Kenyan Breaks Record At Waterfront Marathon
Posted September 27, 2009 11:43 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Before many of us had poured our morning cup of coffee, Kenyan Kenneth Mungara had run a 42.2-kilometre marathon with a record-breaking time of 2:08:32.
The marathon kicked off at Nathan Phillips Square at 7:30am Sunday and the 36-year-old defending champion was at the finish line well before last year’s winning time of 2:11:00 and almost a full minute before the Canadian record of 2:09:30 set by his countryman John Kelai at the waterfront marathon in 2007.
That means Mungara will take home an additional $25,000 on top of the $20,000 he nets for the win.
Kenyan Chala Lemi, 22, came in second with a time of 2:08:49. Ethiopian Gashaw Melese Asfaw crossed the line 34 seconds later with a time of 2:09:23.
Amane Gobena of Ethiopia won the women’s marathon in 2:28:31 – a race record – overtaking last year’s winner, countrywoman Mulu Seboka, in the last kilometre.
More than 20,000 runners from around the world participated in the marathon, half-marathon and five-kilometre races that raise funds for the Scotiabank Group Charity Challenge.
Road closures for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon (times approximate):
- Lake Shore Blvd. from Windermere Ave. to Northern Dancer Blvd. (7am – 1pm)
- Commissioners St. Eastbound from Cherry St. to Leslie St. (7am – 1pm)
- Leslie St. from Commissioners St. to Lake Shore Blvd. (7am – 1pm)
- Queen St. from Kingston Rd. to Neville Park Blvd. (7am – 1:30pm)
- Front St./Eastern Ave. from Bay St. to Kingston Rd. (7am – 2pm)
- Bay St. from Lakeshore Blvd to Dundas St. (5am – 3pm)
- Queens Quay Eastbound from Stadium Rd. to Rees St. (8am – 12pm)
