Gebrselassie Sets Record in Berlin Race

Ethiopian breaks record in Berlin race

(AP) - Haile Gebrselassie broke his own marathon world record on Sunday, becoming the first runner to finish in under 2 hours, 4 minutes, the AP reports. The Ethiopian clocked 2:03:59 to win his third straight Berlin Marathon, beating the mark of 2:04:26 he set last year over the same flat course. He also became the first runner to win the race three times. More»

(AP) - Samuel Wanjiru pulled away over the final few kilometers to become the first Kenyan in the storied running history of that nation to win an Olympic marathon. The 21-year-old negotiated the 26.2-mile course through Beijing streets in bright Sunday morning sunshine in an Olympic record of 2 hours, 6 minutes, 32 seconds. This was just the third marathon for Wanjiru, who twice broke the world half-marathon record last year. More»

Patrick Makau knocks 21 seconds from previous world-best time

(NEWSER) - Kenyan runner Patrick Makau shattered the world record for the men's marathon yesterday in Berlin, chopping 21 seconds from the previous best time, reports Reuters . With temperatures around 72 degrees, Makau ran the race in 2:03:38. "This is the greatest day of my running life," said the 26-year-old, whose previous best was 2:04:48. "When I woke up today my body didn't feel very good," but around the 15-mile mark, "I felt I could break the world record." More»

Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai takes first place

(NEWSER) - Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya took first place at the Boston Marathon today, finishing the race in a record 2:03:02. That time beats the marathon’s previous record, set by fellow Kenyan Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, by more than two minutes, reports the Boston Globe . It would also be a world record, except that Boston times aren’t recognized internationally because the course is riddled with hills. Mutai finished just four seconds ahead of Moses Musop, who is also from Kenya. More»

Onetime asthma sufferer Stefaan Engels aimed to inspire

(NEWSER) - A Belgian runner has plowed through 365 marathons in the past year, shattering the former record of 52, the Daily Mail reports. Stefaan Engels, 49, completed his goal in Barcelona. "I wanted to inspire people by showing that if I could run a marathon a day for an entire year, that anyone could run or bike a little each day or do something about their weight problem," he explain. Engels says the key to his 9,569-mile feat was keeping a slow pace. "I recover quickly. I don't run fast and my heartbeat is slow." More»