From Runnersworld.com:
Tegla Loroupe sets 25,000 Meters World Record
It's taken us some time to learn about this, but back on September 21, Tegla Loroupe broke the world record for the rarely contested 25,000 meters track run.
In celebration of the opening of a new track in Mengerskirchen, Germany, Loroupe shattered the old world record of 1:29:29.2 set by Karolin Szabo of Hungary back in a 30,000 meters race in April of 1988. However, we're not exactly sure of Loroupe's official finish time as results posted to the Leichtathletik club Mengerskirchen website show her finishing in 1:27:05.84, while a set of split times total up to 1:27:04.89.
Loroupe was joined by three other Kenyans and a German. Mary Ptikany finished a close second, also under the old record at 1:27:06.22. Emily Kimuria was third in 1:30:48.25, Rita Weider fourth, well over 130 minutes. Beatrice Chepkemei was disqualified for reasons unknown.
This is the third long distance track world record that Loroupe has set in Germany. In 1998 she ran 11 miles, 696 yards for an hour in Borgholzhausen and in 2000 she ran 1:05:26.6 for 20,000 meters in that same city.
Tegla Loroupe smashed the 25,000 meters
track world record at a meet sponsored by
the Leichtathletik club Mengerskirchen;
photo from Leichtathletik club Mengerskirchen.
One record still left for Loroupe is Szabo's 30,000 meters track record of 1:47:05.6.
It should be noted that since 25,000 meters is so rarely run on the track, the new record still pales in comparison to times achieved on the road. Loroupe herself passed 25 kilometers in 1:23:15 during her marathon world record at Berlin in 1999 and Naoko Takahashi posted a 1:22:31 at that same point last year in Berlin. With a running start, Catherine Ndereba ran 25 consecutive kilometers from 15-K to 40-K at the 2001 Chicago Marathon in an unofficial 1:21:05.
Loroupe is planning to run the Amsterdam Marathon on October 20. After her run at Mengerskirchen she said, "I wanted to show that I am still very alive. To save myself for Amsterdam I did no more here than was necessary."