ANDThe Ethiopian Miktu Tafa Dekeba, with 2.08:57, and the Kenyan Naom Jebet, with 2.26:19, achieved victory in the Madrid marathon, in which they participated 40,000 runners – a record number of entries – in the three distances of the Zurich Rock ‘n’ roll Running Series.
The Zurich Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Madrid, which includes the traditional marathon along with the half marathon and the 10k, held a new edition with a marked international character, since of the 40,000 runners, 9,089 were foreign athletes from 113 countries, a figure that, according to the organization, boosts the impact generated by the event to 48 million euros.
On the sporting level, in the marathon distance, with 11,000 participants, the victory went to Miktu Tafa Dekeba, who gave a lesson in honor by running from the kilometers six alone at a record pace.
The last two kilometers, on the climb up Paseo de Recoletos, he suffered wear and tear and put his hands on his left thigh on several occasions, although he managed to hold on, slowing down the pace to enter the finish line alone with a time of 2.08:57 -personal best-, 39 seconds from the record held since 2019 by Kenyan Reuben Kerio with 2.08:18.
Second was the Ethiopian Fikre Bekele with 2.09:08 and third was the Kenyan Douglas Chebii with 2.09:10. The first Spaniard to finish was Francisco Javier de León Rodríguez with a time of 2.26:17.
In the women’s category the victory went to the Kenyan Naom Jebet, who dominated the test with authority and crossed the finish line in 2.26:19, lowering his personal best considerably by clocking 2.26:48 in Frankfurt in 2023. Even so, he far from the test record, held by the Ethiopian Siranesh Yirga with 2.24:37 since 2022. The second classified in Madrid was the Ethiopian Bontu Bekele (2.27:03) and the third was her compatriot Kebene Chala (2.27:28).
Half marathon and 10k
The half marathon, with 20,000 runners, was awarded in the men’s category by Amon Kiptoo with 1.02:26 and in the women’s category by Joyce Chepkemoi with 1.09:22. The 10 kilometers, with 9,000 runners and 54% women, had Spanish prominence.
Carlos Mayo, from the Adidas Club, added his seventh victory in the distance at Paseo de Recoletos with a time of 29:10. It cost him dearly, because until the final stages of the race he was fighting for victory alongside Adam Maijó, who finished with a time of 29:18. The Galician Adrián Ben completed the podium with 29:43.
For the Aragonese, furthermore, It was a special triumph after having suffered a traffic accident a couple of weeks ago, from which he had no consequences except for some discomfort in his side in the last training sessions.
In the women’s category, Águeda Marqués from Segovia achieved her third victory in Madrid (33:31), after a tough fight with Marta Pérez from Soriano, who finished in 33:49. Both achieved a solvent difference over Paula Herrero (36:12), who continues working after injuries to return to her best form.
