LONDON -- Norwegian Ingrid Kristiansen Sunday became the world's fastest woman marathon runner, winning the fifth London marathon in 2 hours 21 minutes and 6 seconds.
Kristiansen's time was more than one and a half seconds faster than the previous mark of 2:22:43 set by American Olympic champion Joan Benoit in a 1983 Chicago race.
Welshman Steve Jones won the men's race in 2:08:16 but failed to regain the World No. 1 berth from Olympic champion Carlos Lopez. The Portuguese runner clocked 2:07:11 Saturday at Rotterdam, beating the previous world best 2:08:05 which Jones had posted in the 1984 Chicago Marathon.
Kristiansen, who collected $78,000 for winning the race in world best and course record-breaking times, had set her heart on breaking 2 hours 20 minutes. But she set off too fast in the early stages and was tiring badly as she ran up the Mall and round Buckingham Palace at the end of the course.
The 29-year-old Norwegian, who was born in Stavangar but now lives in Oslo, hung on grimly, however, to wipe Benoit's time off the record books and win the race for the second consecutive year.
She finished seven minutes ahead of the second-placed woman, Britain's Sarah Rowell, at 2:28:06.
Kristiansen, who spent the winter months training on a treadmill in her kitchen, had her eyes on Benoit's mark right from the off.
'I tried to run as fast as I could right from the beginning,' she said. 'Last year, when I ran with the women, I had to go it alone. This time I was running alongside the men and got lots of encouragement.
'Even when I was overtaking them, they were saying: 'Come on Ingrid, break the world record.' It was a great help.'
Jones, a 29-year-old corporal in the Royal Air Force, fought off an attack of stomach cramps in the last four miles to outduel Charles Spedding, the Olympic bronze medalist and last year's London marathon winner. Spedding finished second in 2:08:33.
Jones scooped the $15,000 first prize and also collected another $10,000 for beating the 1982 course record of 2:09:24 set by fellow-Welshman Hugh Jones.
Spedding, who collected $12,000 for second place, was followed home by Scotsman Alistair Hutton, whose third place finish in 2:09:15 was worth $9,000.
West German Christoph Herle, a Munich architect, clocked 2:09:23 to finish fourth ahead of Denmark's Henrik Jorgensen, 2:09:43, and American Pat Petersen, 2:11:23.
The men's race was hotly-contested with Jones, Spedding, Hutton, Herle and Jorgensen forming a pace-setting five-man pack at the 17-mile mark.
Jones turned on the pace at the 20-mile stage. Jorgensen was first to give way, followed by Herle and finally Hutton, leaving the Welshman and Spedding to battle it out for the final honors.
It looked as though Spedding would score back-to-back victories as Jones, suffering from stomach cramps, faltered over the Tower of London cobblestones, just four miles from home.
But Jones came charging back and surged ahead to win by 100 meters.
Jones later explained he had been suffering from cramps.
'Just for a few minutes it was a problem, but then it eased and I was able to continue without further trouble,' he said.
Jones said during his moment of crisis, he asked Spedding whether he knew the best cure for stomach pain. He said Spedding answered cheerfully: 'Stop running.'
Jones, who works on Phantom Jets as a RAF technician, said he had no intention of making a bid to regain his world-best time.
'Times were irrelevant. The important thing was to finish first and not worry worry about record times. That is why I kept to a steady pace in the early stages and then stepped it up nearing the finish.
'I wasn't worried that Carlos Lopez broke my record yesterday. That was no handicap. In fact it took the pressure off me.
'I knew I was unlikely to break that time and I could go at my own pace. Near the end I accelerated a little which enabled me to go into a clear lead, but it was a relief when I came in sight of the finishing line,' he said.
