I went to the marathon course and viewed the leaders at various places. The
elite women were given a 17 minute head start, and there was a $75K prize
for the first runner to cross the finish line.
At 5 miles, a pack of 10, mostly Africans, was far ahead of everyone else,
on a 4:55 pace. My two new acquaintences, Ben Maiyo and Benson Mbithi (whom
I ran with the previous Tuesday) where in it.
There were two African women in the lead, and the russian Denisova was a
minute or so in back of them, but Denisova looked much more relaxed than the
first two that I called the race for her right there (and I was right, she
stroked a 2:26).
At 10, a couple of stragglers had dropped in back of the men's pack, and it
was down to 6-7. My two buddies were there.
At 17 (San Vicente and Fairfax), I called out "Go Ben Maiyo!!", and he gave
me a smile and a thumbs-up. I figured that if he was that relaxed at 17,
that he had a very good chance to win it. The men's pack still had 5-6
guys.
At 18 (after a 60 foot climb), it was Ben Maiyo and Mark Saino 1 and 2, and
the others straggling behind. The leaders were still on 4:55 pace.
At 23, it was Maiyo and Saino still 1-2 and running together. Mbithi had
hit the wall at about 18 and was in his survival shuffle (he covered the
last 12k at a 6:15 pace). He finished 5th in 2:17, an 8 minute positive
split (which as you may know is very unpleasant--all of the pain and none of
the speed). He had won the race with a 2:11 in 2000.
At 25, Maiyo had broken free from Saino a bit, and passed Denisova (killing
her chances for the $75k first finisher prize). Then, heartbreak. In the
final stretch, Saino outkicked Maiyo, and he lost by 10 seconds after
leading almost every step of the race.
Their 1/2 Marathon split was 1:04:41, and Saino lost only 10 seconds in the
second half, and Maiyo lost 20. A nearly perfect race for Maiyo's first
marathon. The picture on the official LA Marathon website of Maiyo
finishing in 2nd place is heartbreaking, and says it all.
It seems unjust that the winner got $100k and second place just something
like $10,000. On a flat course basis (there's 497' of climb in the race),
that equates to 2:08 for both of them. It was sunny, no wind, and 61F at
the finish.
-- Dan