Olympic Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge and 2012 Olympic Marathon silver medalist Mary Keitany won this year’s best marathon title.
On Friday, Kipchoge and Keitany were crowned the male and female winners of the 2017 Association of International Marathon and Distance Races (AIMS) awards held in Athens, Greece.
The two Kenyan athletes, who have had a successful season, were voted by AIMS members representing 435 world leading races from 114 countries.
Kipchoge scooped the award after running the fastest time in May a sub two hour Nike project that saw him run 2:00:25 in Monza, Italy.
Kipchoge, who is winning the award for the third time, also won the Berlin Marathon in September in a world’s leading time of 2:03:32.
The Kaptagat-based athlete has had a successful career since moving from the track and won the country its second marathon gold medal in last year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Keitany who is one of the best female marathoners, won the title for the fifth year beating Rose Chelimo who represents Bahrain.
Chelimo, who trains in Kapsabet, was second in Boston Marathon this year, before winning gold in the marathon in August’s World Championship held in London.
Keitany received the AIMS World’s Fastest Time Award in 2011 in recognition of the 1:05:50 she ran in the Ras al Khaimah Half Marathon, while her outstanding form in 2009 and 2011 won her the ‘AIMS/ASICS World Athlete of the Year Award’ in both years.
Keitany broke the World Record at the London Marathon in April, lowering Paula Radcliffe’s time by 41 seconds.
Last week, she was placed second at the New York Marathon behind American Shalane Flanagan.