Athens, Greece- In a rare victory for a non-Kenyan in a major Marathon, Abdelkerim Boubker of Morocco won the Athens Classic Marathon on Sunday (13th of November) morning, taking exactly one minute off the event record with 2:11:40.

Boubker, 30, had to overcome more than the all conquering Kenyans, and one of the toughest courses in the world. He also had to contend with some of the worst conditions in the 30 year history of the event. There was the expected tailwind off the Aegean Seas for some of the way on the road from Marathon to Athens, but the cold, wet, and swirling breeze elsewhere more than cancelled any advantage, and with temperatures barely reaching 10C, it was a hard way to set a personal best in his fifth marathon.

The women's race was competitive to within view of the finish at the Panatheniko, the antique marble stadium. Elfnesh Melaku of Ethiopia and Kamila Khanipova of Ukraine ran shoulder to shoulder for close to 42k, before Maleku sprinted away, to win in 2:35:25 with the Ukrainian just 6 seconds back.

The event was timed by the Greeke ChampionChip in cooperation with the EvoChip Hungary Ltd. with MYLAPS ChampionChip technology.