Kenyan runners win New Taipei City WJS Marathon

Taipei, March 15 (CNA) Kenyan runners Enock Onchari and Catherine Cherotich won the men's and women's races at the New Taipei City WJS Marathon on Sunday, while Chou Ting-yin (周庭印) finished first among Taiwanese male runners to secure his sixth career victory at the event and his third consecutive title.

Onchari won the men's marathon in a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes and 46 seconds, and Cherotich finished first in the women's race in 2:32:32, according to the New Taipei City Government Sports Department.

Chou was the first Taiwanese male runner, finishing in 2:28:43, while Lisa Ries (雷理莎) was the first Taiwanese woman, crossing the line in 2:53:01, the department added.

The race began Sunday morning at Feicui Bay in Wanli District, where New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), Political Deputy Sports Minister Cheng Shih-chung (鄭世忠), and Chinese Taipei Athletics Association President Yeh Cheng-yen (葉政彥) presided over the start of the race.

The city's sports department said the event drew more than 12,000 participants, including 372 foreign runners from 39 countries.

The organizers said 16 elite international runners from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Israel and Italy also competed in the race in Taiwan.