Robert Ngeno and Betty Chepkwony Claim Victory at the Rome Marathon
Robert Ngeno and Betty Chepkwony led a Kenyan sweep at the 30th edition of the Run Rome the Marathon, marking a historic race that started at Fori Imperiali and finished at Circo Massimo for the first time.
Men’s Race: Ngeno Claims His First Marathon Victory
A lead group of eight runners—Luke Kiprop, Brian Kipsang, Robert Ngeno, Dominic Kiprono, Leonard Bor, Joshua Kogo, Fredrick Kibii, and Samwel Kiptoo—set an aggressive pace, passing 5 km in 14:50, 10 km in 29:54, and reaching the halfway point in 1:03:25, projecting a sub-2:08 finish.
By the 30 km mark, seven runners remained in contention, maintaining a pace of 2:07:45. At 36 km, a Kenyan quartet—Ngeno, Kipsang, Kogo, and Kibii—broke away from the rest of the field.
Ngeno surged at 37 km, quickly building a 10-second lead over Kipsang, which he extended to over 20 seconds by 40 km. He crossed the finish line in 2:07:35, claiming his first career marathon victory and shattering his previous personal best of 2:10:16 from Buenos Aires 2023.
Kipsang finished second in 2:07:58, improving his personal best by two seconds, while Kogo secured third place in 2:08:01. Kibii, the 2024 Stockholm Marathon champion, took fourth in 2:08:10, followed by Hammington Cherop (2:09:21) and Samwel Kiptoo (2:09:44). European champion Daniele Meucci was the top Italian finisher, placing eighth in 2:12:44.
Women’s Race: Chepkwony Reclaims Her Rome Marathon Title
In the women’s race, an early lead pack of eight runners, including Lilian Jebitok, Rebecca Kangogo, Maeregu Hayelom Shegae, Betty Chepkwony, Gebre Fente Selam, Lilian Jelagat, Beatrice Jepkemei, and Euliter Tanui, passed the 5 km mark in 17:11. By 15 km, only five remained: Kangogo, Jebitok, Shegae, Chepkwony, and Gebre.
At the halfway mark, a front-running trio of Chepkwony, Gebre, and Kangogo had pulled away from the rest of the field, building a 1:32 lead by 25 km. Gebre then pushed the pace, creating a 13-second gap over Chepkwony at 35 km, but Chepkwony responded strongly, closing in at 38 km and surging past her rival at 40 km.
Chepkwony maintained her lead to the finish, winning in 2:26:16—securing her second Rome Marathon title, two years after her 2023 victory in a personal best of 2:23:02. Gebre finished second in 2:28:22, while Kangogo took third in 2:31:12.
