Ethiopians run to victory in Richmond Marathon

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - Thousands of runners hit the streets for the 39th annual Anthem Richmond Marathon, the American Family Fitness Half Marathon and the VCU Health 8K on Saturday.

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First place runner Dadi Bayene, 28, of Ethiopia, finished the race in 2:19:36, ahead of Peter Limo and former course-record holder Kennedy Kemie, both of Kenya.

Bizuwork Getahun, a 27-year-old Ethiopian, was the first female to cross the finish line, coming in with a time of 2:37:51. Getahun's time was the fastest winning time in the marathon since 2002. Susanna Sullivan from Reston, Virginia, finished second with a time of 2:42:34.

In the American Family Fitness Half Marathon, Girma Gebre successfully defended his 2015 title. The 23-year-old from Ethiopia finished in 1:04:41, ahead of Rachid Ezzounlou of Morocco and Mark Leininger of Greenville, South Carolina.

In the women's race, Joan Aiyabei took first place with a time of 1:12:25, finishing ahead of her fellow Kenyan Veronicah Maina, who crossed the line in 1:12:50.

John Crain, 24, of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, won the VCU Health 8k with a time of 23:09, while in the women's race, Monicah Ngige, 18, of Kenya captured first place with a time of 25:53.

The 2017 Richmond Marathon -- which is the 40th anniversary of the race -- is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 11.

Registration is currently open at www.richmondmarathon.org.

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