NAIROBI, Kenya, March 12 – Despite a ruthless run that saw her successfully defend her Nagoya Women’s Marathon title, Ruth Chepngetich insists it was not a walk in the park for her.
The world half marathon record holder clocked 2:18:08 to take first place, ahead of Japanese pair of Ayuko Suzuki (2:21:52) and Honami Maeda (2:22:32) in second and third respectively.
Nonetheless, the 2019 world marathon champion confessed that the race was anything but easy.
“It was not easy for me to run alone but I am happy and proud of today’s results. I thank God for enabling me to win today and defend my title,” Chepngetich said.
The Chicago Marathon champion took a stranglehold on the race, speeding to the front of the pack and even outpacing the pacemakers at one point.
The 28-year-old had timed 49:00 at the 15km mark and looked set for another dominant win, with the rest of the runners lagging behind by two-and-a-half minutes.
Ten kilometres later, the Istanbul Half Marathon champion had clocked 1:21:32 and looked set for the 2:17:18 she timed at last year’s edition of this road race.
It seemed a matter of when and not if she would be retaining her title and, along with it, return home with approximately Ksh 32,09,350 ($250,000) in prize money.
With the Nagoya title defence done and dusted, Chepngetich says she will be taking a well-deserved rest as she plots for other upcoming competitions.
“I don’t know (where the next race will be)…I will have to talk to the management to see which race to compete in next. Either way, the goal will be to win in the next race I run,” she said.
The road race is the only marathon exclusive to female athletes.
