Philadelphia Marathon: Diriba Yigezu wins men’s race; Feyne Gemeda breaks women’s record
Feyne set the female course record, beating the previous one by three seconds, while Yigezu improved upon his third place finish a year ago.
Diriba Degefa Yigezu is the first male runner to cross the finish line on Eakins Oval and win the Philadelphia Marathon with a time of 2:16:30, on November 24, 2019.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
An expression of relief and achievement swept across the face of Diriba Degefa Yigezu as he crossed the finish line first in the Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday with a time of 2 hours, 16 minutes, 31 seconds.
Last year, the Ethiopian finished second in the Philadelphia Marathon’s 8K event. He was so disappointed he decided to run in the marathon the next day but finished third with a time that would have won the race the year before.
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In 2019, there was cold wind and rain but no disappointment. Yigezu, fittingly wearing bib No. 3, was all alone on top.
“It feels really good, I trained really hard,” said Yigezu, who took the lead just before the seventh mile and never lost it. “The rain made it very hard but I got through. ... It just feels so good.”
Diriba Degefa Yigezu wins the Philadelphia Marathon with a time of 2:16:30.
Minutes later, the bundled-up crowd on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway witnessed dramatic history as Feyne Gudeto Gemeda beat the female course record by 3 seconds with a time of 2:32:48.
The elite runners take off at the starting line of the Philadelphia Marathon on the Ben Franklin Parkway on a wet and cold Sunday morning.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Craig Healy, of Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania , dressed as Santa Claus and threw candy as he ran the marathon.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Brendan Shearn, from Philadelphia, warms up in the cold and the rain prior to the start of the Philadelphia Marathon.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Elite runners warm up in the cold and the rain on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway before the race.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Runners take off down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Volunteers stuff large plastic bags with the discarded outerwear that runners removed before beginning the Philadelphia Marathon.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Runners break from the starting line on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the Philadelphia Marathon.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
With the finish line in sight and the tape ready to be broken, Diriba Degefa Yigezu, the winner of the Philadelphia Marathon runs toward the end of his race, as spectators yell encouragement along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Feyne Gudeto Gemeda is the first female to cross the finish line in the Philadelphia Marathon with a time of 2:32:47.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Marathon female winner Feyne Gudeto Gemeda goes to her knees after crossing the finish line.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Kristian Tjornhom collapses at the finish line after running a 2:28:35 marathon and finishing in 18th place.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Marathon runners are reflected in the wet asphalt of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, as a cold rain fell at the 7 a.m. start of the race.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Marathon participants run near the Mother Bethel AME Church on 6th & Lombard St. in Philadelphia. Members of the church gathered to sing and cheer for the marathon runners.Read moreJOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photographer
Dressed in rain gear and gloves, a Philadelphia Marathon runner starts his race.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Participants run through the streets of Old City during the 2019 Philadelphia Marathon.Read moreJOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photographer
Elizabeth Ware, sings for marathon participants as they run near the Mother Bethel AME Church on 6th & Lombard Street.Read moreJOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photographer
Pope Dee, of King of Prussia, runs during the 2019 Philadelphia Marathon.Read moreJOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photographer
Tyrone Neal, sings for Marathon participants as they run near the Mother Bethel AME Church on 6th & Lombard Street.Read moreJOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Police officers Joe Henderson, left, and Joe Kelly, right, cheer for a runner during the 2019 Philadelphia Marathon.Read moreJOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photographer
Churchgoer Leslie Tyler sings and cheers for marathon participants as they pass through the Mother Bethel AME Church.Read moreJOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photographer
Gemeda knew what was at stake and pushed hard through the last few hundred feet before falling to the ground just past the finish line. With the Ethiopian flag draped around her back, she was able to rise to her feet minutes later to celebrate her achievement.
“I’m very happy with the record,” Gemeda said through an interpreter. “I was training very hard. I was pushing to run under 2:32 but the rain and wind was very challenging so I’m happy with how I finished.”
Feyne Gudeto Gemeda finished first in the female category of the Philadelphia Marathon with a course-record time of 2:32:48. She beat the record by three seconds. pic.twitter.com/QnVggy6rrW
Ethan Rissell was the first Philadelphian to cross the finish line, with a time of 2:35 even. The 30-year-old previously lived outside of Harrisburg and in Conshohocken but moved to Roxborough in January.
Rissell’s friend told him Saturday night that he had a good chance to finish first among Philadelphians. Through the last 10 miles of his third marathon, he said it was all he could think about.
“I was on the fence about doing a marathon this fall," Rissell said. “Doing the Philly Marathon was a big factor because now it feels like my hometown race. It’s really awesome.”
Lauren Kelly finished first among Philadelphia women with a time of 2:52:25. Michelle Wheeler took the wheelchair title with a time of 2:31:49. Phoenixville’s T. Lawrence Way, at 71, finished first among hand cyclers at 2:37:59.
The misty rain blowing through chilly early-morning winds didn’t deter thousands of spectators whose ponchos and bright jackets created a bright rainbow lining along the track. Hundreds of volunteers in neon vests trudged through the Benjamin Parkway mud and directed the eager supporters, unfazed by the conditions.
“This is running weather,” shouted one volunteer. “What could be better?”
