Moroccan's marathon best

Khalid Khannouchi, of Morocco, set a world record for the marathon when he won the Chicago race yesterday in 2hr 5min 42sec, 23 seconds inside the Brazilian Ronaldo da Costa's mark.

Khalid Khannouchi, of Morocco, set a world record for the marathon when he won the Chicago race yesterday in 2hr 5min 42sec, 23 seconds inside the Brazilian Ronaldo da Costa's mark.

As he crossed the finish line, Khannouchi burst into tears and was enveloped by a bear hug from his wife, Sandra, his coach and agent. Khannouchi, a Moroccan who is applying for American citizenship, won $165,000 (£101,200) for his victory, including a $100,000 bonus for the world record.

Khannouchi, who also won Chicago in 1997, trailed Kenyan Moses Tanui by 33 seconds at the 21-mile (33.7-km) mark on a course that drew many of the world's top runners because of its relative ease. He eventually beat Tanui by 34 seconds.

David Morris, originally from Eagle River, Alaska, who now lives and trains in Japan, finished fourth and set an American record of 2:09:32. His previous best was 2:15:25 at Pittsburgh last year.

In the women's race, defending champion, Joyce Chepchumba, of Kenya, edged out compatriot Margaret Okayo in winning in 2:26:00.

In Venice, Julius Bitok beat fellow Kenyan Mark Saina by 10 seconds to win a waterlogged marathon in 2:10:34. Italy's Sonia Maccioni captured the women's race from Gadissa Pedato, of Ethiopia, in an event-record time of 2:28:54.

The runners slogged through large puddles up to their ankles in Venice, where tides and wind often push water from the Adriatic on to pavements and piazzas, a phenomenon known as acqua alta (high water).