Amane Gobena wins L.A. Marathon women’s race, gender bonus

Amane Gobena of Ethiopia won the women’s race and Gebo Burka of Ethiopia won the men’s race in the 29th Asics L.A. Marathon.

Gobena, 31, won in 2 hours 27 minutes 37 seconds, collecting $25,000 for the victory.

Burka, 26, clocked a 2:10:37 to win a marathon for the first time. He also won $25,000.

Gobena won $50,000 for winning the gender “challenge.” The women were given a 17:41 head start and Gobena finished 41 seconds ahead of Burka.

Joshua George won the men’s wheelchair race in 1:33:11.

Tigist Tufa of Ethiopia was second in 2:28:04 and Lauren Kleppin of the United States was third in 2:28:48 in the women’s race.

Lani Rutto of Kenya was second in 2:10:48 and defending champion Erick Mose third in 2:12:56 in the men’s race.

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With 6.2 miles left in the 29th annual Asics L.A. Marathon, two women and two men are pulling away in their respective races.

Tigist Tufa of Ethiopia clocked 1 hour 51 minutes 9 seconds for a narrow lead over Amane Gobena in the women’s race.

Lani Rutto of Kenya clocked 1:39:53 for a slight lead over Ethiopia’s Gebo Burka in the men’s race.

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Ethiopia’s Tigist Tufa and Amane Gobena have broken away from the lead women’s pack at the 18-mile mark in the 29th Asics L.A. Marathon.

Tufa clocked 1 hour 45 minutes 34 seconds through 19 miles.

Lani Rutto of Kenya, Gebo Burka of Ethiopia and Dawit Wolde of Ethiopia are leading the men’s race in the 19th mile.

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Habtamu Asefa of Ethiopia leads a group of five runners who appear to be pulling away at the halfway mark in the men’s race of the 29th Asics L.A. Marathon.

Asefa passed the 13.1-mile mark in 1 hour 5 minutes 57 seconds.

Defending champion Erick Mose fell off the pace. Kenyan Julius Keter, who finished second last year, is in the lead pack.

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American Lauren Kleppin leads the women’s race of the 29th L.A. Marathon at the halfway point.

Kleppin clocked 1 hour 12 minutes 43 seconds for 13.1 miles.

Kenya’s Benjamin Kiptoo leads the men’s race through 11 miles in 55:41.

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Ethiopia’s Amane Gobena leads the women’s field after 10 miles of the 29th annual Asics LA Marathon.

Gobena passed the marker in 55 minutes 35 seconds and has been running most of the race with a pack of four other Ethiopian competitors.

American Lauren Kleppin had fallen off the pace, but caught the pack as they moved into the 11th mile.

Habtamu Asefa of Ethiopia leads the men’s race through eight miles in 40:46.

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Bruktayit Eshetu of Ethiopia leads the women at the 5-mile mark of the 29th Asics L.A. Marathon.

Eshetu clocked 28 minutes 19 seconds. The 23-year-old from the city of Addis Ababa, has a personal best of 2:26:22 this year at the Houston Marathon.

Benjamin Kiptoo of Kenya leads the men’s race after three miles with a time of 15:05.

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Defending champion Erick Mose of Kenya and a field of 17 elite men’s runners have begun the 29th annual Asics LA Marathon.

Mose, 27, won the 2013 race in 2 hours 49 minutes 43 seconds.

Julius Keter of Kenya, who finished second last year in 2:10:31, is also in the field.

Benjamin Kiptoo of Kenya has the fastest personal best. He ran 2:06:31 in Paris in 2011.

The men started 17 minutes 41 seconds behind the elite women. The first man or woman to cross the finish line wins a $50,000 challenge bonus.

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A field of 10 elite women have begun the 29th annual Asics L.A. Marathon with temperatures in the 50s.

Ethiopians Amane Gobena, who finished second in 2009, and Genet Getaneh are among the competitors.

Gobena’s best marathon time is 2 hours 23 minutes 50 seconds, Getaneh’s is 2:25:38.

Americans Kristen Fryburg-Zaitz and Lauren Kleppin have run 2:37:06 and 2:42:17, respectively.

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Temperatures are expected to be in the low 60s Sunday morning when more than 25,000 participants begin the 29th L.A. Marathon.

The 26.2-mile race begins at Dodger Stadium and will wind through communities such as Chinatown, downtown Los Angeles, Silverlake and Hollywood before moving through West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Veterans Administration property before finishing in Santa Monica.

Non-elite runners moving at slower paces will feel it warm significantly as the race progresses. Temperatures in Los Angeles are expected to reach the 80s, with Santa Monica expected to be in the low to mid-70s.

Erick Mose of Kenya is the defending men’s champion. Race officials said Solomon Kandie of Kenya was a late addition to what is now a 17-competitor men’s elite field.

There are 10 elite women competing, including Amane Gobena, who finished second in 2009.

The men’s and women’s winners earn $25,000.

Women will start 17 minutes 41 seconds ahead of the men. The first runner to cross the finish line will earn an additional $50,000 “challenge” bonus. Aleksandra Duliba of Belarus won the women’s race and the challenge in 2013. She is not competing in the LA Marathon this year.

Women have won the gender “challenge” six times, men four.