50km World Championships: Alyson Dixon breaks world record in first ultramarathon

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Alyson Dixon finished 18th at the World Athletics Championships marathon in 2017 and 28th at the 2016 Olympics

Great Britain's Alyson Dixon has broken the world record to win the 50km World Championships in Brasov, Romania.

Dixon, 40, was running her first ultramarathon and crossed in three hours seven minutes 20 seconds to knock over a minute off the previous record.

That mark was 3:08:39, set by South Africa's Frith van der Merwe in 1989.

Dixon, who was 28th in the 2016 Olympic marathon, led from the start to win ahead of fellow Briton Helen Davies (3:09:16) and Spain's Alicia Perez.

Dan Nash was third in the men's race in a time of 2:49:01, with Spain's Iraitz Arrospide winning it in 2:47:42 and South Africa's Lungile Gongqa the runner-up (2:48:26).

Both Dixon and Davies were under the previous British women's record of 3:15:43, set by Sue Harrison in 2010.