Lilian Chebii of Kenya broke the Twin Cities Marathon women's course record on Sunday, winning in 2:25:26 and taking down a mark that had stood for a quarter of a century. The previous record of 2:26:51 was set by Zinaida Semenova in 2001 and matched by Irina Permitina in 2004. Chebii, who is 32, finished more than six minutes clear of the field and collected $10,000 for the win plus a $15,000 bonus for the record.
Speaking after the race, Chebii was modest about the outcome. "I tried my best to run 2:25. I didn't know I'd break the course record, but I say thank you," she said. Her time, set on a point-to-point course that runs from Minneapolis to the State Capitol in St Paul, gives the race one of the most significant women's performances in its history and underlines how quickly the standard at mid-sized American marathons is rising.
In the men's race, Victor Shitsama won in 2:12:20. The 28-year-old, who was born in Kenya and is an Oklahoma State alumnus, beat last year's champion by roughly two minutes and took home $10,000. Conditions were broadly favourable for distance running, with the temperature around 50°F at the start and rising to about 57°F by the time the leaders finished.
The race was the centrepiece of a weekend that organisers said drew a record turnout, with more than 30,000 runners registered across the various events. It also followed the USATF 10km Championships, which were held over the same weekend and saw both national champions set championship records, making it an unusually productive few days for road running in Minnesota.
The result adds a further data point to a busy autumn marathon calendar, which has already delivered a high-quality Berlin Marathon and will move on next weekend to Chicago and Melbourne. For Chebii, a course record in Minnesota is a significant career result, and for the Twin Cities Marathon a prize-money bonus claimed at last is a reminder that long-standing records can still fall when conditions and fitness align.