Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes were out in force at the 18th edition of the International Peace Marathon in Kigali (Rwanda). In the men's race, the Kenyans won everything, while in the women's race the prizes were shared between the Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes.
The race began at 6am GMT on Sunday 11 June. More than ten thousand athletes from 48 countries around the world took part in the Kigali International Peace Marathon. In the men's race, the Kenyans came out on top. The first eight places went to Kenyan athletes. They dominated the roads of Kigali.
The first was Onyancha George Nyamori. He covered the 42.195 km in 2h17min41s. Second place went to Kurui Silas Kiprotich (2h18min11s) and third was Kipkori David (2h18min43s).
In the women's race, there were two Ethipion women on the podium. The first was Tsega Muluha (2h35min17s), while her compatriot Jemal Amid Foyza finished 3rd with a time of 2h37min14s. Kenya's Charop Sharon Jemutai came in between them, finishing in 2h36min05s.
The half-marathon, dominated by the Kenyans in all categories
In the men's half-marathon, the first eight places went to the Kenyans. The lucky winner was Kipyeko Kennedy. He covered the 21.097km in 1h03min48s. Second place went to Mburu John Muiruri (1h0min54s). Third place went to Kipkorir Evans (1h04min10s).
The Kenyan women also dominated the competition. They took the top six places. On the podium was Moseti Winfridah Moraa in first place (1h12min33s). Lelei Lilian Jekkemboi (1h13min31s) finished 2nd. Finally, Aramisi Susan Chambai (1h14min30s) rounded off the podium. The best-placed Rwandan was Marthe Yankurije. She came 7th. She took 1h15min40s to cover the 21km.
Prizes that attract top athletes
The Rwandan Athletics Federation has increased the prizes for this competition. This strategy has attracted more well-known athletes than in previous editions. The winner's prize was increased from 2,500 US dollars (just over 2,300 euros) last year to 20,000 dollars (18,578.00 euros) for the marathon and from 1,500 dollars to 5,000 (4,644.50 euros) for the half-marathon for this 18th edition. For each category, the top eight finishers were awarded prizes, with women and men receiving the same prizes. Of the 32 winning athletes, twenty-eight were Kenyan, three Ethiopian and one Rwandan.
Following this upgrade, the Kigali International Peace Marathon is now ranked third in Africa after Nairobi ($60,000; 55,734.00 Euros) and Lagos ($30,000; 27,867.00 Euros).
