Reuters
26 January 2001 – Nairobi, Kenya - Abraham Limo won the Kenyan Armed Forces
half-marathon on Friday on a waterlogged track that dampened the hopes of some of the
better-known runners.
Limo, who came second in last year's Amsterdam marathon, finished the slow-paced race in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.
"I would have done much better but we literally waded through water which slowed down the pace," he said. "You can imagine how frustrating it is running in wet shoes," he added.
Elijah Korir, who won the 1999 Lyon Marathon and finished fourth in New York last year, finished 31st.
"I have had a calf injury for the past month which has affected my training. I thought it was healing but when I kicked I felt a sharp pain again and slowed down completely and only ran to finish," he said.
Another top Kenyan runner Joel Sankale, who came second in last year's Munich Marathon, also had a dismal outing and finished 23rd.
In the women's race, the inexperienced Ruth Kalunda won in 1:49:17.
Weather conditions could turn Saturday's running of the prestigious Armed Forces Cross Country Championship into something of a mudbath.
Five-times world cross country champion Paul Tergat is expected to run in the race as part of his build-up to the World Championships in Dublin in March.
