BOSTON (AP) — Ethiopia's
Deriba Merga overcame the disappointment of his Olympic
fade to win the Boston Marathon on Monday, and Kenya's Salina
Kosgei won the closest women's race in the history of the
event. Americans took third in both races for the best U.S.
finish since 1985.
Merga, who was passed in the last quarter-mile and finished
fourth in Beijing, pulled away before Heartbreak Hill and
won in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 42 seconds — almost a full
minute ahead of Kenya's Daniel Rono and American Ryan Hall.
"I've never experienced anything like this,"
said Hall, who took the early lead and was shoulder-to-shoulder
with the leaders until they passed from Wellesley into Newton,
with about 10 miles to go. "And I've been in the Rose
Parade, so that's a pretty big deal."
Kosgei won a sprint with defending champion Dire Tune,
trading the lead several times in the final blocks of Boylston
Street before hitting the tape less than a stride ahead
of the Ethiopian in 2:32:16. American Kara Goucher led the
three as they crossed the MassPike into Kenmore Square with
one mile to go, but she was outkicked down the stretch and
finished 9 seconds back.
"I just wanted it for everybody that wanted it for
me," said Goucher, whose voice cracked repeatedly in
the postrace news conference. "I'm proud of how I did.
I just wanted to be the one that won — for everybody."
The winners will take home $150,000, but Merga had to wait
for his traditional laurel wreath: The women, who had a
30-minute head start, ran so slowly and the men's pace was
so fast that he crossed the finish line before Kosgei had
a chance to climb the champion's podium.
"I was little bit embarrassed," said Colleen
De Reuck, a 45-year-old four-time Olympian and naturalized
U.S. citizen who grabbed the lead out of frustration and
finished eighth. "You come to a marathon and a big
marathon like this, you get paid a lot of money to come
and run and I think you should race."
No American has won in Boston since Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach
in 1985, when the U.S. women swept the top three and the
men came in second and third. But the presence of Goucher
and Hall among the leaders brought out fans holding "Go
Kara!" signs and chanting for the U.S. runners.
"People were so proud to see an American up front,
and there was a lot of 'U.S.A.!' cheering," Goucher
said. "Two Americans in the top three is fantastic.
I think once things settle in a bit, it'll be a really great
day, we'll be really proud of this."
The women's race was the slowest since 1985, a pace that
had the men's leaders passing the female stragglers and
approaching the final mile as the women were hitting the
tape.
Goucher burst into tears and was consoled by her husband,
and Tune fell to the pavement for several minutes after
the final sprint. A race spokesman said Tune would not be
available because she was receiving medical attention; defending
champion Robert Cheruiyot, who was seeking an unprecedented
fourth straight title and fifth overall, dropped out of
the race between the 35K and 40K markers and was taken to
a hospital.
One year after Tune outkicked Alevtina Biktimirova to win
by 2 seconds in what was then the closest women's finish
ever, the Ethiopian traded places with Kosgei several times
on the last long stretch to the tape. The only closer finish
in the 113-year history of the event was in 2000, when Elijah
Lagat beat Gezahegne Abera with an identical time of 2:09:47.
South African Ernst Van Dyk breezed to his eighth win in
the men's wheelchair race, matching the all-categories Boston
Marathon record set by Jean Driscoll, who won eight women's
wheelchair races. Japan's Wakako Tsuchida won her third
straight women's wheelchair race.
A field of 26,386 runners left Hopkinton in the morning
with temperatures in the 40s and a stiff headwind. Hundreds
of thousands lined the 26-mile, 385-yard course that winds
up and down through seven suburbs before ending in Boston's
Back Bay.
The top runners were easier to spot this year, wearing
their names on their bibs instead of numbers so the hundreds
of thousands of fans along the course could cheer them on.
Another runner was easily identifiable by his number: Air
traffic controller Patrick Harten wore No. 1549 to honor
his role in the safe landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in
the Hudson River. He finished in 2:47:19 — 355th overall.
Hall, who came into the race with the fastest personal
best in the field, moved quickly to the lead on record-setting
pace before a pack of 13 settled into a more comfortable
groove. The women's race was much slower, setting off at
a 6:28 pace that would have brought them to Boston in the
slowest time since 1973.
"I definitely felt like a rookie out there,"
he said. "I was learning as I went. I've been on the
course before and got to jog the last 20 miles, but jogging
it and racing it are two different things. I was in a lot
of pain the last 10k. I've got some work to do but I'm young
and I'll be back. I learned a lot."
"My plan was to run my own race from the get-go. I
like to run fast, and I was like, I'm going to use these
downhills and I'm going to find my right effort level. It
was a tough day out there for everyone. The wind was in
your face the whole way."
Four-time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers returned
to the race for the first time in a decade and finished
in 3 hours, 59 minutes.
The 61-year-old prostate cancer survivor beat his goal
of 4 hours.
Rodgers went for the over-50 record in 1999 but dropped
out after Heartbreak Hill. He said he didn't want his last
marathon to be one he didn't finish.
Rodgers won the race in 1975 and three consecutive years
times from 1978-80.
Kosgei said the weather made the challenging course even
more difficult.
"The wind was a bit stronger. ... So, it was very
hard," Kosgei said. "I decided I must try. So,
I tried.
Rocks!!
in Boston 09
Rocks!! and Friends once again represented
the North well with solid performances by all. I believe
4 marathoners were first timers at Boston and one 5ker was
a newbie to organized running.
6380 Fessenden, Steve 43 M Sudbury ON
CAN (Veteran) 3:16:38
5310 Ledingham, Peter 34 M Naughton ON
CAN (First Timer?) 3:35:01
10868 Toth, Laurel 26 F Little Current
ON CAN (First Timer) 3:35:42
15536 Winters, Jesse 55 M Sudbury ON CAN
(First Timer) 3:40:21
19337 Koett, Stephanie C. 46 F Sudbury
ON CAN (Veteran) 4:10:03
19215 Fransen, Kirsti M. 41 F Oakville
ON CAN (First Timer) 4:10:03
1420 Hansford, Matt 35 M Sudbury ON CAN (BAA
5k) 21:59
717 Del Missier, Sonia C. 53 F Sudbury ON CAN (BAA
5k) (First Timer) 35:48
Detailed
Results |
