Adam Lipschitz charged to a new personal best in Spain on Sunday, rocketing up the all-time national rankings by finishing 25th at the Valencia Marathon in 2:08:55.
Running like a metronome, Lipschitz went through the half-marathon mark in 1:04:50, and he ran 25 seconds quicker in the second half.
The 30-year-old distance runner shattered his personal best of 2:13:01 which he set on debut in Valencia last year.
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Lipschitz climbed to 10th place in the national all-time list, becoming the 12th South African athlete to run under 2:09:00 over the classic 42km distance.
He also clocked the fastest time this year by a South African, taking one second off the 2:08:56 run by Elroy Gelant in Seville in February.
Women’s race
Meanwhile, former SA record holder Gerda Steyn finished 21st in the women’s race in Valencia in 2:28:14.
Though she faded in the second half, after going through the 21km mark in 1:11:49 (on target for a personal best), Steyn dipped under the 2:30:00 barrier for the fifth time in her career.
Further back, Carla Molinaro ended 55th in the women’s race in 2:38:35, setting a new career best.
Up front, Kenyan athlete Sebastian Sawe won the men’s contest in 2:02:05 and Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu secured victory in the women’s race in 2:16:49.
* Featured image of Adam Lipschitz at the Outsurance Gun Run (Facebook)
