2019 was a record-breaking year for the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival. Both the men’s and women’s race records for the Blackmores Sydney Marathon were comprehensively beaten.
“To have more than 40,000 people getting out and taking part in this event on a sunny Sydney morning, running past Sydney tourist icons and a glittering harbour not only sets an outstanding participation record, it also emphasises that we have one of the best events, certainly the most scenic and on par with the very best of international marathons in around the world,”
Kenyan Filex Kiprotich was the man of the moment when he won his first Blackmores Sydney Marathon in a time of 2:09:49. His effort to beat the record time of 2014 winner Gebo Gameda (Ethiopia) by one minute and 29 seconds drew wild applause from the crowd gathered on the steps of the Opera House.
Supporters maintained their enthusiastic support as second placed runner Michael Kunyuga (2:10:05) made it a Kenyan double, with Japan’s Saturo Sasaki (2:11:02) coming home third and ensuring all three podium finishers stopped the clock under the previous race record time.
It was double honours delight for Kenya as Stellah Barsosio slashed the women’s race record by just under three and a half minutes, her winning time of 2:24:33 well clear of the 2:28:00 mark that Ethiopian-born, Australian resident Makda Harun Haji ran in 2017.
Second was Josephine Chepkoech (2:26:43), also of Kenya, who rubber stamped the speed of this year’s elite competitors by coming in under the previous race record. Crossing third was 2012 London Olympic Games 5000m finalist Tejitu Daba (2:28:22) of Bahrain.
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Under perfect spring conditions it wasn’t just the race records that fell, a new participation record was also achieved as 40,050 people set out across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, finishing at the Sydney Opera House.
Participants in this year’s event will raise more than $2 million for Australian charities, helping to bring the total raised by the event since its inception in 2001 to more than $20 million.
Blackmores Sydney Running Festival Event Director Wayne Larden said record event entries were the foundation of making this year’s event one of the most memorable.
“To have more than 40,000 people getting out and taking part in this event on a sunny Sydney morning, running past Sydney tourist icons and a glittering harbour not only sets an outstanding participation record, it also emphasises that we have one of the best events, certainly the most scenic and on par with the very best of international marathons in around the world,” said Mr Larden.
Run, eat, sleep, repeat Well Beings! Let's do it again next year.
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