By David Monti with Pat Butcher
Kenyan men swept the top ten places at today's Dresdener Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon, led by a newcomer with a familiar, but slightly different, name.
On his first trip outside of Kenya and running in his first marathon, Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot smashed Wilfred Kigen's one year-old course record clocking 2:07:21. Cheuiyot, whose name is remarkably similar to four-time Boston Marathon Champion Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, is only 20 years-old.
"But we are not related," said Cheruiyot immediately after the race.
Elite athletes coordinator Christoph Kopp said the Cheruiyot had purchased his own air ticket and that the race would reimburse him if he broke 2:14. Even if they didn't, Cheruiyot would have cash to spare because his performance was worth 50,000 Euros.
In the late stages of the race, Cheruiyot was with compatriots Stephen Kiogora and Wilson Kigen, and he eased away from them just after 35 km.
"When the field began to break up, I thought that I might be third," said Cheruiyot. "But I'm very happy to win."
Kigen clocked 2:08:16 for second and Kiogora, who fell in the final turn before the finish, landed third in 2:08:24. Men from Kenya took 17 of the top-20 positions, and the top-7 broke 2:10. Cheruiyot's performance was the 22nd by a Kenyan this year under 2:08.
The women's race had a more lopsided result with Sabrina Mockenhaupt getting the win for the home nation of Germany. She clocked a personal best 2:26:22 to beat Russian twin Olesya Nurgalieva, who ran a career best 2:27:37. German Melanie Kraus, the race's defending champion, finished third in 2:28:20, more than half a minute under her winning time from last year.
>font color=gray>PHOTO: Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot wins the 2008 Dresdener Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon (courtesy photo)
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