Rebbeca Sirwanei Tanui made her marathon debut in fantastic fashion as she broke the 27-year-old San Sebastian course record in Zurich, Switzerland on Sunday, November 27, 2022.
Sirwanei reached the tape in an impressive time of 2:23.09, one of the fastest full marathon debuts witnessed in recent times.
She took more than three seconds from the previous course record of 2:26.51 set by Spanish international Ana Isabel Alonso in 1995.
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The 2022 Bucharest Half Marathon bronze medalist led her compatriots Gladys Chepkirui and Euliter Jepchirchir to a clean podium sweep.
Sirwanei and Chepkirui worked together in the final phase of the race, with their eyes firmly fixed on the course record.
Their effort and strategy eventually paid off as Sirwanei opened the screw in the closing stages of the race to shatter the mark which was set in the 20th century.
Chepkirui and Jepchirchir clocked personal best times of 2:26.21 and 2:28.20 respectively ahead of Ethiopia’s Zenebu Fentaye.
Fireworks was also witnessed in the men’s category as Sisay Berhanu guided her fellow countrymen to the top three positions.
Berhanu crossed the finishing line in 2:13.39 ahead of Milese Dendir and Mekonen Assefa who timed 2:13.39 and 2:14.14 respectively.
The Kenyan duo of Andrew Kimutai and Titus Sang registered fourth and fifth-place finishes respectively.
More than 6,000 road race runners graced this year’s edition.
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