Last updated: 7 April, 18:30 CET
<h3>Kipserem regains Rotterdam title with 2:04:11 course record</h3>
On a perfect day for running, Kenya&rsquo;s Marius Kipserem regained his NN Rotterdam Marathon title with a course record of 2:04:11, while Ashete Bekere won the women&rsquo;s crown in 2:22:55 at the IAAF Gold Label road race on Sunday (7).
A large lead group set off a bit too fast for the first kilometre but the pace soon settled and they covered the first 10 kilometres in 29:33 before reaching the half-way point in 1:02:17.
Twelve men were still together at the front when the pacemakers left at 30 kilometres, reached in 1:28:38, but Kenya&rsquo;s Emanuel Saina then accelerated and only his teammates Kipserem and Vincent Rono could follow. Kipserem soon took up the running, forcing everyone to run alone for the final 10 kilometres.
With a slight increase in pace in the final stages, Kipserem eventually crossed the finish line on the Coolsingel in 2:04:11 to take 16 seconds off the course record set 10 years ago.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very happy with my victory and course record,&rdquo; said the 30-year-old, who took exactly two minutes off the PB he set when winning in Rotterdam in 2016. &ldquo;At 39 kilometres it seemed as though the course record might not be possible, but thankfully I was able to speed up.&rdquo;
Turkey&rsquo;s Kaan Kigen &Ouml;zbilen finished second in 2:05:27, just 16 seconds shy of Mo Farah&rsquo;s European record and the second-fastest time ever by a European athlete. Saina, unable to keep the pace in the last kilometres, finished third in 2:05.42.
Abdi Nageeye, who trains with &Ouml;zbilen and Eliud Kipchoge in Kaptagat, took almost two minutes off his own Dutch record with 2:06:17, moving to fourth on the European all-time list.
European champion Koen Naert finished seventh in a PB of 2:07:39, just 19 seconds away from the Belgian record.
Ashete Bekere won the women&rsquo;s race in 2:22:55, a time that has been bettered in Rotterdam by only former world record-holder Tegla Loroupe and 2012 Olympic champion Tiki Gelana.
A relatively small lead pack ran together during the first half, covering 10 kilometres in 33:36 and reaching half way in 1:11:02. After 25 kilometres, passed in 1:24:20, Bekere left behind the last of her opponents and ran alone for the remainder of the race.
She reached the finish in 2:22:55, not far off the PB of 2:21:14 she set when winning in Valencia last year. Kenya&rsquo;s Stella Barsosio was second in 2:23:34 while USA&rsquo;s Aliphine Tuliamuk was third in 2:26:48.
Eric Roeske for the IAAF
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<h3>Ekiru and Kiplagat shatter Italian all-comers records in Milan&nbsp;</h3>
Running in rainy but cool conditions, Titus Ekiru and Vivian Kiplagat shattered the Italian all-comers records at the 19th Generali Milano Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Race, on Sunday (7).
Ekiru clocked 2:04:46 to smash his previous PB of 2:07:43 he set in Seville last year and the 2:07:13 Italian all-comers mark set by Edwin Koech in 2017.
Kiplagat won the women&rsquo;s race in 2:22:25, well under Galina Bogomolova&rsquo;s previous Italian all-comers record of 2:22:53 set in Rome in 2008.
In the men&rsquo;s race, a nine-man pack set off at a fast pace going through 10 kilometres in 29:31.
That leading group was whittled down to five by the half-way point, with Koech, Ekiru, Tedesse Senebeta, Evans Chebet and Justus Kimutai passing the 21.1km marker in 1:02:29. A quartet formed by Chebet, Kimutai, Ekiru and Koech stepped up the pace, reaching 30 kilometres in 1:28:38 at 30 km.
Then, Ekiru made his move, breaking away from Chebet and Koech, passing 35 kilometres in 1:43:28 and 40 in 1:58:22 before crossing the line alone with the fourth fastest time of the year.
