Kenya's William Kipsang Wins the 2013 Beirut International Marathon
The 2013 Beirut International Marathon took place on Sunday with the participation of over 36,000 runners from 104 countries.
Kenya's William Kipsang won the 42.195 km race at the marathon in 2 hours, 13 minutes, and 35 seconds.
Kenya's Benjamin Serem took the silver medal and Ethiopia's Gemechu Lemma came in third.
Kipsang was the winner of the 2008 Rotterdam Marathon and he had won the bronze medal during last year's Beirut International Marathon.
The marathon is divided into the 42 kilometer race, 10 km Fun Run, 5 km Youth Race, 1 km Run with Parents, 5 km Special Needs Run, and the 1.5 km Run with Mom.
Commenting from downtown Beirut where the marathon kicked off, caretaker Youth and Sports Minister Faisal Karami: “We hope next year's marathon will take place under a new president and government.”
Caretaker Education Minister Hassan Diab added from downtown Beirut: “It doesn't matter who wins the marathon long as such activities are held in Lebanon.”
Also from downtown Beirut, First Lady Wafa Suleiman said: “The marathon is more important than our divisions.”
She hailed the efforts that led to the success of the marathon, praising the organizers for their role.
This year's marathon was held under the slogan of “We Run for Lebanon” amid tight security measures throughout Beirut.
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