by RBR Admin
John Korir (2nd), Elisha Barno (1rst), Juan Luis Barrios, photo: Jerrod Harris at Getty Images
On a glorious Spring day, the city of Angels, a new women’s course record and the closest men’s finish in the history of LAM took place. Askale Merachi battled Cynthia Jerop and Lucy Karami from the start, with Jerop and Merachi together until 33k. Askale Merachi, who told us afterwards of her robust confidence, won in 2:24:11, breaking Lyudmila Grigoryeva’s 2:25:10 from 2006. Merachi scored a PB of nearly six minutes. Cynthia Jerop’s 2:25.54 gave her a nine minute PB! John Korir, younger brother of Wesley Korir, was leading at 26 miles, but he finsihed second! Elisha Barno charged to the lead with 150 meters to go, winning his 2nd SPLAM title in 2:11:45 to 2:11.52. Two time winner Weldon Kirui too fifth in 2:13.24.
A fine race today, with 23,800 finishes to go! Check out the official release below!
Elisha Barno takes the win, Photo: Jerrod Harris at Getty Images
ELISHA BARNO AND ASKALE MERACHI WIN THE 34TH SKECHERS PERFORMANCE LOS ANGELES MARATHON
LOS ANGELES (March 24, 2019) – Elisha Barno (Kenya) and Askale Merachi (Ethiopia) won today’s 34th edition of the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon. These athletes bested a field of 24,000 registered runners over the iconic “Stadium to the Sea” race from the world famous Dodger Stadium to the beach in picturesque Santa Monica.
In a the closest men’s race in LA history, Elisha Barno charged to the lead just past mile 26 and solidified the win in the time of 2:11:45, just seven seconds over second place. John Korir (Kenya), brother of two-time Kenyan-winner Wesley Korir, was second (2:11.52) and Juan Luis Barrios (Mexico) finished in third (2:11:59). The pack was together for 21 miles when the racing really started, hitting halfway in 1:08.11 with winner Barno. Barno closed out the race with a blazing 1:30:34 second half to earn second Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon victory following his previous win in 2017.
Askale Merachi took the lead in the women’s race at 6k from Lucy Karimi (Kenya) and Cynthia Jerop (Kenya) winning with a new course record time of 2:24.11, a time that was Meskale’s personal best by nearly six minutes. The previous course record of 2:25:10 was held by Lidiya Grigroyeva (Russia) in 2006. Cynthia Jerop and Lucy Karimi finished in second and third, respectively, with a personal best of 2:25.41 and 2:26.15.
In the wheelchair race, California native Katrina Gerhard (USA) took home the gold as the women’s champion with a finishing time of 1:51.16. In the men’s contest, Joshua Cassidy (Canada) bested the other competing athletes winning the race in 1:31.47.
Today, the Los Angeles weather played out perfectly for a marathon with temperatures in the 60s and overcast conditions. The race’s Stadium to the Sea Course celebrated its 10th Anniversary with live entertainment, including more than 50 bands, 500 cheerleaders, 4 entertainment centers and 90 cheer zones that set the stage for an exciting day.
“It was a great day out there today, but we couldn’t have been more enthused by the way the pro races played out today”, said Tracey Russell, Chief Executive of Conqur Endurance Group. “Once again, we are extremely proud of the amazing turnout we had from the community who eagerly cheered from the neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. Congratulations to our winners and all the pro athlete who put it all on the line today.”
Top Five Men‘s Field
1. Elisha Barno, Kenya, 2:11.45
2. John Korir, Kenya, 2:11:52
3. Juan Luis Barrios, Mexico, 2:11.59
4. Milton Rotich, KEN, 2:12.42
5. Weldon Kirui, Kenya, 2:13.24
Top Five Women’s Field
1. Askale Merachi, Ethiopia (Floral Park, NY) , 2:24.11
2. Cynthia Jerop, Kenya, 2:25.54
3. Lucy Karimi, Kenya, 2:26.15
4. Olha Skypak, Ukraine, 2:30.33
5. Jane Kibii, Kenya, 2:32.12
Top Five Men’s Wheelchair
1. Joshua Cassidy, Canada, 01:31:47.6
2. Tristan Smyth, Canada, 01:38:33.3
3. Josh George, USA, 01:39:48.8
4. Krige Schabort, USA, 01:40:07.5
5. Rafael Botello Jimenez, Spain, 01:42:37.4
Top Five Women’s Wheelchair
1. Katrina Gerhard, USA, 01:56:22.0
2. Jenna Fesemyer, USA, 02:04:13.9
3. Michelle Wheeler, USA, 02:10:29.6
4. Yen Hoang, USA, 02:11:27.3
5. Ivonne Reyas Gomez, Mexico, 02:20:49.2
For the complete list of the 2019 Skechers Performance Los Angeles marathon results, and additional information about the race, please visit www.lamarathon.com.
About Conqur Endurance Group
Conqur Endurance Group, a subsidiary of McCourt LP, creates world-class experiences that ignite passion in athletes and connect communities through the transformative power of sport. The Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon is among the largest marathons in the country with 24,000 participants, thousands of volunteers and hundreds of thousands of spectators. The “Stadium to the Sea” course, starting at Dodger Stadium and finishing near the Santa Monica Pier, is one of the most scenic in the world, taking runners on a tour of Los Angeles past every major landmark. In addition to the marquee event, Conqur Endurance Group produces the Pasadena Half Marathon & 5K at the Rose Bowl, the Santa Monica Classic 5K/10K and the LA BIG 5K. Conqur also owns and operates one of the largest marathon training programs in the U.S., the LA Road Runners. Through official charity programs and strategic partnerships, Conqur supports dozens of nonprofit partners; the most notable being Students Run LA, one of the foremost nonprofit youth running programs in the nation. For more information, please visit www.goconqur.com.
