LONDON -- World-record holder Wilson Kipsang won the London Marathon for the second time on Sunday, producing a course-record time to see off a strong field despite arriving late in the British capital after his passport was stolen.
The 32-year-old Kenyan completed the 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometre) route in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 29 seconds -- 11 seconds inside the previous fastest run in London by Emmanuel Mutai in 2011.
"I was really feeling good and I controlled the guys" said Kipsang, who also won the 2012 race.
Compatriot Stanley Biwott was 26 seconds adrift in second, and deposed London champion Tsegaye Kebede was just over two minutes behind Kipsang in third, but it was a disappointing full marathon debut for Mo Farah.
In a city bathed in sunshine, Londoners came out to cheer the home favourite only to see him finish eighth, almost four minutes behind Kipsang. But despite failing to match his track feats in the city in 2012, when he won the 5,000 and 10,000 metre-titles at the Olympics, Farah will return for another shot at the marathon.
"I'm not going to finish it like this," Farah said. "I'll be back. It's a matter of experience and learning."
Before Kipsang's dominating performance, there was a sprint finish in the women's race in front of Buckingham Palace, and two-time world champion Edna Kiplagat won at her fourth attempt.
After twice finishing second in London, the 34-year-old Kenyan completed in 2:20:21 -- 3 seconds ahead of compatriot and namesake, Florence Kiplagat.
In the women's wheelchair race, Tatyana McFadden swapped the slopes for the streets as she successfully defended her London title with a dominant performance, winning in a course record time of 1:45:11. Her win came a month after the 24-year-old American collected her first Winter Paralympics medal -- silver in cross-country skiing in Sochi.
"I was not in my chair for three weeks," McFadden said. "It was a tough race, but I stayed calm and relaxed, and I tried to use the downhills as much as I could."
