Kenyan male runner wins Xiamen Marathon

Kenya's Mariko Kiplagat Kipchumba clocked in at 2 hours, 8 minutes and 6 seconds to win the men's title in the 2014 Xiamen International Marathon on Thursday. Ethopia's Mare Dibaba claimed the women's title in 2:21:36, which broke the event's record.

Kipchumba, who finished seventh in last year's event, made a tenacious late burst on Thursday's race to leave the other runners behind with only 15 kilometers to go.

Kenya's Julius Muriuki Wahome took second place with a time of 2:09:28 and Ethiopian Dereje Debele Tulu came in third with 2:09:35.

The women's race was dominated by the Ethiopian team as Dibaba was followed by compatriots Meseret Legesse (2:26:36) and Bedada Emebet Etea (2:33:51).

Kipchumba said the great weather and scenery in Xiamen, which helped to boost the athletes' performances, made the event different from marathons in other cities.

Both Kipchumba and Dibaba said they hoped to participate in next year's marathon.

First held in 2003 and sanctioned in 2007 as a Gold Label Road Race by the International Association of Athletics Federations, the Xiamen International Marathon is known for its scenic course that runs through the coastal city.

This year's event included more than 20 elite foreign runners. A record 77,080 runners from 45 countries took part in the event, which included the full marathon (42.195 km), half marathon (21.0975 km), 10 km run and 5 km race.