Newly-crowned Amsterdam Marathon champion Angela Tanui said she was devastated to learn of the death of World 10,000m bronze medalist Agnes Tirop and wanted to honour her with a win.
Tanui clocked 2:17:57 to smash the course record on her way to victory and went one better than her previous personal best of 2:20:08, set at the Xiamen Marathon in Siena, Italy in April this year.
Fellow Kenyan Maureen Chepkemoi finished second in 2:20:18 ahead of Ethiopian Haven Hailu (2:20:19) in third.
"It was a terrible death and today I came here to run and win. I came and even set a course record and this mark will always be in memory that it was the day I ran in honour of Agnes Tirop," Tanui, who wore a white ribbon on her singlet in memory of the fallen athlete, said.
The Guilette e Romeo Half Marathon champion was a late entrant to the race after she had failed to make the start list for the Boston Marathon.
Although she was part of the leading pack — which included Chepkemoi, and the Ethiopian trio of Hailu, Gabiyanesh Ayele and Worknesh Alemu — Tanui seemed to biding her time for the first 30km.
From then on, she took control of the race, pulling ahead of the rest with an 11-second lead, which she held on to smash the course record previously held by Ethiopia's Degitu Azimeraw who set 2:19:26 in 2019.
It was a different story in the men's race where Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola cut the tape in a course record of 2:03:39, ahead of Kenyan Bernard Koech (2:04:09) and fellow countryman Leul Gebresilase (2:04:07) in second and third respectively.
It was the first time in 11 years that a Kenyan has failed to win the men's race in the Dutch capital.
Overall, however, it was a productive weekend for Kenyans as other marathoners shone in other road races elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Elisha Rotich set a course record of 2:04:23 on his way to victory in the Paris Marathon as Ethiopian Hailelmaryam Kiros (2:04:42) and another Kenyan, Hillary Kipsambu (2:04:45) finished second and third, respectively.
Similarly, 25-year old Kenyan, Lydia Simiyu, smashed the course record for the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, timing 2:25:44 to finish first ahead of compatriot Lucy Karimi who clocked 2:25:56 in second.
Ethiopian Aynalem Teferi finished third in 2:26:12 in a race held under wet conditions.
In the men's results, the fastest Kenyan was Alex Saekwo who clocked 2:10:59 to finish fifth in a race won by South African Stephen Mokoka.
