Kenyan runners took the podium in the Sofia Classic Marathon after Kennedy Kipkemoi Rono won the men's race with a time of 2:15:21, and Winnie Jebet triumphed among women with a new course record of 2:27:50.
The 43rd edition of the Wizz Air Sofia Marathon attracted a record number of participants. More than 12,000 runners took part in the different distances over the two competition days, and over 2,000 of them were foreigners from 70 countries.
Rono wins again in Sofia
Kennedy Kipkemoi Rono finished first in the classic marathon with a time of 2:15:21. The Kenyan overtook his compatriot Peter Muriti Wahome, who finished in 2:16:43. The bronze medal went to Hilary Kipchumba with a time of 2:18:01.
The three Kenyans, along with Moroccan Mohamed Chaaboud, broke away from the others early in the race. Wahome tried an attack in the second half of the distance and managed to build a lead of over 10 seconds.
The 35th kilometer proved decisive. Wahome experienced difficulties and slowed down, which allowed Rono to take the lead and maintain the lead until the finish. The winner was only 17 seconds away from the course record.
Rono knows the Bulgarian courses well. Last year he won the Sofia half marathon, and in 2026 he triumphed in the Stara Zagora marathon.
Djebet sets new women's record
A similar development took place in the women's race. The Kenyans took the top three places, with Winnie Djebet winning in 2:27:50 and improving the previous course record by more than five minutes.
Stella Chepkorir started extremely strongly and had a lead of over three minutes at the 21st kilometer. After the 35th kilometer, however, her pace dropped and Jebet overtook her.
Chepkorir finished second with 2:35:00, and last year's winner Chelangat Sang remained third with 2:35:18.
Kolyo Raychinov and Marinela Nineva were the fastest Bulgarians
Kolyo Raychinov performed best among the Bulgarian men, taking ninth place with a time of 2:29:32. Veteran Shaban Mustafa finished tenth with 2:32:33 hours, and Simeon Dilovski came in 11th with 2:33:31 hours.
In the women's race, Marinela Nineva finished sixth with a time of 2:43:11 hours.
Kenyan podiums in the half marathon as well
Kenyan representatives also dominated the 21.1 kilometer races. In the men's race, Albert Kipkorir Tonui won with a time of 1:05:02 hours. 21-year-old John Chege Waweru finished second with 1:05:38 hours, and Boniface Mburu Mungai came third with 1:07:19 hours.
The best Bulgarian performance was performed by Nikolay Kaufman from “Etar“ (Veliko Tarnovo), who took fifth place with 1:07:44. Four more Bulgarians made it into the top 10 – Petar Borisov finished sixth, Nikolay Stoychev eighth, Metodi Georgiev ninth, and Yoan Magerov tenth.
In the women's race, Karen Chepkemoy Chepkwoni was the winner with 1:16:34. After her, Dolphin Kemunto Nyagaka finished with 1:17:07 and Esther Kakuri with 1:19:29. Bulgarian Simona Nedelcheva came fourth with 1:25:25.
Over 12,000 participants turned the marathon into a sporting celebration
The start of the classic distance was given on the “Alexander Battenberg“ square in front of the National Gallery by Lyubomir Ganev – Vice President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, Anatoly Iliev – the main organizer of the marathon, and the representative of Wizz Air Dorka Tserepi.
The start of the half marathon was given by Dimitar Shalafov, Chairman of the “Sofia – European Capital of Sport“ Foundation, and MEP Andrey Kovachev.
The winners were awarded by Lyubomir Ganev, the sports director of the marathon Militsa Mircheva and the deputy mayor of Sofia Georgi Klisurski.
This year's edition marked a record in terms of the number of participants who started – over 12,000 people walked the streets and boulevards of the capital, about 4,000 more than last fall. Over 5,000 runners started in the two long distances on Sunday alone. More than 120 people took part in the new 2x21 km relay, and corporate registrations exceeded 150 teams.
Eight refreshment points were organized along the route and another one at the finish. Nine music stages contributed to the atmosphere, and over 300 volunteers helped to organize the event.
With its international popularity and record number of participants, the Wizz Air Sofia Marathon continues to strengthen its position among the significant sporting events in the region and attract more and more running enthusiasts from Bulgaria and abroad.
The next, 44th edition of the Sofia Marathon, is planned for October 9 and 10, 2027.
Sources: bta.bg