Boston Marathon
Taken from iaaf.org
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Boston, Massachusetts, USA - After all the talk about a possible American victor here in the men’s race, the first in more than two decades, and all the talk about a classic women’s duel between a Latvian and a Japanese, the planets realigned themselves and order was restored Monday at the Boston Marathon when two Kenyans broke the tape. Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (2:07:14) made it 14 wins for Kenyan men since 1991, and Rita Jeptoo (2:23:38) gave Kenyan women six wins here in seven years.
Cheruiyot back on top
For Cheruiyot, the win broke a long dry spell since winning here in 2003, which included a fifth place at the ING New York City Marathon last fall and an ignominious 12th (2:14:23) at the LaSalle Banks Chicago Marathon in 2004. Yet this year Cheruiyot seemed to rededicate himself by training with marathon world record holder Paul Tergat. And early on when fellow countryman Benjamin Maiyo impulsively picked up the pace to an almost absurd speed (the half marathon was covered in 1:02:44; only Juma Ikaanga in 1990 ran faster, 1:02:01), it was course veteran Cheruiyot, who dropped back, thinking enough on his feet to save himself for later.
Maiyo and American Meb Keflezighi dueled early in the second half of the race. That friction vaulted Maiyo into the open and left Keflezighi, the first real American hope for a win here since Greg Meyer won in 1983, quad-less by the time he hit the Newton Hills. Meanwhile, Cheruiyot was a tall thin figure in the distance. And that distance was closing.
Awfully fast. He went by Ethiopia’s Deriba Merga, then Keflezighi. Cheruiyot caught Maiyo at mile 20, but refused to pull even and share the pace. At one point, Maiyo, obviously annoyed, turned around and beckoned with an open palm. When Cheruiyot did finally blow by a mile later, it was impressive, his long legs just ate up the incline, and a runner who trained on hills, and liked to run on hills, won the race on hills.
“It is good for me,” he said. “I like running uphill better than downhill.”
Cheruyiot broke Cosmas N’deti’s 1994 course record by one second.
Behind him Maiyo did not collapse (second in 2:08:21), and Keflezighi gritted his teeth for third, clocking 2:09:56, just three seconds shy of his PB.
Jeptoo’s late move pays off
By all early appearances the women’s race seemed to be shaping up as billed: A last-miles duel between Jelena Prokopcuka and Japan’s Reiko Tosa, the two fastest women in the field. A small pack that at various times included Zivile Balciunaite of Lithuania, Bruna Genovese of Italy, Kioyoko Shimahara of Japan and Olivera Jevtic of Serbia & Montenegro hovered around them, like satellites around two big planets. Tosa was controlling the pace, and Prokopcuka was stalking, leaning forward into a wind that was less severe than predicted but still something lip-chapping.
In that pack was also Jeptoo. The 25-year old Kenyan came to Boston with some mid-major marathon wins in Turin, Milan and Stockholm. Last August, though, she ran tough enough for a seventh place finish at the IAAF World Marathon Championships in Helsinki. Because of passport problems she arrived in Boston just three days before the event, all by herself (her coach was kept back in Kenya because she had no passport). Yet late in the race, when Tosa led, and Prokopcuka stalked, it was Jeptoo who made the definitive move of the race - at 23 ½ miles - which took Tosa out of the running and left Prokopcuka struggling to keep contact. Coming onto Boylston Street for the finish Prokopcuka tried to use her superior track speed to draw even, but Jeptoo had timed her earlier move perfectly and a substantial gap held up until the end.
“My training was going very well in Kenya,” she said. “My only problem was with the passport. I am happy for the win and happy that I ran well. This is my first marathon in America and my first big marathon.” Her performance eclipsed her previous best of 2:24:22 from Helsinki.
American men hang tough
True, there was no laurel wreath for Americans but Kefezighi’s third, Brian Sell’s fourth, and Alan Culpepper’s fifth signals, if not a global resurgence of American marathoning, at least a notice that Boston is a place that U.S. runners - maybe not as fast as many others, but gritty and tough - can indeed do very well.
And a win will have to wait for another year.
