All-comers records set at Antrim Coast Half Marathon
Ethiopians, Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Jemal Yimer had superb repeat victories at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon in Larne with new UK all-comers records. Marc Scott (pictured) and Fionnuala Ross were the top UK based runners.
Yehualaw ran 64:21 for a dominant win in seventh position overall. Initially, she was just outside Letesenbet Gidey's world record pace but drifted off towards the end. She went to 5km in 14:40 and was still only seven seconds outside Gidey's 10km split as she reached that point in 29:52. The finishing time may not have broken the world record but It was 91 seconds inside Edith Chelimo's previous UK women's all-comers mark. Her marathon debut at the TCS London Marathon on October 2 is eagerly awaited.
Compatriot, Tsehay Gemechu, finished 39 seconds behind Yehualaw with Kenya's Beatrice Mutai a further two minutes and 37 seconds back in third spot.
Northern Ireland’s Fionnuala Ross (handicap 0.0) was the best in the home nation challenge in fourth place with 74:00. England's Kate Drew (handicap -0.4) was fifth in 74:30.
In the men’s race, Yimer set a fast pace from the start and was edging forward after 10km. He stopped the clock at a blistering 59:03. The 25 year old Ethiopian was 1:56 ahead of Kenya's Alfred Ngeno and the winning time was seven seconds inside Geoffrey Kamworor's UK all-comers record set in Cardiff in 2016.
Both winners were also well inside the previous Irish all-comers records of Sir Mo Farah [60:27] and Lily Patridge [71:36] from the Larne race in 2020.
British Olympic stars Marc Scott (handicap -7.2) and Callum Hawkins (handicap -2.6) were down on their personal best times in fifth and seventh in 62:57 and 64:03. Twenty-year old, Matthew Neill (handicap -3.4), of Northern Ireland, was eighth in a new personal best of 64:36.
The event's mass race saw 4,000 runners from 19 countries compete over the same course as the elite athletes that showcased the beautiful Antrim Coast on a glorious, sunny day that some may have found too warm for 13.1 miles but enjoyed spectacular scenery and awarm Northern Irish support.
The mass race was won by Andrew Annett (handicap -3.7) in 67:39 and Courtney McGuire in 73:52.
The event can be seen on the BBC iplayer here
UK runbritain rankings for endurance events and age groups
Other results from the weekend are on the following links: