepchumba was a distant runner-up in 68:23 with Bahrain’s Rose Chelimo third (69:36).

The winner said: “I’m satisfied with my win and the pacemaker’s work. I suffered a bit when I had to perform by myself. The last kilometres were tough for me, but I managed a course record, which makes me very happy.”

Five runners broke the hour in the men’s race after the leaders passed 5km in 14:01 and 10km in 28:03.

Kenya’s Stephen Kibet won in 59:27, three seconds ahead of Morocco’s Mustapha El Aziz.

There was the same time gap to Edwin Kipsang, who was third in 59:33.

A further Moroccan was fourth as Mourad Marofit ran 59:34 to take two minutes off his 10-year-old PB

Geoffrey Yegon (59:46) was the last to break the hour.

World No.1 Solomon Yego was sixth in 60:11, while twice reigning champion Abraham Cheroben was ninth in 61:56. Men: HM: 1 S Kibet (KEN) 59:27; 2 M El Aziz (MAR) 59:30; 3 E Kipsang (KEN) 59:33; 4 M Marofit (MAR) 59:34; 5 G Yegon (KEN) 59:46; 6 S Yego (KEN) 60:11; 9 A Cheroben (KEN) 61:56; 30 ZAK TOBIAS 68:11. Women: HM: 1 P Jepchirchir (KEN) 67:09; 2 P Jepchumba (KEN) 68:23; 3 R Chelimo (BRN) 69:36