&ldquo;I did not expect to run so fast,&rdquo; said Ekiru, who won his fourth career marathon after victories in Seville 2017 with 2:07:43, Mexico City 2018 with 2:10:38 and Honolulu 2018 with 2:09:01.
&ldquo;The weather conditions were not bad and the race course was very fast. I tried my best and at 30 kilometres I could push the pace by myself.&rdquo;
Chebet, the fastest runner in the field with a PB of 2:05:30, finished runner-up in 2:07:22 ahead of Koech (2:08:24) and Hosea Maiyo Kiprono (2:09:02). 
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Vivian Kiplagat Jerono winning the Milan Marathon</div>
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In the women&rsquo;s race, Kiplagat took the early lead going through 10 kilometres in 33:47 with a four-second lead over 2009 world 10,000m bronze medallist Wude Ayalew Yimer from Ethiopia and Kenya&rsquo;s Joan Jepchirchir Kigen. The race then turned into a one-woman show when Kiplagat went through the halfway mark in a fast 1:11:06 with a gap of 1:29 over Kigen.
Kiplagat exended it to more than four minutes by 30 kilometres before adding to it with each passing kilometre to eventually win by more than ten minutes. Kiplagat, 27, also broke Margaret Okayo&rsquo;s race record of 2:24:59 set in 2002.
Kiplagat ran in Milan for the third consecutive year after clocking 2:32:37 in 2017 and 2:27:08 in 2018. She also clocked her half marathon best of 1:09:05 on Italian soil in Verbania in 2017.
Kigen finished a distant runner-up with 2:32.32 ahead of Ayelu Abele Hordofa (2:37:50).
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
LEADING RESULTS
Men 1 Titus Ekiru (KEN) 2:04:46 2 Evans Kiplagat Chebet (KEN) 2:07:22 3 Edwin Koech Kipngetich (KEN) 2:08:24 4 Hosea Kiprono Maiyo (KEN) 2:09:02 5 Geza Senebeta Tadesse (ETH) 2:13:46 Women 1 Vivian Jerono Kiplagat (KEN) 2:22:25 2 Joan Kigen Jepchirchir (KEN) 2:32:32 3 Abebe Ayelu Hordofa (ETH) 2:37:50 4 Nikolina Sustic (CRO) 2:38:47 5 Getahun Kasaye Bizuwork (ETH) 2:39:59
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<h3>Kipchirchir clocks 2:05:33 to smash Daegu course record</h3>
Felix Kipchirchir smashed the course record at the Daegu Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label road race, on Sunday (7).
Breaking from compatriot Kennedy Cheboror after the 35th kilometre, Kipchirchir forged on to a 2:05:33 victory to break the course record of 2:06:29 set by Abraham Kiptum in 2018.
Kipchirchir was on a tear from the start, leading the field through the first five kilometres in 14:49 and 10 kilometres in 29:31. That initial seven-man lead pack was reduced to six by 30 kilometres when Ethiopian Shifera Tamru Aredo, Ugandan Fred Musobo, Kenyans Cheboror and Evans Korir and Eritrea's Tsegay Tuemay were still giving Kipchirchir company.
But he finally showed his cards in the next five-kilometres stretch with a sizzling 14:38 split that dropped everyone but Cheboror. He too would succumb over the next five kilometres, which Kipchirchir covered in 14:32, the fastest of the race.
Aredo managed to blistering closing stages best, finishing second in 2:06:21 with Musobo third in 2:06:21.
While Kipchirchir ran away alone, Cheboror wilted over the final kilometre but still managed to finish fourth in 2:06:59 to knock nearly a minute-and-a-half from his previous best.
In a close race, Pamela Rotich won the women's title to regain the title she won in 2017.
The Kenyan, who finished third in Daegu last year, crossed the finish line in 2:28:10 with Ethiopia's Medina Deme Amino finishing just one second behind. Korea's Choi Kyungsun was third in 2:29:06.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
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<h3>Kiprop smashes course record in Vienna</h3>
Nancy Kiprop produced the outstanding performance of the 36th Vienna City Marathon on Suday (7), when she broke the women&rsquo;s course record by over a minute and a half in running 2:22:12 at this IAAF Gold Label road race.
