Kenyan runners dominated the men’s race in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on Sunday, while the winner of the women’s race, Belarus’ Volha Mazuronak, was unable to achieve her target of knocking down her 2019 city record.
Kipkemboi said the pressure of running alongside his national teammates was what pushed him to victory and the US$65,000 (HK$506,000) cash prize.
“I’m happy for them; they were challenging me and I was so nervous,” Kipkemboi said. “The fans were also amazing and the people in Hong Kong were friendly.
“It was so hard. It was a hard course, but I did manage to win because of the preparation I did back in Kenya.
“Considering the course, I’m happy with my performance. The last part of the race was difficult, [the section] between 30 kilometres and 37 kilometres.”
