Ayana's result was 2:10:59 which is a new race record for the Riga Marathon. The previous race record of 2:11:45 belonged to Dominic Kangor Kimwetich from Kenya, who set it two years ago.
Silas Kiprono Too from Kenya was just 13 seconds behind Ayana, and his fellow countryman Joseph Kyengo Munywoki, the winner of the 2017 Riga Marathon, finished third this year.
The best of the Latvian male marathonists, Valerijs Zolnerovics, finished seventh (2:17:05).
The women's race was won by Georgina Jepkirui Rono from Kenya with 2:28:21, followed by Tigist Teshome Ayanu (Ethiopia) and Pauline Nujeri Kahenya (Kenya).
The best Latvian woman marathonist was Karina Helmane-Sorocenkova (2:55:13), who finished tenth.
Latvia's most successful long-distance runner, Jelena Prokopcuka, who gave birth to her second son in September last year, returned to the race track for the first time since Rio 2016 Olympic Games and finished fourth in half-marathon in Riga. In the past, Prokopcuka won the Riga Marathon five times in a row in 2012-2016.
As reported, the annual Riga Marathon has drawn a record-high number of runners this year – about 37,500 people from 70 countries.
