BERLIN, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Kenyan Patrick Makau won the Berlin Marathon Sunday in a world record time of 2 hours, 3 minutes, 38 seconds.
Makau, 26, repeated as the champion in Berlin, having won on the same course last year in 2:05.08. His winning time Sunday marked only the second sub-2:04 marathon. Haile Gebrselassie set the record of 2:03:59 in Berlin in 2008.
Geoffrey Matai, also of Kenya, completed this year's Boston Marathon in 2:03:02 but the Boston route isn't recognized as a world-record venue because of elevation drop and it doesn't meet requirements as a loop course.
Makau made his move Sunday at the 17-mile mark when Gebrselassie stopped running and appeared to be sick. Gebrselassie later dropped out of the race.
By then Makau had pulled away to the point where he couldn't be caught.
"I came to Berlin to win," Makau said the Berlin Marathon's Web site. "At the halfway point I knew that I could break the record. It is the greatest day of my career."
Stephen Chemlany was second at 2:07:55 with Edwin Kimaiyo third in 2:09.50. All three of the top runners are from Kenya.
Kenya also claimed the women's Berlin Marathon as Florence Kiplagat finished first in 2:19:44. Germany's Irina Mikitenko was second at 2:22:18 and Paula Radcliffe, from England, finished third, 4 minutes behind Kiplagat.
