Daniel Kipchumba wins the Lake Maggiore Half Marathon in Verbania (© Organisers / Danilo Donadio)
Kenyan trio Daniel Kipchumba, Mangata Kimai Ndiwa and Josphat Kiptoo Boit finished inside 59:20 on their half marathon debuts at the 11th edition of the Nexia Audirevi Lake Maggiore Half Marathon on Sunday (15).
Held on a spectacular course from Verbania to Stresa in perfect weather conditions and with no wind, the previous course record of 1:00:00 was bettered by all three men.
One week after pacing training partner Erick Kiptanui to a world-leading time of 58:42 in Berlin, Kipchumba crossed the finish-line here first in 59:06, holding off compatriot Ndiwa by just one second. Boit completed the all-Kenyan podium in third place in 59:19.
Kipchumba, Ndiwa and Boit broke away from the rest of the field after three kilometres. Running at 2:46-per-kilometre pace, they passed through 10 kilometres in 27:47. The following five-kilometre section was covered in 14:16, then they upped the pace again with a 14:05 split between 15 and 20 kilometres.
The race came down to a final sprint with Kipchumba prevailing over Ndiwa by one second.
Daisy Cherotich, also making her half marathon debut, made it a Kenyan double by winning the women’s race in 1:09:44.
Leonidah Jemwetich Mosop finished runner-up in a personal best of 1:10:26 ahead of Sweden’s 2014 European steeplechase silver medallist Charlotta Fougberg, who ran her first half marathon in 1:11:58.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
