Kenyan's Mark Kiptoo came second clocking 28:15 second followed by Bernard Kipyego from Kenya at 28:24 seconds at the event which saw a turnout of over 23,000, comprising of participants from all walks of life, including students.
Merga was the winner of the Houston and Boston Marathon and of the Delhi half marathon.
Kenyan Wilson Kipsang, who was touted to give stiff competition to Merga, given the fact that he was second behind Kipsang in the Ras-al-Khaimah half marathon early this year, came fourth clocking 28:30 seconds.
In the overall Elite Women's section it was again Ethopia that clinched the first position with Mergia Asslefech, the hot favorite, clocking 32:08 seconds..
Mary Keitany of Kenya came second at 32:09 seconds followed by Ethopia's Aberu Kebede at 32:11 second followed by the Kenyan-born Dutch woman, Hilda Kibet ranked fourth at 32.22 seconds. The Dutch woman who has had the fastest time amongst the elite women with a personal best of 31:01 which she clocked in Holland last year, failed to beat Mergia, known for her strong sprint finish.
The event which saw long-distance African running superpowers vie for the title, witnessed some interesting moments as the titans clashed on the roads.
It was a close finish in the elite women category as Asslefech reached the finish just one second ahead of Mary. It was a neck-and-neck fight between Olympian Mergia and silver medallist Mary, forcing Mary to settle for the second spot.
In the beginning it appeared that the race belonged to the Ethopian atheletes, but Mary overtook Aberu, pushing the athelete to the third position.
A dissapointed Mary said "though I was leading right from the beginning, I could not maintain my stamina just near the winning post".
Mergia bagged the prize money of USD 21,000 while Mary took home USD 10,000 and Aberu 5000.