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There was a Kenyan double at a soggy Great North Run with contrasting victories for Mary Ngugi-Cooper and Abel Kipchumba.
Ngugi-Cooper was part of a six-strong lead group that stayed together virtually to the wire, with the 35-year-old pipping Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi in a sprint finish.
Ngugi-Cooper is the 11th successive Kenyan winner of the women’s event but has strong links to the UK. She is based in Leeds with her British husband and is coached by Steve Cram.
She told the BBC: “It was amazing. It’s always been a dream for me to come and race here at the Great North Run. To win it, it’s a dream come true. It was a bit mentally tough because no one was dropping and you’re coming to the last mile and everyone is there.”
Britain’s Eilish McColgan was part of the lead group and crossed the line in fifth, five seconds behind Ngugi-Cooper, whose winning time was one hour, seven minutes and 40 seconds.
“I’m really happy with that,” said Scot McColgan. “It was a really tough field that was assembled this year so to be amongst those women and still be there with 200 metres to go, if you’d told me that last week I’d have snapped your hand off.”
The men’s race was a one-man show, Kipchumba breaking away early on and defying the wet conditions to cross the line in 59mins 52secs.
Britain’s Marc Scott, winner of the event in 2021, reeled in Norway’s Sondre Moen to finish second, one minute and 19 seconds adrift.
There were home winners of both the wheelchair events in Jade Hall and Johnboy Smith.
Hall was making her comeback after giving birth to her daughter in March and she said: “I wasn’t really sure how it was going to go. The weather was tricky today but I really enjoyed it.
“It’s been really hard. I do feel like I’ve got a different body now and I’m learning how that works for me.”
Smith said: “It was a good race, very, very tough. Wet, cold, miserable, but fun all at the same time.”
