Marathon Record Lowered By 21 Seconds

Kenya's Patrick Makau ran the Berlin Marathon on Sunday in a new world record time — 2 hours, 3 minutes and 38 seconds. He shaved 21 seconds off the previous record, set by Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie on the same course in 2008.

Gebrselassie was among Makau's competitors in Sunday's race. The Ethiopian great did not finish the marathon, though. An asthma sufferer, his lungs tightened up. Afterward, on Twitter, Gebrselassie congratulated the new record holder, saying:

"It is great to see a new generation and I would love to race them for some time."

Makau's per-mile average time, by the way, was about 4 minutes, 43 seconds. Makau, appropriately enough, is 26-years-old.

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