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Dec-8-2013
Kiros, Chepkwony Win Steamy Honolulu Marathon
by David Monti
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
HONOLULU (08-Dec) -- It turned out to be a great day to go to Waikiki Beach
here today, perhaps for sunbathing or surfing. But the warm, sunny and very
humid conditions made fast running impossible at the 41st Honolulu Marathon.
Nonetheless, Ethiopia's Ehitu Kiros and Kenya's Gilbert Chepkwony showed
excellent racing chops, gaining convincing victories with late-race rallies
in 2:36:02 and 2:18:47, respectively. Each won $40,000 in prize money, the
fourth-largest first prize checks in American marathon running.
KIROS ALLOWS DEFENDING CHAMPION TO SET PACE
For Kiros, 25, the first 16 kilometers of the race were a trouble-free ride
where she ran in a tight lead pack of four contenders, led by defending
champion Valentina Galimova of Russia. Galimova, 27, who lives in the
Siberian city of Perm, led every step of the early stages of the race at a
moderate pace of 3:41 per kilometer (5:56 per mile). Kiros, who ran 2:23:39
at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon last January, was trying to
conserve her energy, unsure of how difficult the course would be in the
latter stages.
"I know it's hilly so I know I had to wait," she told reporters through a
translation provided by another athlete, Abraham Tadesse. She continued:
"There were no pacemakers here, so everybody was looking to win."
In the 17th kilometer, just past the 10 mile mark (59:24), Kiros and
compatriots Aheza Kiros (no relation) and Woynishet Girma put in a little
surge, and Galimova fell back by a few seconds into the early morning
darkness (the race begins at 5:00). Galimova wasn't sure what was wrong
because the pace was so slow.
"I don't know," she explained in English. "I don't feel my speed."
Although the pace remained lackluster, Galimova fell farther and farther
back, leaving the three Ethiopians to work together at the front. The trio
hit the halfway split in 1:17:48 with Galimova 25 seconds back. The Russian
would fall back even farther, but never thought about abandoning the race.
"Not today," she said. "I wanted to do better. I like this marathon very
much."
Ehitu Kiros and Girma did most of the leading through 25-kilometers, with
Aheza Kiros trailing them closely. In the 27th kilometer, as the race began
to reverse direction to the west to finish back in Waikiki, Aheza Kiros fell
behind running up a small bridge. Ehitu Kiros sized up the laboring Girma
and liked her chances. She decided to wait for the long climb up Diamond
Head Avenue from 38 to about 40 kilometers to strike.
"I can go more time at this pace, but I didn't know how hilly," she said of
the last section of the course. "So I decided (finally) to go."
With the sun just coming up over her left shoulder and the light reflecting
off of her silver necklace, the Nike-sponsored athlete put in a surge up
Diamond Head, and immediately dropped Girma. She crested the hill in sole
possession of first place, and just needed to hold her pace to get the win.
She entered Kapiolani Park alone, her arms swinging smoothly and her
shoulders still pinned back, and cruised in to get the win in what was her
fourth marathon of the year.
"I'm very happy to win the Honolulu Marathon," she said, adding that the
first place check of $40,000 was "a lot of money."
Behind her, Galimova had clawed her way back into contention, passing Aheza
Kiros, who would finish fourth in 2:41:32. Coming over Diamond Head,
Galimova was only 11 seconds behind Girma, who was now running flat-out to
try to hold onto second place.
"I was thinking about second place," Galimova said after the race. "I know
she (Girma) can do 2:24 (her personal best was actually 2:27:51). I know
she was a good runner. I tried for second place."
Galimova nearly made it to the second spot, sprinting mightily in the final
meters. She came up three seconds short, running 2:36:13 to Girma's
2:36:10. Girma won $16,000 in prize money to Galimova's $10,000.
UNKNOWN JAPANESE TRIES TO STEAL RACE
Men's winner Chepkwony, who lives in Eldoret, had to contend first with a
bold challenge from an unseeded Japanese runner. Saeki Makino, who lives in
Kawaguchi-Shi, Saitama, and has a personal best of 2:21:42, amassed a
three-minute lead at halfway (1:08:34), and --shockingly-- was still out in
front by two minutes, 34 seconds at 30-kilometers (1:38:07).
But Makino fell apart (he would finish 12th in 2:37:12) just as Chepkwony
and two-time Honolulu champion Nicholas Chelimo were beginning to hit their
stride. Chepkwony surged hard through the 23rd mile (37 km to 38.6 km) in
4:36, a pace which Chelimo couldn't match, quickly putting the race away.
"Chelimo was following me so I tried to pull ahead," Chepkwony told
reporters.
From there, he spurted ahead to finish in 2:18:47, the slowest winning time
here since 2007 when the race was contested in heavy rain. Chelimo got
second (2:19:22) and veteran Solomon Bushendich third (2:19:38).
"It is very special to win the Honolulu Marathon," Chepkwony told reporters.
Pre-race favorite Martin Lel --three times the Virgin London Marathon
champion and twice the TCS New York City Marathon winner-- had a bad day.
He stayed with the contenders through 30-K (1:40:41), but when the pace
picked up, he couldn't respond. Lel, who had dropped out of the TCS New
York City Marathon last month, finished sixth in 2:21:16.
"There is something wrong," the frustrated Lel told Race Results Weekly,
rubbing his lower back and hip on his left side.
* * * * * *
Although over 30,000 runners registered for the race, finishers may be down
from last year's 24,413 because of the very warm and humid conditions
(temperature was 27C/80F at 11:00 with 64% humidity and no cloud cover).
Honolulu Marathon Association president Jim Barahal, a medical doctor, was
concerned that his medical team might have a larger number of heat-related
casualties than usual. Since the finish line here remains open past 19:00,
he said it would be a long day a ahead.
"I'm headed over to medical," he said before a reporter got to ask his
question.
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