Eritrea’s Yemane Haileselassie and Kenya’s Cynthia Limo emerged victorious at the 52nd Honolulu Marathon, held at Kapiolani Park. Haileselassie, an Olympic steeplechase competitor who now resides in the U.S., set a winning time of 2:11:59, improving from his debut in Boston. Limo finished the 26.2-mile race in 2:31:14, defending her title from the previous year.
The winners each received a $25,000 prize as they navigated cooler-than-usual conditions with clear skies and little wind. Haileselassie broke away from the competition around the 30-kilometer mark, finishing ahead of Reuben Kerio and Kensuke Horio. Limo faced tough competition from Sandra Tuei but managed to pull ahead in the final stretch, with Judith Korir finishing third for the women.
Defending men’s champion, Paul Lonyangata, dropped out early in the race. Among the top Hawaii resident finishers were Jared Breaux and Kathryn Watt, while Gabriel Tom and Amanda Beaman topped the Hawaii-born category. The event saw a record 36,000 participants across the marathon, Start to Park 10K, and the Kalakaua Merrie Mile.
Haileselassie and Limo’s victories highlighted a competitive and exciting race in Honolulu. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. For further coverage of Hawaii’s sports scene, reach out to Brian McInnis at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
Source
Photo credit spectrumlocalnews.com