Kiprop led a Kenyan clean sweep of the podium with all three women setting personal bests. Angela Tanui was runner-up in 2:25:37 and Maurine Chepkemoi third in 2:26:16.
In the men&rsquo;s race Kenyan Vincent Kipchumba won with a personal best of 2:06:56, improving his lifetime best by almost four minutes.
Kipchumba surged away in the closing stages from Switzerland&rsquo;s Tadesse Abraham who finished second with 2:07:24. Uganda&rsquo;s Solomon Mutai took third with 2:08:25, improving his best by just over one minute.
Full report to come.
Organisers for the IAAF
&nbsp;
<h3>Alemu improves Rome record</h3>
Megertu Alemu trimmed one second from the course record at the Acea Rome Marathon on Sunday (7), winning the IAAF Silver Label road race in 2:22:52 to lead an Ethiopian sweep of the podium.
Compatriot Tebalu Zawude won the men&rsquo;s title in 2:08:37 in a race where Ethiopian men filled the top five places.
With rain falling for the first half of the race, Alemu and Muluhabt Tsega took the early lead, going through 10 kilometres in 33:45 and half way in 1:11:11. They had a three-minute margin over the chasing group of Egigayehu Mengistu, Alemi Tsegaye Degefa, Chaltu Negesse and Mestawet Tadesse.
Alemu finally pulled away from Tsega shortly before they reached the 35-kilometre point and went on to win in a five-minute PB of 2:22:52, briefly holding the Italian all-comers&rsquo; record before Vivian Kiplagat clocked 2:22:25 in Milan a few minutes later. Tsega finished second in 2:26:41 and Chaltu Negesse third in 2:30:45.
&ldquo;The weather did not bother me,&rdquo; said Alemu. &ldquo;I pushed hard from the beginning because I believed that I could break the course record.&rdquo;
In the men&rsquo;s race, 14 athletes were still together through 15 kilometres, covered in 46:07, but the group started to splinter a bit as they reached half way in 1:04:57. With 10 kilometres remaining, five Ethiopian men &ndash; Zawude, Musa Babo Ido, Birhanu Teshome Demisie, Yihunilign Adane and Tesfa Tiruneh &ndash; remained in contention
Zawude pulled away from the rest of the field at 36 kilometres and went on to win by 40 seconds, crossing the finish line in 2:08:37 ahead of Workneh (2:09:17), Adane (2:09:53) and Ido (2:09:55).
&ldquo;I am very happy because I did not expect to win,&rdquo; said Zawude. &ldquo;It was a very tough race because the cobblestones were slippery due to the rain. I wanted to run 2:07 but weather conditions were not ideal.&rdquo;
Italy&rsquo;s 2014 European champion Daniele Meucci struggled with stomach problems and withdrew from the race after 33 kilometres.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
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<h3>Mwetich and Mutgaa secure Kenyan double in Hannover</h3>
Kenyans Silas Mwetich and Racheal Mutgaa cruised to victories at the HAJ Hannover Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label road race, on Sunday (7). 
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Silas Mwetich en route to the Hannover Marathon title</div>
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Mwetich, 22, clocked 2:09:37 to take the race after running away after the 35 kilometre mark, clipping more than seven minutes from his previous personal best.
Hosea Kipkemboi of Kenya and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Debas Alebachew Wale finished second and third with 2:10:40 and 2:10:57 respectively. Germany&rsquo;s Arne Gabius was a distant seventh in 2:14:29.
In the women&rsquo;s race, Mutgaa took command after the 35th kilometre. The 31-year-old clocked a course record of 2:26:15, lowering her own career best from 2:28:39. 
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Racheal Mutgaa wins the Hannover Marathon</div>
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Tigist Memuye Gebeyahu of Ethiopia was third in 2:27:35 with Poland&rsquo;s Karolina Nadolska fourth in in 2:27:43.
Organisers for the IAAF

