Kenya's Lawrence Cherono on Sunday retained his Amsterdam Marathon men's crown, breaking his own course record (set last year) by more than a minute.
The 30-year-old athlete was received with pomp and glory by a multitude of people at the Eldoret International Airport, who broke into song and dance.
Cherono told the media that his preparation was good enabling him to lower the course record in the Dutch capital.
"I did my training well since I came back from the London Marathon, where I didn't perform well because I had an injury. I was ready to tackle the field ahead," said Cherono.
“The weather was good, the wind slow and we had to run faster than last year. I thank God for giving me this talent and I hope to be here once again next year. I didn't want to run ahead of my competitors and I had to stay with them to the last few where kilometers, where I increased my pace and there was no reaction," added the champion.
Cherono said retaining the Amsterdam title and breaking his own course record was important for his career as he plots a major surprise in the next season.
"I will be waiting for my management to confirm if I will be participating in Honolulu Marathon later in December," said Cherono.