Barno of Kenya, Merachi of Ethiopia win Los Angeles Marathon

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Elisha Barno of Kenya passed countryman John Korir with 150 meters to go to win the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday for the closest finish in the race’s 34-year history.

Ethiopia’s Askale Merachi won the women’s race and set a race record.

Barno crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 11 minutes, 46 seconds and beat Korir by seven seconds. It is the second time in three years that Barno has won at Los Angeles. He finished third last year.

Mexico’s Juan Luis Barrios was third in 2:11:59. Tyler McCandless was the top American finisher in 11th in 2:14:57.

Merachi finished in 2:24:12 to beat Kenya’s Cynthia Jerop by 1:43. She beat the race record, set by Lidiya Grigoryeva in 2006 (2:25:10) by nearly a minute.

Merachi and Jerop broke away from the pack at the midway point before Merachi took control over the last six miles.

Kenya’s Lucy Karimi was third (2:26:16). Lindsey Anderson was the top American in sixth at 2:34:45.