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Mar-6-2005
BIG MONEY & BIG DISAPPOINTMENT AT L.A. MARATHON
by By David Monti
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
LOS ANGELES (06-Mar) -- The handicap division of the City of Los Angeles
Marathon, known as the "Challenge," ultimately didn't deliver the most
exciting moment of today's race, but it did produce $136,400 payday for a
Kenyan man, and a bitter taste in a Russian woman's mouth.
Lyubov Denisova, the petite Russian athlete who came here with the intention
of winning the handicap division and the $75,000 bonus that went with it,
ran the fastest City of Los Angeles Marathon ever by a woman (2:26:11), but
lost the "Challenge" by 44 seconds. In this year's race, the women were
given a narrower 15 minutes and 50 second head start, down from 20:30 last
year, and after the race Denisova said through her manager, Andrey Baranov,
that the handicap had been deliberately tilted against her.
"The 'Challenge' was unfair," said Denisova who passed up the solid
appearance fee she would have certainly been offered at a spring marathon.
"The money was taken from me for the 'Challenge.'" Near tears, she added
tersely: "If they don't change the rule, I'm never coming back."
Denisova said that the time difference should have been determined by the
difference between the male and female course records, a difference of 16
minutes and 58 seconds before today's race. Had that gap been used
Denisova, would have won the "Challenge" by 22 seconds.
"It was devised by people and not by God," said L.A. Marathon President Dr.
William A. Burke. "But it was devised by smart people," he emphasized. "To
bring it down to 44 seconds at the finish was phenonenal."
Nonetheless, Denisova collected $35,000 in cash and a Honda automobile
valued at $26,400, and won this race for the second time. Behind her,
Lithuanian Zivile Balciunate finished second in 2:28:09, the best time ever
for second place here. Early leader Hellen Kimutai, who ran at a sub-2:23
pace through ten miles, finished third in 2:28:36.
In fifth place, 50 year-old Tatiana Pozdnyakova ran the fastest ever
marathon by a women over 50 by some 13 minutes: 2:31:05. Pozdnyakova won
the "Challenge" division last year when she won the women's race overall.
The "Challenge" was supposed to to deliver the key excitement of the event,
but it was a good old fashioned man-to-man footrace which offered the most
dramatic moments of the race. Two hours, 18 minutes and 47 seconds into the
women's race, Kenyan Ben Maiyo caught Denisova on Olympic Blvd. and the
"Challenge" was seemingly decided about 1.3 miles from the finish line.
Maiyo, running in his second marathon, had dropped Laban Kipkemboi and Mark
Saina early in the 23rd mile, and now seemed to be sailing to that $75,000
"Challenge" bonus plus the $25,000 winner's check, a new Honda automobile,
and any available time bonuses.
Then fate stepped in.
Saina had regathered himself, and while Maiyo was just trying to keep it
going to the finish, Saina still had something in reserve and was stalking
Maiyo.
"Well I tried to keep my pace," Saina said thoughtfully in a post-race
interview with Ed Eyestone on KNBC-TV. "As we came towards the end of the
race I saw Maiyo wasn't moving any farther and I tried to close up the gap."
He then added, "I tried to go with the pain."
When Maiyo noticed Saina had come back on him, he tried to pick up his pace.
Saina, bent forward and looking exhausted, waited for the 26 mile banner to
strike. He surged past Maiyo to win the race and the "Challenge" in a
personal best 2:09:35, ten seconds off of Simon Bor's course record. Maiyo
finished second, just ten seconds behind. In those few seconds, Maiyo
effectively lost $110,400. Kipkemboi, who complained later of stomach
distress which struck him 25 km into the race, finished third in 2:10:51.
After the race, reporters and officials discussed the validity of the
"Challenge" and whether the $75,000 bonus to the overall winner was too
much. They also discussed if the "Challenge" money could be better spent on
appearance fees, or perhaps pacemakers. One broadcaster argued that since
the public wasn't psychologically involved with any of the elite athletes in
the race (there were no elite Americans in the field), the "Challenge" made
sense because it added a component of excitement which was not tethered to
any given athlete. Since the organizers could always adjust the gap
annually based on the runners who actually came to race, --even if weak
fields were assembled-- the "Challenge" would still add an element of
suspense that the general public could appreciate.
Later, at the post-race press conference, it was not lost in Mark Saina that
he had received a blessing today in the "Challenge," and that he would make
sure his new-found wealth would be put to good use.
"I will try to put it in a way to benefit me and other around me," he said
softly and seriously. "I [will] try to invest in helping myself and my
people."
Top Results (more detailed results in Monday's RRW):
MEN -
1. Mark Saina, 34, KEN 2:09:35
2. Ben Maiyo, 26, KEN 2:09:45 PB
3. Laban Kipkemboi, 27, KEN 2:10:51
4. Simon Bor, 36, KEN 2:12:13
5. Wesley Kimutai, 27, KEN 2:15:22
WOMEN -
1. Lyubov Denisova, 33, RUS 2:26:11 CR
2. Zivile Balciunaite, 25, LIT 2:28:10
3. Hellen Kimutai, 27, KEN 2:28:36
4. Dire Tune, 20, ETH 2:30:48 DB
5. Tatiana Pozdkyakova, 50, UKR 2:31:05 WR 50+
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