Two Kenyans ran the fastest half marathons on Georgia soil.
Breaking the state and course records for 13.1 miles were Nicholas Kosimbei and Dorcas Tuitoek.
Kosimbei, 25, was victorious in 1:00:36, topping the previous Georgia mark of 1:03:59.
Tuitoek won in 1:08:22, edging the record of 1:08:29 set last year by Molly Seidel, who won a bronze medal in the Olympic Games marathon.
Kosimbei broke away early, going through 10 kilometers in 28:42.
“I was expecting to break the course record,” he said in a news release.
Finishing as the top American man, sixth overall, in the half marathon was a familiar face: Matt McDonald, now running for the Boston Athletic Association who previously competed for Atlanta Track Club.
“It’s fun to run by so many of my old spots,” said McDonald, who finished in 1:05:32.
Dorcas Tuitoek (above) won in 1:08:22, edging the record of 1:08:29 set last year by Molly Seidel. (Photo by Paul Ward)
Credit: Paul Ward
Credit: Paul Ward
Dorcas Tuitoek (above) won in 1:08:22, edging the record of 1:08:29 set last year by Molly Seidel. (Photo by Paul Ward)
Credit: Paul Ward
Credit: Paul Ward
In the women’s half marathon, Tuitoek, 24, also took command early.
Tuitoek, running only her second race in the U.S., called it “a great day. I prepared well to run the hills.”
Winning her 95+ division was Lindberg, an Atlanta Track Club legend who recently turned 97. Her time of 55:48 set a world age-group record, topping the previous mark by more than 30 minutes.
