Great Manchester Run 2015 Results: Men and Women's Top Finishers

Europe’s biggest 10km race took centre stage on Sunday, as elite runners, celebrities and the British public took part in the Great Manchester Run.

While many competitors were running for charity and some donning elaborate fancy dress, there were some serious scores to settle in the elite competitions.

The women’s elite kicked things off, and it was Betsy Saina who reigned supreme with an outstanding run on her Great Manchester Run debut.

Harry Engels/Getty Images

Saina crossed the line with a time of 31 minutes and 49 seconds, but the tone was set from the start, as she stormed out of the traps and left the field behind her.

The Kenyan has enjoyed a strong season in 2015, and the way she ran on Sunday showed that she’s ready for bigger and better things.

Athletics Weekly editor Jason Henderson echoed as much, suggesting that next year’s Olympics could be on Saina’s agenda:

Caroline Kilel kept the early pace with Saina, but the Commonwealth silver medallist soon fell away, allowing Great Britain’s Gemma Steel to power through.

Steel, however, remained around eight seconds behind the leader for the duration, and even though she pushed hard toward the end, Saina was just too strong.

Edna Kiplagat followed behind Steel in third, as Great Run’s results confirmed:

The attention was on former European champion Jo Pavey returning to long-distance running, but a 10th-place finish wasn’t what she had in mind.

Still, there were encouraging signs for the Brit, who is targeting a return in Rio next year.

The day very much belonged to Saina, however, with her gold medal well deserved in a competitive field.

The men’s race was full of big names, including American Bernard Lagat and Wilson Kipsang, but it was two Stephens, Mokoka and Sambu, who set the early pace.

And what a pace it was. The duo were eating up the kilometres with minimal fuss, hitting 5 km in just short of 14 minutes, much to the amazement of journalist Dan Church:

It was Sambu who was racing smartly, though, as he trotted behind Mokoka and waited for his perfect moment to strike.

That moment came in the seventh kilometre, as he pulled clear of his rival to set a superb time of 27 minutes and 38 seconds.

Mokoka came in second eight seconds later, while Lagat, who trains with Sambu, took the bronze medal—per RunBlogRun:

Sambu’s finishing time was the third-fastest ever recorded at the Great Manchester Run, and just nine seconds off of world-record pace, per BBC.

Sambu is looking to take part in the Rio Olympics in 2016, and based on his form in Manchester, he’ll be one to watch.

The strides were perfect, the timing of attacks spectacular and the result simply stunning. Such form could bring more gold medals around the talented Kenyan’s neck.