Kipchoge wins third London Marathon as Farah breaks British record

Athletics - London Marathon - London, Britain - April 22, 2018 Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge crosses the finish line to win the men's elite race REUTERS/Paul Childs

LONDON (Reuters) - Eliud Kipchoge defied soaring temperatures to win the London Marathon for a third time on Sunday, while Mo Farah finished in an impressive third place, breaking the British record in the process.

Kipchoge raced out of the start, with the leading group registering a blistering opening mile of four minutes 22 seconds, but the Kenyan could not maintain that pace as temperatures rose over 20 degrees Celsius.

Farah, who overcame early problems with his drinks bottle, fell well behind Kipchoge but still registered a time of 2:06:21 to break Steve Jones’s British record achieved in 1985.

Athletics - London Marathon - London, Britain - April 22, 2018 Winner, Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge celebrates with second placed, Ethiopia's Tola Shura Kitata and third placed, Britain's Mo Farah after the men's elite race REUTERS/Paul Childs

Having taken a break from the London Marathon last year to try to run a sub-two-hour marathon in Italy, Kipchoge returned to add to his 2015 and 2016 titles with ease, finishing ahead of Ethiopia’s Tola Shura Kitata in 2:04:17, two minutes 20 seconds off Dennis Kimmetto’s world record.

The original finishing times given for the race were revised after organisers discovered a computer error.

(The story is refiled to change times after official correction from organisers.)

Athletics - London Marathon - London, Britain - April 22, 2018 Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge in action during the men's elite race REUTERS/Andrew Boyers

(Reporting by Pete Hall; Editing by Clare Fallon)

Athletics - London Marathon - London, Britain - April 22, 2018 Britain's Mo Farah finishes third in the men's elite race REUTERS/Paul Childs