Kenyon runner Nephat Kinyanjui beat out China's Ren Longyun to win the men's division of the 2007 ANA Beijing International Marathon yesterday, while three Chinese runners dominated the women's podium on a warm and sunny fall day in Beijing.

With both Kinyanjui and Ren sprinting to the finish line, the Kenyon narrowly escaped with the title and the $20,000 prize money, finishing in 2 hours 8 minutes and 9 seconds, just ahead of Ren who settled for silver by finishing in 2 hours 8 mins and 15 secs. Fellow Chinese runner Han Gang finished a surprising third, finishing only 41 secs after Ren.

Ren and Han also broke the national record of 2 hours 9 mins and 18 secs, set by Hu Gangjun at the 1997 ANA Beijing Marathon. This year's record-breakers gave a shot in the arm to the sport in a country not generally known for producing elite male marathoners.

"I did a good job today. I am so happy and it's a reward for my hard work," Ren said. "I will train harder and prepare for the Beijing Olympics."

The women's side of the race was an all-Chinese battle from the very beginning. Chen Rong, Zhang Yingying and Bai Xue all took early leads and held onto them until the finish line.

Chen ultimately emerged victorious in the three-way battle after making a strong sprint in the last several meters to win with a time of 2 hours, 27 mins and 5 secs, leaving Zhang and Bai to finish second and third by finishing 15 secs and 41 secs later, respectively.

"I cannot believe I could win the Beijing marathon. I am so excited!" Chen said.

(China Daily 10/22/2007 page12)