Weekend marathon round-up: Course records tumble in Rotterdam, Daegu, Vienna and Rome while Italian all-comers’ records fall in Milan

Milan Rome Hannover Daegu Vienna Rotterdam marathons

Kenya&rsquo;s Marius Kipserem and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Ababel Yeshaneh smashed their PBs to secure victories at the inaugural ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon on Friday (7).
In a close race, Kipserem won in 2:04:04 to take more than two minutes off the PB he set when winning the 2016 Rotterdam Marathon, moving him to 12th on the world all-time list.
During the week in which his recent world half marathon record was ratified, compatriot Abraham Kiptum finished second in 2:04:16 to also enter the top 20 on the world all-time list.
Yeshaneh, meanwhile, won the women&rsquo;s race in 2:20:16 to finish comfortably ahead of Bahrain&rsquo;s Eunice Chumba, who clocked 2:20:54. As was the case in the men&rsquo;s race, the top two finishers set lifetime bests.
<h3>Kipserem holds off Kiptum</h3>
A sizeable lead pack formed early on as seven men passed through 10 kilometres in 29:31. Their pace was already well inside 2:05 schedule but it dropped slightly in the second quarter as the leaders, now down to six men, reached half way in 1:02:34.
By the 30-kilometre point, which was reached in 1:28:42, the lead pack had halved as Kipserem, Kiptum and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Dejene Debela were the only men left in contention. Debela was unable to hold on for much longer, leaving the Kenyan duo to contest for the win.
It was only in the closing stages that Kipserem was finally able to open up a gap on Kiptum, pulling ahead to win by 12 seconds in 2:04:04.
In his first race since clocking a world half marathon record of 58:18, Kiptum&rsquo;s 2:04:16 clocking took 70 seconds off the PB he set at last year&rsquo;s Amsterdam Marathon.
Debela was a distant third in 2:07:06 but shaved four seconds off his lifetime best.
&ldquo;I feel very good and happy because I set a personal best today,&rdquo; said Kipserem. &ldquo;The route was perfect and it was great weather.&rdquo;
<h3>Yeshaneh makes successful marathon return</h3>
Yeshaneh had made a couple of attempts at the marathon earlier in her career, but hadn&rsquo;t contested a 26.2-mile race since setting a PB of 2:33:10 in Milan back in 2013.
Having since recorded times of 14:41.58 for 5000m and an Ethiopian record of 1:05:46 for the half marathon, the 28-year-old had high expectations for what was her first marathon in five-and-a-half years.
Along with Chumba, Yeshaneh was joined by compatriots Gelete Burka and Chaltu Tafa in the opening stages, passing 10 kilometres in 33:14 before reaching half way in 1:10:13.
Tafa was the first of those to drop back. Burka stuck with Yeshaneh and Chumba through 30 kilometres, reached in 1:40:12, but then also began to fade, leaving Yeshaneh and Chumba to contest for the victory.
Yeshaneh forged ahead with a few kilometres remaining and Chumba was unable to respond as the Ethiopian went on to win in 2:20:16. In second, Chumba&rsquo;s 2:20:54 PB is the fastest performance this year by an Asian woman.
Burka, who set a marathon PB of 2:20:45 in January and a half marathon PB of 1:06:11 just six weeks ago, finished third in 2:24:07.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m pleased with my result and personal best,&rdquo; said Yeshaneh. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s my first time in Abu Dhabi and I was very happy with the route of the marathon.&rdquo;
Richard Kimunyan and Abeba Semanew took top honours in the 10km races that were held alongside the marathon, clocking 28:21 and 32:40 respectively.
Across the four races being held in Abu Dhabi &ndash; marathon, 10km, 5km and 2.5km &ndash; more than 10,000 runners took part and were able to take in the capital&rsquo;s iconic landmarks including Emirates Heritage Village and Qasr Al Hosn.
&ldquo;The results of ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon exceeded expectations, both in terms of the number of runners and the amazing records achieved today,&rdquo; said race director Andrea Trabuio. &ldquo;We are very optimistic about the next edition.&rdquo;
Organisers for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:04 2 Abraham Kiptum (KEN) 2:04:16 3 Dejene Debela (ETH) 2:07:06 4 Thomas Rono (KEN) 2:07:12 5 Stanley Biwott (KEN) 2:09:18
Women 1 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:16 2 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:54 3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:24:07 4 Chaltu Tafa (ETH) 2:25:09 5 Caroline Kilel (KEN) 2:29:14

Kenya’s Marius Kipserem and Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh smashed their PBs to secure victories at the inaugural ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon on Friday (7).

