Jepchirchir crushes women’s-only world record in London Marathon

Reigning Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir crushed the women's-only world record in winning the 44th London Marathon on Sunday, while Kenyan compatriot Alexander Mutiso Munyao pulled away from Ethiopian distance great Kenenisa Bekele to win the men's race.

The 30-year-old Jepchirchir crossed the finish line in front of Buckingham Palace in two hours 16 minutes 16 seconds to break Mary Keitany's mark of 2:17:01 set in a women-only race at the 2017 London event.

Jepchirchir pulled away from a group of four in a sprint finish before collapsing to her knees in tears having beaten the fastest field of women ever assembled.

"I thought the race would be fast and that the record would go, but I was not expecting it to be me," Jepchirchir said.

"It's because I believe in myself. As I crossed the finish line, I thought about how grateful I am for this to be my last event representing Kenya before I head to Paris (Olympics). I now know I have a great chance to defend my title in Paris."—Reuters