Mary Keitany of Kenya set a world record for a women’s-only marathon, running 2:17:01 to win the 2017 London Marathon early Sunday.
Keitany, 35, won her third London, to go along with her three victories in the New York City Marathon.
She broke Paula Radcliffe’s women's-only record of 2:17:42, set in London in 2005. Radcliffe’s overall women’s world record, 2:15:25, was set in a race paced by men.
Keitany averaged about 5:14 per mile on Sunday, and went sub-5 in a mile as she approached the finish line. She went out quickly and ran nearly the entire race alone.
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Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia was second in 2:17:56.
The top American was Laura Thweatt, 28, who finished in sixth in 2:25:38, a personal best.
On the men’s side, Daniel Wanjiru of Kenya won in 2:05:48, holding off a charge by Kenenisa Bekele (2:05:57) of Ethiopia.
Wanjiru, 24, won the Amsterdam Marathon last October in 2:05:21.