Kipserem clocks 2:04:04 at inaugural Abu Dhabi Marathon

Running in his marathon debut, Festus Talam produced a stunning 2:06:26 victory at the 33rd DLL Marathon Eindhoven on Sunday (9).
The 21-year-old Kenyan, with 1:01:48 half marathon credentials this year, was enlisted as a pacemaker for the event in this city in the south of the Netherlands, assigned to bring the lead group through 35 kilometres on pace for a 2:06 finish. But once there and his duties done, he forged on impressively, mostly alone.
The race began at a steady pace, with the midway point reached right on target in 1:02:59. The lead group consisted of five men at 25 kilometres; the first to drop, just one kilometre later, was pre-race favourite Deriba Roba, who prior to the contest said he was gunning for a 2:04 time.
By 30 kilometres, Talam was still keeping up his end of the bargain, but only had Kenyans Stephen Chebogut, the defending champion, and Marius Kipserem, this year's Rotterdam Marathon winner, for company. But they too soon began to struggle with the tempo, and dropped back out of contention.
Besides some minor confusion in the final bend and approach to the finish, Talam maintained his composure over the final seven kilometres to finish unchallenged.
"I am more than happy with this win," said the unheralded Talam, whose best performance prior to his Eindhoven outing was a 1:00:56 runner-up finish at the Lago Maggiore Half Marathon in Verbania, Italy, last year. "To beat such athletes is a great feeling."
Kipserem finished a distant second in 2:08:00 with 23-year-old Nobert Kigen, a 59:42 half marathoner, third in 2:09:19, a personal best.
"We were aware of Festus' (late race) plans," said Race Director Edgar de Veer. "He felt strong and proved his fitness in the last kilometres. To debut in Eindhoven in 2:06:26 is a huge step. I am sure that he has a bright career ahead."
Organisers and Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

Running in his marathon debut, Festus Talam produced a stunning 2:06:26 victory at the 33rd DLL Marathon Eindhoven on Sunday (9).

Pacemaker Talam stuns with impressive win in Eindhoven

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tadese Tola and Kenya&rsquo;s Purity Rionoripo took the honours at the Bogota Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, in two races that could hardly have been more contrasting on Sunday (31).
Tola, the 2013 world championships marathon bronze medallist, broke away from three Kenyan rivals &ndash; Kiprop Limo, Kimutai Kiplimo and Mariu Kipserem &ndash; nine kilometres into the race.
Kipserem got back on level terms with Tola in the 13th kilometre as the Ethiopian eased back on the pace and the pair ran relatively easily shoulder-to-shoulder for the next four kilometres until Tola surged again.
This time there was no return for Kipserem as Tola &ndash; running his first international race since finishing second in Bogota 12 months &ndash; gradually forged a winning lead, crossing the line in 1:05:16 with Kipserem coming home 15 seconds later.
&ldquo;I felt very strong throughout the race and it was a good competition for me, but the wind did not help much and certainly made it difficult to run fast times,&rdquo; reflected Tola, who ended a five-year winning streak by Kenyan men at the race and became just the second Ethiopian winner in the 17-year history of the event.
Limo finished a distant third in 1:06:19 while, getting a rousing welcome at the finish line in the Parque Simon Bolivar, the first local runner home was the 42-year-old Colombian international Diego Colorado, who finished sixth in 1:07:40.
Tola&rsquo;s winning time was the slowest in the history of the race, the modest times being a combination of Bogota&rsquo;s altitude &ndash; some of the Colombian capital lies at around 2600 metres and the slightly undulating course has a high point of 2445 metres &ndash; temperatures that peaked at around 21 degrees Celsius, stiff breezes but mainly the unwillingness of the Kenyan contingent to push the pace and challenge Tola.
Marathon world record holder Dennis Kimetto dropped out early in the race with a recurrence of a groin strain above his right thigh, which he first suffered after a recent fall in Kenya.
By contrast, Rionoripo posted the second fastest women&rsquo;s winning time in the history of the women&rsquo;s race when she crossed the line in 1:11:56, winning by almost two minutes.
Rionoripo, the 2009 world U18 3000m champion, broke away seven kilometres into the race and seemed immune to the adverse conditions as she powered away from her rivals before winning in a time only superseded by the outstanding course record of 1:10:29 set by her compatriot Susan Chepkemei in 2003.
&ldquo;"It was very difficult to win, I just thinking about finishing the race. The height of Bogota was the most difficult for me. I'm very happy because Tadese Tola did not reach me, I did not let him reach me," reflected Rionoripo, with the women&rsquo;s elite runners starting 10 minutes before the men.
Fellow Kenya&rsquo;s Veronica Nyaruai, the 2005 world U18 3000m champion, finished a distant second in 1:13:41.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s defending champion Amane Gobena, from whom much was expected after her personal best of 2:21:51 when finishing second in the Tokyo Marathon in February, was second for much of the race but struggled in the final two kilometres and was passed by Nyaraui before finishing third in 1:14:11.
More than 40,000 runner participated in the half marathon and associated 10km race on Sunday morning.

