Rono coasts to course record in Toronto

Philemon Rono runs to the finishing line during Sotokoto Half Marathon at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi on July 7, 2013. PHOTO | FILE |

What you need to know:

  • Philemon "Baby Police" Rono ran a highly tactical race on his way to retain the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon title in a course record time of 2 hours, 06 minutes and 50 seconds on Sunday in Toronto, Canada.
  • Rono’s time was the fastest time on Canadian soil as he improved his personal best by 17 seconds from his time of 2:07:07 posted at Hamburg Marathon in 2014.
  • Rono, who has only represented Kenya once at the 2013 World Cross Country Championships in Poland, almost failed to compete last year in the same after an accident at the warm-up.

Philemon "Baby Police" Rono ran a highly tactical race on his way to retain the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon title in a course record time of 2 hours, 06 minutes and 50 seconds on Sunday in Toronto, Canada.

Rono’s time was the fastest time on Canadian soil as he improved his personal best by 17 seconds from his time of 2:07:07 posted at Hamburg Marathon in 2014.

Rono, who has only represented Kenya once at the 2013 World Cross Country Championships in Poland, almost failed to compete last year in the same after an accident at the warm-up.

The barricades he was using to stretch came tumbling on him but the athlete resolved to compete, winning the race in 2:08:27.

It was a battle between Rono, the 2014 Chicago Marathon champion Dickson Chumba, who boosted personal best of 2:04.32, and Ethiopian Solomon Deksisa. It’s the Ethiopian who led past the halfway mark in 01:02:37 with Rono and Chumba on toe a second behind.

However, its Rono and Chumba, who took charge, cruising past the 30km mark in 1:29:29 with Deksisa in pursuit. It’s thereafter that Rono broke away to cut through 35k in 1:41.35 and 40km in 1:59:58 on his way to smashing the course record of 2:07.04.8 set by Ethiopian Deressa Chimsa in 2013.

Chumba came in second in 2:09:11 followed by Deksisa in 2:11:24.6. Other Kenyans Eric Ndiema and Anthony Maritim finished sixth and eighth in 2:15:30 and 2:16:48 respectively.

“It means a lot and I have run my personal best and also breaking the Canadian course record. I will be coming for the course record next year,” said Rono.

Ethiopians Marta Megra and Sutume Asefa dominated the women’s race to claim the first two places in 2:28:17 and 2:29:24 respectively, locking out Kenya’s Sarah Jebet to third place in 2:29:58.

Another Kenyan Angela Tanui finished eighth in 2:43:42.