Kenya’s Beatrice Jepkemei clinched victory in a women’s race record time at the Belfast City Marathon as her compatriot Mathew Kiplimo won the men’s event.
Jepkemei’s winning time of two hours 35 minutes and three seconds cut one minute and 47 seconds off the previous women’s Belfast mark.
The Kenyan, 26, withstood a late challenge from Morocco’s Lalla Aziza Alaoui Selsouli to win by 17 seconds.
Kiplimo, running his debut marathon, took men’s victory in 2:14.44 as he passed long-time leader Bahrain’s Aweke Ayalew – in the final mile.
Ayalew was eight seconds behind the winner with Kenya’s Moses Kilmulwo completing the men’s podium positions in 2:15.10.
Last year’s winner Ethiopian Shewaye Woldemeskel was third in the women’s event in 2:39.58, which left her 23 seconds ahead of North Belfast’s 2022 winner Glady Ganiel who took fourth.
The previous women’s race record of 2:36.59 was set by Ukrainian Nataliya Lehonkova in 2012.
