CHICAGO (AP) — As he finished off the fastest
Chicago Marathon in history, Moses Mosop of Kenya raised his arms and pointed
toward the cheering crowd.
For a guy who wasn't in peak condition, he sure
looked good.
Mosop set a course record Sunday and Russia's
Liliya Shobukhova claimed the women's title to become the race's first
three-peat champion.
Both runners had no trouble pulling away from the
pack on a warm morning to claim their $100,000 prizes. Mosop earned another
$50,000 for breaking the late Sammy Wanjiru's course record by four seconds,
finishing in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 37 seconds.
But there also was another death just four years
after a Michigan man with a heart condition died. Authorities say a 35-year-old
North Carolina firefighter collapsed about 500 yards from the finish line
Sunday morning and was pronounced dead at Mercy Hospital.
Greensboro Deputy Fire Chief Clarence Hunter said
that William Caviness was running to raise money for charity to help burn
victims.
He died on a day when the race-time temperature was
64 degrees and reached the high 70s during the afternoon, the fourth time in
five years the weather was unusually warm.
After the 2007 marathon, organizers improved
communication between various agencies and the runners. They also added more
water distribution points and medical aid stations.
The man's death was announced hours after impressive
performances by Mosop and Shobukhova.
"My shape was bad. I was worried about my
leg," said Mosop, who's been bothered by a left Achilles tendon problem.
That didn't prevent a record performance.
He easily beat countrymen Wesley Korir (2:06:15)
and Bernard Kipyego (2:06:29), with Ethiopia's Bekana Daba (2:07:59) and
American Ryan Hall (2:08:04) rounding out the top five.
Shobukhova also made it look easy in becoming the
first runner — male or female — to win three straight titles in Chicago,
clocking in at 2:18:20. Paula Radcliffe of England is the only woman to have
run a faster marathon, holding the three fastest times, including a 2:17:18 at
Chicago in 2002.
Shobukhova outclassed the field on Sunday, with
Ejegayehu Dibaba of Ethiopia taking second in 2:22:09 and Japan's Kayoko
Fukushi third in 2:24:38. The Russian also probably secured an Olympic berth.
Her country's federation will select its team based on the two fastest times
posted between Sept. 1 and the end of the year.
"I'm overwhelmed right now," said
Shobukhova, who earned an additional $40,000 for finishing in under 2:20.
"You're happy. You're excited. You're shocked."
And she doesn't see anyone beating her time,
meaning she expects to run for Russia in London next summer.
Mosop, meanwhile, impressed again after a string of
top performances, including a spectacular debut at the Boston Marathon this
year.
He ran the second-fastest 26.2 miles in history
that day but finished behind fellow Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai in 2:03:06 with a
tailwind on a course that doesn't meet specifications for world records. He
then set the world mark in the 30,000 meters at the Prefontaine Classic in
June, but his Achilles issue limited his training during the summer.
Even so, Mosop was hoping to break the course
record of 2:05:41 Wanjiru set in 2009, when he won the first of two straight
Chicago Marathons. Mosop did just that despite estimating that he was only
about 85 percent.
If he were completely healed?
"Maybe I'd run in 2:02," he said.
That's something no one has done, but it's hard to
argue with Mosop the way he's been performing.
Nicknamed "Big Engine" for his powerful
technique, Mosop didn't flinch when Korir made a move to break from a five-man
pack and took the lead after 18 miles. Instead, Mosop came on like an express
train and left everyone else behind.
"I knew that if I had to make a move, now was
the time to make a move," Korir said. "I saw an opportunity, and I
was like, 'You know what? I'm going to go.'"
Mosop, however, went with him, and then, in a
flash, he was the one taking control.
"I knew that I was awakening the lion that was
asleep," Korir said. "I knew that, and I was ready. I wasn't
surprised when he came back. At that moment, I was like, 'OK, I'm going to try
to stay behind him,' but he kept going."
Hall couldn't keep pace once Korir and Mosop broke
from the pack, but still managed to run the third-best time in his ninth
marathon and stay on track for making the U.S. Olympic team.
"I don't feel like I've ever run a bad
marathon, so that's why I'm not disappointed," he said. "It was
exactly what I hoped it would be. I knew I learned a lot in my training leading
up to this. I know I learned a lot in the race, as well. There are not too many
American guys out there running 2:08s so I'll take it."
There were 45,000 runners registered and 37,400
made the start on a day that seemed made for hanging out by the lake if not
running 26.2 miles.
"The weather was absolutely gorgeous,"
Shobukhova said.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
(AP
Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
