Sports

Kenyan wins London Marathon in record time

by mudricky | April 26, 2009 at 03:03 am

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Samuel Wanjiro from Kenya wins men's race and breaks a new course record at 2 hours 5 mins 9 sec at this years London marathon.

German Irina Mikitenko won the women's event for the second straight year, she completed the course in 2 hours 22 mins and 11 secs. Second place was Brit Mara Yamauchi.

This year around 35,000 people who took part including the general public, charity runners a host of UK based celebrity's including Gordon Ramasy (running for the 10th time), Katie Price and her husband Peter Andre.

Another runner was Major Phil Packer, a paraplegic who was crippled in a rocket attack in the Iraqi city of Basra last year.

Kenyan runner Sammy Wanjiru won the men's title after defending champion and fellow Kenyan Martin Lel had to withdraw on Saturday after suffering a hip injury.

Gail Emms, a silver medallist at badminton in the 2004 Athens Olympics, said: "I am so shaking, I can't believe it. I just have no idea what to expect. I'm completely out of my comfort zone."

Mayor of London Boris Johnson earlier insisted the marathon route would not change, despite an ongoing protest by Sri Lankan Tamils outside Parliament.

He denied reports that the route was to be diverted away from Parliament Square to Admiralty Arch.

"I want to reassure everybody the route will be the same length as normal," he told LBC radio. "We will not be cutting [it]... it will be the same route."

The Tamil protest has been taking place since the beginning of April.

The occasion is crucially important for charities and organisers say it is the largest single fundraising event in the world.

Last year runners raised more than £46m for charity.

The race began at 0900BST with the elite women, followed by the wheelchair athletes at 0920. The elite men began 25 minutes later with everybody else.

Former Page Three model Price stands to raise a quarter of a million pounds for children's charity Vision if she completes the course.

Her husband and former pop star, Peter Andre, has also trained for the race. Running for the NSPCC, he said the main battle will be in the mind.

"We've done the training. Physically we may be up for it but I think psychologically is where we struggle," Andre said.