Ethiopia’s Tadese Tola and Kenya’s Purity Rionoripo took the honours at the Bogota Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, in two races that could hardly have been more contrasting on Sunday (31).

Tola and Rionoripo triumph at the Bogota Half Marathon

Kenya&rsquo;s Marius Kipserem and Letebrhan Haylay Gebreslasea of Ethiopia were the winners at the 36th edition of the NN Marathon Rotterdam, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Sunday (10).
Kipserem notched his upset victory in 2:06:11 to knock more than three minutes from the previous career best of 2:09:21 he set when winning the Hefei Marathon last October, one of three Chinese marathons he&nbsp;won in 2015.
Joining him on the podium were two runners who made their debuts over the distance in Rotterdam: 22-year-old Ethiopian Solomon Deksisa, who finished second in 2:06:22, and Kenya&rsquo;s Geoffrey Kirui, who was third in 2:07:22.
&ldquo;I am very happy with this race,&rdquo; Kipserem said. &ldquo;After 30K it was tough and I asked the others to push together. After that I felt strong again and that&rsquo;s why I could win here.&rdquo;
Kirui was the most astonished man on the podium.
&ldquo;This is wonderful,&rdquo; said Kirui, the 2012 world junior 10,000m bronze medallist. &ldquo;I was expecting a time of 2:09 in my first marathon, not yet 2:07. But I was well prepared.&rdquo;
In the early stages, a group of 20 decided to follow the three pacemakers, who left Rotterdam&rsquo;s renowned Coolsingel thoroughfare on a pace to bring them through the half in 1:02:30. At 14:39, the opening 5km was promising but later the pace dropped, with 10km reached in 29:46.
Two of the faster men in the field, Ethiopia's Ayele Abshero and John Mwangangi of Kenya, fell back between the 10th and 15th kilometres. Tsegaye Kebede, however, another pre-race favourite, was still faring well.
By 15km, passed in 44:26, the lead group was reduced to 12 plus the trio of pacesetters. They then reached the midway point in 1:02:20, slightly ahead of schedule.&nbsp;
At the second pass over the Erasmus Bridge &ndash; shortly after the 25km mark &ndash; the lead group was down to&nbsp;eight, five Kenyans and three Ethiopians: Kipserem, Kirui, Vincent Chepkok, Matthew Kisorio, Allan Kiprono, Deksisa, Kebede, and Limenih Getachew.
By 30km Kebede started to drift back and was some five seconds behind Kipserem, Kirui and Deksisa, who ran together, content with watching one another rather than upping the tempo.
Kipserem made the decisive move with less than five kilometres remaining; Kirui was dropped but Deksisa hung on. Kipserem accelerated again as he passed the 40km marker in 1:59:41, finally leaving Deksisa in his wake.
<h3>Patience pays for Gebreslasea</h3>
In the women&rsquo;s contest, Sutume Asefa Kebede went out fast, covering the first 5km in 16:53, a massive 46 seconds ahead of her pursuers and on 2:18 pace.
She maintained her lead, bringing a chase pack of six through 10km in 33:02 before reaching the midway point in 1:10:49, nearly two minutes clear of Haylay Gebreslasea and Kenya's Bornes Kitur, with another Kenyan, Rebecca Korir, and Swede Isabellah Anderson running fourth and fifth.
But disaster struck the leader after 30km when she was hit with stitch. As Asefa slowed dramatically, Haylay Gebreslasea chipped away at the deficit en route to her 2:26:15 victory.
&ldquo;The first half of the race was difficult for me,&rdquo; said Haylay Gebreslasea. "I was just running to keep my second place, but at 35k I saw Kebede in front of me and I realised I could win here."
Kebede, who clocked 2:24:00 at January&rsquo;s Dubai Marathon, hung on to finish second in 2:28:04 with Korir third in 2:29:16.
Conditions were nearly ideal, with a start time temperature of 8C, with little wind and humidity of 62 per cent.
Cors van den Brink for the IAAF

