The 2008 ‘Toray Cup’ Shanghai International Marathon took place in Shanghai, China, yesterday (30 Nov), attracting 20,000 runners from 51 countries, a record number for the annual race which was being held for the 13th time.

Zafaris Spyros, the Mayor of the Greek town of Marathon after which the classic road race is named, came to Shanghai with a flame ignited in Marathon. From this flame a torch was lit and passed to Shanghai's Vice Mayor Zhao Wen, which was the start of a torch relay which was run along the entire competition route before the race began.

The race itself started at Century Square at 7:30am on Nanjing Road East and ended at Minhang Stadium.

Brilliant new course records were established by Ethiopian Gashaw Asfaw who clocked 2:09:28 to take the overall race victory and by Russian Irina Timofeyeva who took the women’s race win in 2:26:19.

Asfaw, 30, who finished seventh in the Beijing Olympic Games, shaved approximately three and a half minutes off the previous best for the Shanghai race. He was a dominant winner with Kenyan Michael Kimani and his fellow countryman Joshua Chelanga finishing a very distant second and third respectively. Asfaw has a PB of 2:08:03 from winning the 2006 Paris Marathon.

Timofeyeva, 38, the 2008 Hamburg Marathon winner (PB 2:24:14), was also a seventh place Beijing Olympic finisher. She improved the previous women’s best for the Shanghai course of 2:29:28 by over three minutes. She was followed home by two Chinese athletes, Wei Yanan from Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, who was just 30 seconds behind, and Wei Jie from Dalian, Liaoning Province.

Japanese Megumi Seike won the women’s Half Marathon in 1:10:15.

Chris Turner and Xinhua for the IAAF

RESULTS

Men
1. Asfaw, Gashaw Melese  Ethiopia 2:09:28
2. Kimani, Michael Njuroge Kenya 2:13:48
3. Chelanga, Joshua Koech Kenya 2:17:46
4. Zhao, Ran China 2:17:53
5. Maina, John Kenya 2:18:56
6. Jiu, Ziwen China 2:19:23
7. Yu, Xuyang China 2:19:55
8. Troop, Lee Joseph  Australia 2:21:43

Women
1. Timofeyeva, Irina Russia 2:26:19
2. Wei, Yanan China 2:26:49
3. Wei, Jie China 2:36:32
4. Bai, Xue  China 2:37:40
5. He, Yinlin  China 2:46:13
6. Balciunaite, Zivile  Lithuania 2:47:21
7. Shang, Yin China 2:47:39
8. Wang, Yi China 2:48:43