Yebrgual Melese took more than a minute off the women’s course record while compatriot Abdiwak Tura took the men’s title after a furious sprint to the line writes Vincent Wu.

Melese led a group of seven at a fast pace passing 20km in 1:06:30. Only three women remained by 25km (1:23:35) and it became a duel between Melese and Azmera Abreha after 27km. Melese went ahead from 36km for a comfortable win. Eight of the top 10 women ran personal bests.

Two sub-2:05 runners turned the men’s race into a 100-metre sprint as they raced for the line, with Tura edging out fellow Ethiopian Tsegaye Mekonnen. Nine men were still together at 30km and only two had dropped off the pace by 35km as a tactical endgame approached. All seven entered the stadium together and Mekonnen was the first to attack as Tura and Dickson Tuwei followed him. Tura passed Mekonnen in the final 10m as seven runners finished within eight seconds.