Tsegaye Kebede is one of the top long-distance runners in the world and he proved it again on Sunday morning as he won the Chicago Marathon in record fashion.
"This is a great day for us, for Ethiopia especially," Kebede said to the Associated Press.
Kebede was by himself as he crossed the finish line, winning the race with a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes, 38 seconds, a new course record. He beat the previous record by nearly a minute, which was set at 2:05:37 set by Kenya's Moses Mosop.
On the women's side, Atsede Baysa took the race in dramatic fashion, giving Ethiopia wins for both the men and women for the first time in history. Kebede became the first Ethipian man to win the race, while Baysa took it home for the first time since countrywoman Berhane Adere did it in 2007.
Baysa battled against Kenya's Rita Jeptoo down the stretch, crossing the finish line just ahead of her. Throughout the final leg of the race the two runners swapped the lead, but it Baysa who ended up on top.
"I came to win this race," Baysa said. "When I came upon the finish line, I knew I won the race."
Baysa ended the race only one second ahead of Jeptoo with a time of 2:22:03. The win ended a three-race streak for Liliya Shobukhova, who won the marathon from 2009 to 2011.
"I was happy because I finished second, and I had a lot of energy to finish," Jeptoo said.
The reward for winning the race is $100,000 for each champion, as well as an extra $50,000 for Kebede for setting the course record. Baysa also got a bonus of $10,000 for running a sub 2:24:00 race.
I don't believe it," Kebede said in a televised interview. "This has been my goal, 2:04, so I just pushed and pushed and pushed."
Kebede added another big race to his resume after winning the London Marathon in 2010. He earned a bronze medal at the Olympics in Beijing in 2008 and also set a course record at the Fukuoka Marathon in 2009.
The race went on without any significant incidents apart from a runner who dealt with cardiac issues towards the end of the marathon.
"We obviously are always concerned, and we're still waiting for more information from the hospital and we're obviously getting updated," said medical director Dr. George Chiampas, who would not say where the runner was from "out of respect for the family."
Mosop, the former course record holder, did not race in the marathon due to an injury. Wesley Koirr, who won the Boston Marathon this year, finished fifth and was impressed with the performance of Kebede.
"I think the marathon world is getting very competitive," Mosop said. "There are a lot of other people that are coming up. But I think at the moment, definitely, (Kebede's) a very good competitor. And I think I'll be honored if he's the best marathoner in the world right now."
Shobukhova was not 100 percent for the race either, after dealing with a hamstring injury.
"It just gives me some perspective, just take one step back and go for it again," Shobukhova said.
The next major race will be the New York City Marathon on Nov. 4.