Kenya’s Marius Kipserem and Letebrhan Haylay Gebreslasea of Ethiopia were the winners at the 36th edition of the NN Marathon Rotterdam, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Sunday (10).

Kipserem scores upset victory at Rotterdam Marathon

Qatar’s Bellor Yator could break the East African dominance of the men’s race at the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race, on Sunday (9).Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes have won each of the six men’s titles on offer in the brief history of France’s second biggest marathon, with the two nations having three victories apiece, but Yator – although the 30-year-old runner was born in Kenya himself – will stand on the start line in Nice’s Alber I Garden as the slight favourite.The prolific Yator&nbsp;– this race will be his 22nd marathon&nbsp;– is the fastest man in the field having run 2:08:39 at the Kosice Marathon two years ago. However, one big question will be how well he has recovered after winning the Marseille Marathon less than two months ago in 2:13:50.Running Yator close could be Ethiopia’s Shume Hailu, who ran his personal best of 2:09:06 when finishing second in this race back in 2011. Hailu also finished third in 2010 so knows the course well and his experience may be a deciding factor.Like Yator, he has also won a good standard marathon this year, crossing the line first in Rome in 2:09:47.The third man in the field with a best faster than 2:10 is Kenya’s Marius Kipserem, who ran 2:09:50 last year in Milan. However, surprises could be sprung by debutants Philip Cheruiyot and Assefa Aregachew. The Kenyan and Ethiopian runners have little form in European races but have posted strong results in their home countries.Organisers have been talking in terms of an attack on the course record of 2:08:40, set by Kenya’s Lucas Kanda in 2011, and have recruited French international James Theuri to help with the pace.In the women’s race, Salina Jebet Kosgei, the 2002 Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion who can boast of a marathon best of 2:23:22 from 2006, returns to defend the title she won 12 months ago in hot and windy conditions, when she ran 2:41:34.However, Kosgei is now 37 and it would not be too disrespectful to say that her best days may be behind her.The mantle of being the favourite for the women’s race instead falls jointly on Kenya’s 35-year-old Emily Rotich and Ethiopia’s Tigist Abdi, who have bests of 2:32:10 and 2:32:34 respectively.If the weather conditions are a bit more conducive to fast running than last year, the course record of 2:30:37, set in 2010 by Ethiopia’s Radiya Roba, may be under threat.The marathon is one of the most picturesque in Western Europe. After leaving Nice, the race progresses along the French Riviera and weaves its way through the towns of Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Villeneuve-Loubet, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins and Golfe-Juan before arriving in Cannes and finishing on the Promenade de la Croisette.Organisers said that about 14,000 runners from 62 countries will participate in three events on Sunday, the marathon, a 2x21km relay and a six-person marathon relay.Phil Minshull for the IAAF

Qatar’s Bellor Yator could break the East African dominance of the men’s race at the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race, on Sunday (9).

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Kipserem scores upset victory at Rotterdam Marathon

Yator and Hailu to duel along the Riviera in the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes