4/21/08 By David Monti (c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission
BOSTON (21-Apr) -- Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot won his fourth Boston Marathon and Dire Tune her first in a memorable 112th edition of America's oldest and most historic marathon race.
Cheruiyot, the 29 year-old Kenyan who is the reigning World Marathon Majors champion, made a run at his own course record, leading a pack of six through the half-way in a brisk 1:03:07. Compatriots James Kwambai and James Mwangi Macharia joined him along with Moroccan Abderrahime Bouramdane and Ethiopians Kasime Adillo and Tesfaye Girma.
"As usual the course was very difficult and I tried to push harder this year to achieve my personal goal of running a 2:07," said Cheruiyot.
With a 4:37 19th mile, Cheruiyot dropped his last three rivals: Bouramdane, Kwambai and Adillo. Running in cool temperatures, but under brightened skies, the tall Kenya's pace finally began to slow. Through mile 24 he was still on a 2:07:03 pace but visibly laboring. He would make it to the finish line on Boyleston Street about half a minute outside of his own record. Nonetheless, his finish time of 2:07:46 was still the third fastest winning time ever in Boston.
Part of Cheruiyot's objective today was to impress Kenyan selectors and earn a berth on the Beijing Olympic team. "They will select one of the athletes from Boston," Cheruiyot explained. "I am hoping all will be selected. I will produce a good race if selected."
Behind Cheruiyot, Bouramdane had a rough second half, but still finished second in 2:09:04, well off of his 2:08:20 personal best. Bouramdane's compatriot, Khalid El Boumlili, passed four other athletes in the second half to take third in 2:10:35, setting a personal best. Kwambai, who was second in Boston last year, faded to eighth.
TUNE WINS CLOSEST WOMEN'S RACE HERE EVER
Tune, the 22 year-old Ethiopian who won the Chevron Houston Marathon just 93 days ago, looked fresh as a daisy after an easy first half of 1:14:46. The same pack of ten women who broke away just after the starter's gun in the all-women's elite race were still together, including defending champion Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia, two-time ING New York City Marathon champion Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia, and 2006 Boston champion Rita Jeptoo of Kenya.
The pack was still mostly intact through 25-K (15.5 mi.), but in the next 5 km Prokopcuka and Grigoryeva were dropped, leaving Tune with only Jeptoo and little known Russian Alevtina Biktimirova in serious contention.
"Even before coming to Boston, I was confident that I could win the Boston Marathon," said Tune after the race. "From the beginning to the end of the race, my training and performance helped me to finish strong."
If only her competitors knew HOW strong. With help from Biktimirova, Jeptoo was soon dropped, and for the last 10 km of the race the sturdy Russian and the wispy Ethiopian pushed each other to the final kilometer on Boyleston Street. The two traded surges in front of the roaring crowds, each seeming to take the lead for good before being caught. Tune was confident.
"Once I saw the finish line I was certain that I would finish first," she said.
And so it was. Tune took the lead for good with about 100 meters to go and Biktimirova, the 2007 Honolulu Marathon Champion, finished two seconds adrift of Tune, 2:25:25 to 2:25:27. That was the closest women's finish ever in the history of the Boston Marathon. Tune, who became the youngest women's Boston champion since Joan Benoit Samuelson in 1979 who was 21, covered the second half of the race in a sparkling 1:10:40 to Biktimirova's 1:10:43.
"I am happy to win in Boston," said Tune who, like Cheruiyot, won $150,000.
Jeptoo hung on for third in 2:26:34, while Prokopcuka finished fourth in 2:28:12. There was some discussion after the race that Prokopcuka's manager had protested the result based on the belief that Jeptoo had taken at least one of Prokopcuka's drink bottles in the latter stages of the race. A spokesman for the Boston Athletic Association, Marc Chalufour, said that there was no official protest and the order of finish was not altered.
The top American finisher was Nicholas Arciniaga, 24, of Rochester Hills, Mich., part of the Hansons team. He clocked 2:16:13 off of a 1:07:00 first half to take 10th place. The top American woman was Ashley Anklam, 22, of Bloomington, Minn., who did not compete in yesterday's Olympic Trials. She finished 15th in 2:48:43. American Wendy Terris, who finished 109th in yesterday's Trials, clocked 3:03:18 in today's race.
