Frenchman and Kenyan win men's and women's Istanbul marathon

Kenyan-born Frenchman Abraham Kiprotich and Kenyan athlete Ruth Chepngetich have won the men's and women's events at the 39th annual Istanbul Marathon.

The marathon – the world’s only transcontinental race - began on the Asian side of Istanbul before crossing the Bosphorus strait to the European side on Sunday.

Thousands from around the world took part in the marathon which was also joined by dozens of elite athletes from several countries.

This year’s slogan for the race was: “We are running for the future of our children.”

The event hosted 86 elite athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia, Namibia, Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan, France, Serbia, Lithuania and Turkey. 

The race had five categories: 42 km, 15 km, 10 km, 8 km and a wheelchair race.

The race ended at the historic Sultanahmet Square on the city’s European side.

Vodafone was the main sponsor of the race organised by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Spor Istanbul.