The 23-year-old Ethiopian wanted to run the race faster than any woman had in the previous 22 editions of the half marathon.
Belainesh accomplished her goal with ease. The 2009 champion won the women's race in one hour, nine minutes and 57.6 seconds, beating the previous record (1:11:20) by more than a minute.
“It's a good, fast course, so I'm happy,” said Belainesh, who lives year-round in Flagstaff, Ariz. “I knew the record, and I pushed myself to beat it.”
If the race winner didn't break the record, the runner-up would have. In her first time running in Naples, Desiree Davila finished second in 1:10:33.1, almost a minute faster than the previous course best.
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