Chennai: Coimbatore’s Vinod Kumar Srinivasan and Brigid Jerend Kimitwai of Kenya won the men’s and women’s full marathon respectively at the 11th Freshworks Chennai Marathon 2023, here on Sunday.
Srinivasan finished the race in a time of 02:37:28 to win the title while Gyan Babu (02:48:46) and Jegadheesan Munasamy (02:57:39) got the second and third places.
“This is my 30th marathon. I couldn’t complete my first 10 marathons but then I slowly started improving with training. I am a part of the Covai-based Triumph Club. This is the fifth time I am participating in this marathon. It has only got better and better,” said Srinivasan after the win.
“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 before coming here to participate,” he added.
Meanwhile, Brigid Jerend Kimitwai won the women’s title with a time of 03:31:36 as Sandhya Shanker (03:33:57) and Mamta Rawat (03:53:41) took the second and third place.
“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,” Kimitwai said after her win.
“I thought the marathon would be challenging but there was superb support all along the way and I faced no problems. The weather was pleasant and the run was enjoyable. I hope to come next year too,” she added.
The Chennai Marathon 2023 saw over 20,000 enthusiastic runners participating across categories. Twenty thousand plus runners were cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd that had gathered at various points along the route of the marathon early this morning.
The 11th edition of the marathon saw several firsts including, over 20,000- 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.
(IANS)
