Kenya’s Hellen Obiri and Benard Kibet on Saturday bagged victory in men’s and women’s categories during the 16th edition of the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in the United Arab Emirates.

Koech kicked away to beat his compatriot Daniel Mateiko by four seconds 58:45 to 58:49.

The duo were in the lead group that passed the 10km mark in 27:33.

Breaking away along with their compatriot Richard Yator, the trio were together through 15km in 41:30 before Yator was dropped.

Koech kicked and Mateiko couldn’t match his rival’s finishing strength, as Koech took more than a minute off his Personal Best (PB) with his winning performance.

Yator followed them over the finish line in 59:37, while Ethiopia’s Gemechu Dida finished fourth in 59:53.

Runner-up spot

Obiri went one better than her runner-up spot in Ras Al Khaimah last year, clocking 1:05:05 to triumph by 44 seconds in the women’s race ahead of Ethiopia’s world marathon champion Gotytom Gebreslase.

Obiri and Gebreslase were part of a pack that passed through 5km in 15:10.

 At the 10km spot, they had broken away from their competition, clocking 30:28 at that point, just ahead of Kenya’s Olympic marathon silver medallist Brigid Kosgei (30:31).

Pacemaker

Obiri started to make a move and was 25 seconds ahead at 15km, following her pacemaker through that mark in 45:39. Her lead only grew and she eventually crossed the finish line 44 seconds clear, Gebreslase claiming the runner-up spot in 1:05:51.

Running a well-judged race, Ethiopia’s Ftaw Zeray finished third in a PB of 1:06:04, half a minute ahead of Kosgei.

The winner, second and third-place runners were recognized at an award ceremony.

 In addition to the elite field, the race recorded more than 5,500 amateur runners across four categories, including the half marathon — relay teams of two, five km and one-mile races.