Dave Kuehls for the IAAF
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Boston, Massachusetts, USA - After all the talk about a possible American victor here in the men’s race, the first in more than two decades, and all the talk about a classic women’s duel between a Latvian and a Japanese, the planets realigned themselves and order was restored Monday at the Boston Marathon when two Kenyans broke the tape. Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (2:07:14) made it 14 wins for Kenyan men since 1991, and Rita Jeptoo (2:23:38) gave Kenyan women six wins here in seven years.
Cheruiyot back on top
For Cheruiyot, the win broke a long dry spell since winning here in 2003, which included a fifth place at the ING New York City Marathon last fall and an ignominious 12th (2:14:23) at the LaSalle Banks Chicago Marathon in 2004. Yet this year Cheruiyot seemed to rededicate himself by training with marathon world record holder Paul Tergat. And early on when fellow countryman Benjamin Maiyo impulsively picked up the pace to an almost absurd speed (the half marathon was covered in 1:02:44; only Juma Ikaanga in 1990 ran faster, 1:02:01), it was course veteran Cheruiyot, who dropped back, thinking enough on his feet to save himself for later.
Maiyo and American Meb Keflezighi dueled early in the second half of the race. That friction vaulted Maiyo into the open and left Keflezighi, the first real American hope for a win here since Greg Meyer won in 1983, quad-less by the time he hit the Newton Hills. Meanwhile, Cheruiyot was a tall thin figure in the distance. And that distance was closing.
Awfully fast. He went by Ethiopia’s Deriba Merga, then Keflezighi. Cheruiyot caught Maiyo at mile 20, but refused to pull even and share the pace. At one point, Maiyo, obviously annoyed, turned around and beckoned with an open palm. When Cheruiyot did finally blow by a mile later, it was impressive, his long legs just ate up the incline, and a runner who trained on hills, and liked to run on hills, won the race on hills.
“It is good for me,” he said. “I like running uphill better than downhill.”
Cheruyiot broke Cosmas N’deti’s 1994 course record by one second.
Behind him Maiyo did not collapse (second in 2:08:21), and Keflezighi gritted his teeth for third, clocking 2:09:56, just three seconds shy of his PB.
Jeptoo’s late move pays off
By all early appearances the women’s race seemed to be shaping up as billed: A last-miles duel between Jelena Prokopcuka and Japan’s Reiko Tosa, the two fastest women in the field. A small pack that at various times included Zivile Balciunaite of Lithuania, Bruna Genovese of Italy, Kioyoko Shimahara of Japan and Olivera Jevtic of Serbia & Montenegro hovered around them, like satellites around two big planets. Tosa was controlling the pace, and Prokopcuka was stalking, leaning forward into a wind that was less severe than predicted but still something lip-chapping.
In that pack was also Jeptoo. The 25-year old Kenyan came to Boston with some mid-major marathon wins in Turin, Milan and Stockholm. Last August, though, she ran tough enough for a seventh place finish at the IAAF World Marathon Championships in Helsinki. Because of passport problems she arrived in Boston just three days before the event, all by herself (her coach was kept back in Kenya because she had no passport). Yet late in the race, when Tosa led, and Prokopcuka stalked, it was Jeptoo who made the definitive move of the race - at 23 ½ miles - which took Tosa out of the running and left Prokopcuka struggling to keep contact. Coming onto Boylston Street for the finish Prokopcuka tried to use her superior track speed to draw even, but Jeptoo had timed her earlier move perfectly and a substantial gap held up until the end.
“My training was going very well in Kenya,” she said. “My only problem was with the passport. I am happy for the win and happy that I ran well. This is my first marathon in America and my first big marathon.” Her performance eclipsed her previous best of 2:24:22 from Helsinki.
American men hang tough
True, there was no laurel wreath for Americans but Kefezighi’s third, Brian Sell’s fourth, and Alan Culpepper’s fifth signals, if not a global resurgence of American marathoning, at least a notice that Boston is a place that U.S. runners - maybe not as fast as many others, but gritty and tough - can indeed do very well.
And a win will have to wait for another year.
Dave Kuehls for the IAAF
posted by pm19 at
9:47 am
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