Nairobi — Newly crowned StanChart Marathon champion for the men’s 21km, Justus Kiprop, says he was never in doubt he would perform well in the 20th edition of the annual road race.
Kiprop said he had marked out the date of the competition in his calendar and had prepared optimally for it.
“I feel great…it is a race I had been preparing for the past three months. My coach had prepared me well,” he said.
Kiprop timed 1:02:39 in first place, ahead of Jackson Kipleting (1:02:43) and Asbel Kiplimo (1:03:02) in second and third respectively.
Nonetheless, he admitted it was not a walk in the park for him considering the calibre of competitors in the same race.
“It was all about being fearless and confident in myself. I was not afraid of anybody although the pace was a bit fast and I had to up my tempo as well,” Kiprop said.
The road runner is hopeful his win on Sunday morning is a sign of greater things.
Preview for Valencia
It was double delight for Iten as another native, Jackline Chelal, crossed the finish line first to win the women’s 21km race.
Chelal clocked 1:11:18 to take top honours ahead of Edith Jepchumba (1:11:56) and Nancy Jepleting (1:12:18) to claim second and third place respectively.
“Due to the intensity of my training, I knew I would come away with a good result here today. This race was preparation for my upcoming race in Valencia in December. Considering it was my first in the half marathon, I’d say I am really proud of myself,” Chelal said.
She also attributed her success to an ‘easy-peasy’ course.
“It is my first time competing at the StanChart Marathon and I’d say the course was good. It was not too hilly or too flat,” she said.