by Justin LagatThe 2018 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon was held on 9 December 2018. With over 60,000 participants over the weekend, this amazing race is among the largest on the planet. With 90 percent humidty, the race had also some of the toughest conditions. Justin Lagat wrote about this fine event for us.
2018 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, photo by WorldMarathon.com
Joshua Kipkorir and Priscah Cherono emerge victorious at the 2018 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon
With less than 200 metres to go, Joshua Kipkorir looked behind him and he could see no one in sight following him. But, it appeared the win was still not guaranteed for him as he had begun to slow down considerably and almost stumbled and fell down. He himself knows hows he was feeling. He started to vomit with 100m to go, but kept fighting hard, his eyes fixed on the finish line ahead of him. Only for once in these final stages of the race did he seem to summon the last streghth remaining in him to raise his hands as he ran past the finish line clearly elated for winning the marathon.
Kipkorir won the race in 2:12:20, missing the course record by less than a minute. Felix Kirwa was second in 2:13:43 while Andrew Kimtai came third in 2:14:30.
Kipkorir, bib number 10, was already ahead and running alone as he approached the 35km point. At times, he would glance back but with the darkness it was definitely not easy for him to find out how far ahead he was from his chasers.
It was the same case for his chasers who would only see darkness ahead of them as they pursued him. At first, it was Felix Kiprotich who was running behind him, but the efforts of Andrew Kimtai and Felix Kirwa who ran together resulted in them running past Kiprotich in the last kilometers of the race. Kiprotich would finish fifth as he could not hold on to his early pace.
Stella Barsosio and Cherono kept together, not sure if they were trying to drop the other or glad to be running together. But after the 35km, Cherono broke away and began to open a gap between them. There was no one in sight to challenge her as she crossed the tape in 2:32:12. Barsosio, also coming alone, followed in 2:33:23 while Jane Jelagat came third in 2:35:38.
“We actually talked with Stella earlier on in the race and agreed not to push the pace too early as it appeared to be too humid,” Cherono said at the finish line.
Despite being run in the dark, the Singapore marathon was exciting to watch as runners ran to the background of some beautiful city lights with the Singapore eye featuring in most of the pictures. The day broke as the runners neared the finish line and it was another opportunity for the great city to be featured again in daylight.
