Sports | Ukraine runners dominate at local marathon

Ukraine’s Vitaliy Shafar and Olena Shurkhno have taken this year’s Macau Marathon titles in the male and female categories, respectively. Shafar was clearly the strongest in his category, running the 42.195 kilometers in a mere 2:14:44. Shurkhno won with a time of 2:33:24 in the race held yesterday morning in Macau’s streets.
This year, for the first time, the course included the University of Macau campus in Hengqin Island. As 2015 marks the tenth anniversary of the listing of the city’s historic center as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the race route also included the heritage-listed A-Ma Temple.
A total of 8,000 runners from Macau and overseas amassed on the starting line with 1,200 joining the full marathon course. A total of 2,600 participated in the half-marathon and 4,200 ran the mini-marathon. This number was an increased quota from previous years, and was quickly filled after the registration first opened.
Alexis Tam, Secretary of Social Affairs and Culture, and José Tavares, president of the Macau Sport Development Board, kicked off the event, among other notable athletic figures. These included former Olympic marathon winner Rosa Mota. Despite the cold weather and wet pavement, the runners started with a determined spirit that they maintained throughout the entire race.
Finishing behind Ukraine’s Vitaliy Shafar on the male podium were Dominic Kangor Kimwetich from Kenya and Abraraw Misganaw Tegegne from Ethiopia.
Aside from the winner, Olena Shurkhno, the female podium consisted of second-placed Ruth Wanjiru Kuria from Kenya and third-placed Ayelu Abebe Hordofa from Ethiopia.
Joseph Ngare (Kenya) and Carla Martinho (Portugal) won the half-marathon distance titles in the male and female categories, respectively.