Record-breaker Pinto wins marathon

Antonio Pinto celebrates running a superb race

Click here for the race results.

Portugal's Antonio Pinto set a new course record and European best to win the men's London marathon.

The 34-year-old star, who has never been out of the first three in six attempts at the race, pulled away from the strongest ever field and never looked in danger of being caught.

The victory was Pinto's third in the London marathon

He crossed the finish line in a time of 2hrs 6mins 35secs - the fifth fastest time ever recorded for a marathon - to claim the £130,000 first prize.

Defending champion, Abdelkader El Mouaziz, was almost one minute slower. Khalid Khannouchi, who after just three marathons had never been beaten, finished third in 2:08.36.

Olympic champion Josia Thugwane, although finishing in eighth place, clocked 2:10.29, guaranteeing him the chance to defend his title in Sydney.

First-placed Briton Mark Steinle booked his Olympic place, finishing in a time of 2:11:02.

Kenyan glory

Earlier, Kenya's Tegla Loroupe claimed first place in the women's race with a time of 2:24.33.

Romania's Lidia Simon, last year's World Championships bronze medallist, finished second.

World half-marathon champion, Tegla Loroupe, claimed the women's prize

Loroupe, the world half-marathon champion, finished ahead of fellow Kenyan and reigning champion, third-placed Joyce Chepchumba.

Australian Kerryn McCann made the initial break after the pacemakers dropped out at the halfway stage but could not shake off Loroupe or Simon as the elite field went over Tower Bridge.

Loroupe reduced Norwegian Ingrid Kristiansen's world record to 2:20:47 aided by male pacemakers in the 1998 Rotterdam marathon and, again assisted by men, set the current best of 2:20:43 in Berlin last year.

Great Britain's Kevin Papworth won the wheelchair marathon.

The event attracted 32,620 registered runners, most of whom were just hoping to reach the finishing line.

Celebrity joggers

Boxer Prince Naseem Hamed, the WBO featherweight champion, started the hordes of runners from Blackheath Common, south London, as they set off to run, jog and wince their way around the city.

Celebrity runners included former boxing champ Frank Bruno and ex-tennis star Annabel Croft.

Actor Jonny Lee Miller, best known for his role in hit movie Trainspotting, was the best of the celebrity runners with a time of 3hrs 2mins.

"My legs feel awful but the rest of me feels fantastic," he said. "I'll definitely do it again."

The BBC's Blue Peter presenter Simon Thomas came in at 3hrs 13mins and said: "My arms are more tired than my legs because I was waving at people."

'Unique experience'

But British Olympic sprinter Roger Black, in his first marathon, admitted he had been overtaken by a 65-year-old woman, and then a "bloke dressed as a dalmatian".

"It was hard work - harder than anything I've ever done before - but it was a great crowd and a unique experience," he said.

Among this year's fancy dress runners were a number of amateurs running together in a costume in the shape of a London double-decker bus.

The oldest competitor was a 90-year-old man from the United States.

Official results

Men:

1. Antonio Pinto (Portugal) 2hrs 6mins 36secs
2. Abdelkader El Mouaziz (Morocco) 2:07:33
3. Khalid Khannouchi (Morocco) 2:08:36
4. William Kiplagat (Kenya) 2:09:06
5. Hendrick Ramaala (South Africa) 2:09:43
6. Stefano Baldini (Italy) 2:09:45
7. Mathias Ntawulikura (Burundi) 2:09:55
8. Josiah Thugwane (South Africa) 2:10:29
9. Mohammed Nazipov (Russia) 2:10:35
10. Danilo Goffi (Italy) 2:10:54
11. Mark Steinle (Britain) 2:11:18
12. Gert Thys (South Africa) 2:11:32
13. Shem Kororia (Kenya) 2:12:28
14. Patrick Ndayisenga (Burundi) 2:13:28
15. Keith Cullen (Britain) 2:13:37
16. John Mutai (Kenya) 2:14:55
17. Jamie Lewis (Ireland) 2:15:07
18. Mark Hudspith (Britain) 2:15:16
19. Sergio Jiminez (Mexico) 2:15:37
20. Billy Burns (Britain) 2:15:42

Women:

1. Tegla Loroupe (Kenya) 2hrs 24mins 33secs
2. Lidia Simon (Romania) 2:24:56
3. Joyce Chepchumba (Kenya) 2:24:57
4. Adriana Fernandez (Mexico) 2:25:42
5. Kerryn McCann (Australia) 2:25:59
6. Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia) 2:26:09
7. Maria Guida (Italy) 2:26:12
8. Lyubov Morgunova (Russia) 2:26:33
9. Manuela Machado (Portugal) 2:26:41
10. Svetlana Zakharova (Russia) 2:28:11
11. Zinaida Semenova (Russia) 2:28:46
12. Ham Pong-Sil (South Korea) 2:29:08
13. Esther Kiplagat (Kenya) 2:30:30
14. Ramilia Burangulova (Russia) 2:31:14
15. Cleusa Irineu (Brazil) 2:35:11
16. Silvana Trampuz (Australia) 2:36:32
17. Kim Chang-Ok (South Korea) 2:36:39
18. Patricia Jardon (Mexico) 2:37:05
19. Theresa Duffy (Ireland) 2:38:30
20. Lynne McDougal (Britain) 2:38:32

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