Xiamen, China - Rising star Feyisa Lilesa, won the Xiamen International marathon on Saturday (3) followed about a minute later by fellow Ethiopian Negari Getachew Terfa, and last year’s winner, Kenyan Samuel Muturi Mugo. 

Another Ethiopian, Atsede Bayisa, made history in this coastal city of 2.3 million by becoming the first foreign athlete to win the woman’s race with a time of 2:28:53.

The Xiamen International Marathon is the first IAAF Gold Label Road Race for 2010.

Men’s race – Lilesa bides his time

Lilesa’s time of 2:08:47 broke the course record set last year by Mugo by four seconds. He surprised marathon onlookers when he definitively broke free of a tight-knit group of top runners in the 38th kilometre. 

Terfa’s time was 39 seconds slower than last year’s performance as number two with 2:09:40. The Ethiopian’s PB is 2:07:41 in Berlin in September. The 2009 winner, Mugo, fell behind in the last part of the race after leading for at least 10 kilometres ending with 2:10:11.