“The cold weather made the race hard,” said Jeptum, who set a half marathon PB of 1:05:28 earlier this year. “But I tried to do my best and to push hard.”
Judith Korir Jeptum produced the first women’s sub-2:20 marathon on French roads when winning at the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris on Sunday 3 April 2022. The 27-year-old Kenyan won the race in a lifetime best of 2:19:48, while Ethiopia’s Deso Gelmisa took the men’s race in 2:05:07.
Sharon Chelimo and Marion Kibor, who spearheaded the lead group of seven runners, set out at an aggressive pace from the outset in sunny but cold conditions. They covered the first 10km in 32:23, suggesting a finishing time inside 2:17 – well under the course record of 2:20:55 set by Purity Rionoripo in 2017. The rhythm slowly faded over the next kilometres, though, as the pack reached half way in 1:08:31.
Five kilometres later, Jeptum moved up a gear and broke up the lead group. By 30km, reached in 1:37:44, she had built a one-minute gap over the rest of the field. Although her pace slowed in the waning stages, she reached the tape in 2:19:48, taking almost three minutes off her PB and more than a minute off the course record.
“The cold weather made the race hard,” said Jeptum, who set a half marathon PB of 1:05:28 earlier this year. “But I tried to do my best and to push hard.”
Fantu Jimma crossed the line 3:04 behind the winner in a PB of 2:22:52 as Besu Sado rounded the podium in 2:23:16.