India's Vinod Kumar and Kenyan Kimitwai win titles at Chennai Marathon

Coimbatore's Vinod Kumar Srinivasan and Brigid Jerend Kimitwai of Kenya won the men's and women's full marathon respectively in the 11th Freshworks Chennai Marathon 2023 on Sunday.

Srinivasan finished the race in a time of 02:37:28 to take the top prize and he was followed by Gyan Babu (02:48:46) and Jegadheesan Munasamy (02:57:39) in second and third places.

After the win, Srinivasan, said, "This is my 30th marathon. I couldn't complete my first 10 marathons but then I slowly started improving with training. This is the fifth time I am participating in this marathon. It has only got better and better. In 2018, I came 4th. In 2019 I came in 2nd place. In 2020 I was 3rd and now I have won the marathon. This is a result of my continuous training. I trained for 3 months at Coonor at high altitude prior to coming here to participate."

In the women's event, Brigid Jerend Kimitwai won with a time of 03:31:36 while Sandya Shanker took the second place (03:33:57) and was followed by Mamta Rawat (03:53:41).

"This is the first time I have come to Chennai and this is my first ever marathon. I came here only for the marathon. I trained for 3 months back home in Kenya and will be returning home next week. The weather was pleasant and the run was enjoyable. I hope to come next year too," Kimitwai said after her win.

The marathon powered by Chennai Runners saw over 20,000 runners participating across categories. The 11th edition of the marathon saw several firsts including, over 20 thousand plus runners, 30 debutant runners with visual impairment, 50 blade runners and 50 wheelchair runners taking part.

The marathon comprised four events for men and women including, a Full Marathon (42.195 Km) - the flagship race of the event, the Perfect 20 Miler (32.186 Km), the Half Marathon (21.097 Km) and the 10 Km Run.