New Record Marathon Time Set
15 seconds faster
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The world record marathon time fell by 15 seconds Sunday when Wilson Kipsang of Kenya set a new record of 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 23 seconds at the Berlin Marathon.
The previous record was held by fellow Kenyan Patrick Makau and set in 2011. Both records were set on the flat and cool Berlin course, which has seen eight world records in the last 15 years, the Associated Press reports.
Kipsang’s finish was spoiled by a man who began running next to him toward the end of the race. He was, as the New York Times reports, an “ambush marketer.”
Although security in Berlin had been increased after the bombings at the Boston Marathon in April, a man wearing a yellow T-shirt stepped out of the crowd near the finish line and raised his arms, breaking the tape just ahead of Kipsang in an apparent stunt of ambush marketing.
According to Agence France-Presse, the man was promoting a Web site for an escort service. He was intercepted by race staff, handed over to the police and charged with trespassing, the news agency reported.