Sisay Lemma added the 2023 Valencia Marathon to his list of big-race wins on Sunday (3 December).
The 2021 London Marathon winner broke clear of fellow Ethiopian Dawit Wolde and Kenya’s Kandiwott Kandie with 7km to go of the 42.195km race distance.
The trio were well inside world record pace at 30km, but Lemma eventually crossed the line in 2:01:48, over a minute outside Kelvin Kiptum’s mark from Chicago in October.
With Hillary Kipkoech doing an exceptional pacemaking job, Lemma, Wolde and Kandie formed a lead group just after the halfway stage.
When Kipkoech dropped out after 30km, Wolde pushed the pace at the front but it was Lemma who made the decisive move.
Alexander Mutiso finished strongly to take second in 2:03:11 with Wolde 37 seconds further back in third.
Three-time Olympic gold medallist on the track, Kenenisa Bekele, was just over 20 seconds behind the lead group at halfway and appeared to have decided not to go with the strong pace at the front.
That proved to be a wise move with the 41-year-old Ethiopian legend passing plenty of slowing runners to take fourth place in 2:04:19.
Meanwhile, on his marathon debut, 5000m and 10,000m world record holder Joshua Cheptegei was among those dropped having reached the half in the lead group in 60:35.
Uganda’s reigning 5000m Olympic champion tired badly in the second half of the race, eventually finishing down in 37th place in 2:08:59.
Ethiopia completed a podium sweep in the women’s race with Worknesh Degefa winning in around 2:16 from Rio 2016 10,000m champion Almaz Ayana.
Hiwot Gebrekidan was third.
