Cheptai 31:13.58, Lagat 27:49.35 in Classy Payton Jordan Invitational 10,000m Races

Published by IAAF on May 1, 2016

The local headlines in California were dominated by Bernard Lagat running 27:49.35, the 41-year-old two-time world champion taking well over half-a-minute off the previous 10,000m best by an over-40 runner, but Irene Cheptai’s world-leading 31:13:58 also commanded a huge amount of attention at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Stanford, USA on Sunday (1).

Lagat, the 2007 1500m and 5000m world champion was making his debut over 25 laps of the track and, after comfortably ticking off 66 and 67-second laps for the majority of the race, he produced a last 400m of 58.81 to hold off Suguru Osako down the home straight, the Japanese athlete clocking 27:50.25 for second place.

Cheptai, like Lagat, was making her debut over the longest championship event on the track and led no less than 18 women home under 32 minutes.