© Copyright – 2020 – Athletics Illustrated
Kenyans Bernard Sang and Diana Kipyogei, won the Istanbul Marathon, on Sunday.
Sang stopped the clock at 2:11:49. Kipyogei finished in the time of 2:22:06. For Sang, it was a near two-minute personal best. The 39-year-old entered the race with a 2:13:02 best from Istanbul, 2017. He also ran Istanbul in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
In the men’s race, fellow Kenyan Felix Kimutai finished in the time of 2:12:00 while Ethiopian Zewdu Bekele was third at 2:12:23. Kimutai owns a best of 2:09:23 from April this year from the Dongying Marathon in China. Bekele’s performance was a new lifetime best.
In the women’s race, Tigist Memuye from Ethiopia clocked a 2:37:52 performance. Full results were not available until press time. The 26-year-old Kipyogei owns a best of 2:22:07 from the 2019 running of the Ljubljana Marathon in Slovakia.
Ethiopia’s Hiwot Gebrekidan and Tigist Memuye secured the second and third spots with times of 2:24:30 and 2:37:52 respectively.
The top-two Turkish athletes were Yavuz Agrali 2:19:23, while Tubay Erdal finished in first place in 2:41:11.
It as the 42nd annual running of the cross-continent race and although there were limited numbers due to the coronavirus pandemic approximately 4000 participants ran in their various events. The event had over 37,000 in 2019.
The marathon start is in Yenikapı, on the city’s European side. Athletes then crossed a route straddling in front of the city’s ancient city walls before reaching the iconic Galata Bridge.
