More than 18,300 runners made Geneva vibrate this weekend to the rhythm of running. Among all the records listed, there are five main ones: two new time records on the main distance and on the 10km, both for men and women as well as a participation record.
More than 18,300 runners made Geneva vibrate this weekend to the rhythm of running. Among all the records listed, there are five main ones: two new time records in the long distance and in the 10km, both for men and women, as well as a participation record.
A program rich in entertainment was offered giving it a real festive feel. All the enthusiasts gathered around this unmissable spring running festival.
The English Garden hosted the marathon village on Friday for two days. Alongside the collection of bibs, numerous activities were offered by the event's partners. Young and old were able to whet their curiosity among the stands, take part in fun activities or even participate in competitions before satisfying their hunger thanks to a wide choice of food trucks.
The parent/child race, new to the program for this 15th edition, gave the first starts of the weekend and launched the junior races. Distances adapted to young people aged 3 to 14 to give our budding athletes a taste for effort.
The juniors then gave way to La Genevoise #LikeAGirl by Always and the 10km, popular weekend races with more participants each year. Claire and Annabelle spoke of the atmosphere that reigned at the start: “it was incredible, the atmosphere motivated us and we were able to enjoy the course at sunset”
As for Yann, surrounded by his entire family, thanked the organization “for giving a popular touch to running and making this sport accessible to all”.
The big winner of the 10km, Ldoalu Dominic Lokinyomo, part of the Refugee Team finished in 29min14sec, the new race record, while among the women Virginie Lemay covered the distance in 36min07sec and also broke the record for the distance.
Today, Sunday, it was the turn of the participants of the Half-Marathon, the Half Wheelchair, the Marathon and the Relay Marathon to set off from Chêne-Bourg in an incredible atmosphere.
Among the participants, the “Tyre Lady” set off 1h15 earlier, benefiting from an early start for a good cause. She covered the marathon distance in 07h01min03sec while towing a 7kg tire in order to raise awareness among runners and spectators of the need to reduce their quantity of non-recyclable waste.
What will be remembered is the great victory of the Kenyan Too Bernard who broke the Marathon record by winning in 02h09min45sec. He thus improves the previous reference time for the Geneva event by 47 seconds.
On the women's side, spectators witnessed a prestigious final with a neck-and-neck finish and a broken record. Kenyan Chepkoech Joséphine won the Marathon in 2h29min11sec, 3 seconds earlier than her compatriot Jepkorir Rodah who finished in 2h29min15sec. It all came down to a sprint on the Mont-Blanc bridge in the final straight. “An extraordinary finale both on a sporting and human level,” according to Benjamin Chandelier, the director of the event.
Earlier in the morning, Felfele Tesfay won the Half Marathon in 01h06min12sec while among the women, it was Immogen Simmonds who took the first step of the podium, finishing in 01h20min36sec.
In the Semi Wheelchair event, it was Rodrigez Carlos, who won in 01h00min33sec for the men and Domon Emmanuelle for the women in 01h20min58sec.
Alongside the marathon runners, 300 relay teams completed the 42.195km in teams of 4 to 6 runners. Grégoire and James working together in the same company found the atmosphere incredible and are already thinking of signing up for next year “we ran with joy and good humor, we all got closer, we are already signing up for the next year! ". In this race, victory went to the FSG Collonge team ahead of Harmony Running Club and the Tri-Touristes.
Despite the capricious weather of recent days, Geneva saw life in “blue” this weekend and spectators did not give up coming in large numbers. Thousands of people gathered along the route to support the efforts of competitors in all 8 race formats. A festive and friendly atmosphere took over the streets to the delight of all.
Benjamin Chandelier, Director of the event declared “a new edition has just ended and it is with a smile on our faces that we close it. It's always very pleasant to organize an event in such a splendid setting between city and countryside. This weekend dedicated to running allowed locals to rediscover Geneva and foreigners to make them want to come back.”
“On behalf of the Organizing Committee, I congratulate each runner for their performance and the thousands of spectators who came to cheer them on. This event could not take place without the mobilization of our 1,000 volunteers. I would also like to thank the competent authorities and administrations of the Canton and the City of Geneva for their unfailing support, the city of Chêne-Bourg for the excellent organization of the departures, all the municipalities crossed by the routes as well as our faithful partners for their support. »
Registrations for 2020 are already open, don't waste time if you want to benefit from the best price: https://www.harmonygenevemarathon.com
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