Cheruiyot, Grigoryeva Win 111th Boston Marathon
National champion Kastor finishes 5th; Cheruiyot defends crown and solidifies World Marathon Majors lead
Race report from Tom Surber, USATF

BOSTON - (April 16, 2007) - Robert K. Cheruiyot of Kenya took his third Boston title, while Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia won for the first time Monday at the 111th Boston Marathon. Deena Kastor of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. was the top-finishing American in her Boston debut, taking fifth in the women's race and winning the U.S. women's marathon title (her second), while Pete Gilmore of San Mateo, Calif. was eighth in the men's race.

It is nearly impossible to conceive of a cold, 48-degree rain and swirling winds being considered good conditions, but compared to the initial forecast of 40mph winds and a possible Nor'Easter, they were much better than expected.

The race for the women's title was the most compelling of the day. A lead pack of eight women, including Kastor, was led through 14 miles alternately by 2006 Boston runner-up Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia and defending champion Rita Jeptoo of Kenya. The pace was cautious: after a 5:32 opening mile, the group passed through 5K in 17:14, 10 miles in 58:00 and halfway in 1:17:10.

At 14 miles, runners began to shed layers of clothing as well as competitors. Giovanna Volpato of Italy was the first to fall back, then Kastor lost touch with the leaders after making an unscheduled "pit stop" in between the 25K to 30K mark. The lead pack quickly dwindled to three - Prokopcuka, Madai Perez of Mexico and Grigoryeva. The three ran shoulder-to-shoulder as late as 24 miles, which they passed in 2:18:02.

Just over three minutes later, Grigoryeva, the 2006 Los Angeles Marathon winner, made her move and stormed to victory in 2 hours, 29 minutes, 18 seconds, with Prokopcuka again finishing second, in 2:29:58. The Mexican national record holder, Perez was third in 2:30:16, with Jeptoo fourth (2:33:08) and Kastor, the 2004 Olympic Marathon bronze medalist, fifth (2:35:09).

The men's race shaped up as a group long run, with a huge pack running two minutes behind a pair of unknown leaders through the first 18 miles. The pack slowly dropped runners, eventually being whittled by 40K to defending champion Cheruiyot and James Kwambai.

Cheruiyot made his move 2 hours, 9 minutes into the race, at Kenmore Square, pulling away strongly and cruising to the finish in 2:14:13, the slowest winning time at Boston since 1977 and almost 7 full minutes behind his own course record from last year (2:07:14). Kwambai was second in 2:14:33, with Stephen Kiogora third (2:14:47) and James Koskei fourth (2:15:05) as Kenyans took the top four places. Teferi Wodajo of Ethiopia was fifth (2:15:06), and Gilmore was eighth in 2:16:41.

It was the third World Marathon Majors win for Cheruiyot, who won Boston and the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in 2006. Find current WMM standings and more at: WorldMarathonMajors.com

111th BAA Boston Marathon: USA Women's Championship
Boston, MA, Monday, April 16, 2007

MEN
1) Robert K. Cheruiyot, KEN, 2:14:13, $100,000
2) James Kwambai, KEN, 2:14:33, $40,000
3) Stephen Kiogora, KEN, 2:14:47, $22,500
4) James Koskei, KEN, 2:15:05, $18,000
5) Teferi Wodajo, ETH, 2:15:06, $14,000
6) Benjamin Maiyo, KEN, 2:16:04, $12,000
7) Ruggero Pertile, ITA, 2:16:08, $9000
8) Peter Gilmore, USA / CA, 2:16:41, $7400
9) Samuel Ndereba, KEN, 2:17:04, $5700
10) Robert Cheboror, KEN, 2:18:07, $4200
11) Stephen Biwott, KEN, 2:19:04, $2600
12) Ulrich Steidl, GER / WA, 2:19:54, $2100
13) Hosea Kiprop Rotich, KEN, 2:20:04, $1800
14) Hiroki Tanaka, JPN, 2:20:10, $1700
15) Miguel Nuci, MEX / CA, 2:20:18, $1500

Masters MEN (40+)
1) Oleg Strijakov, RUS, 2:28:55, $10,000
2) Robert Weiner, USA / CA, 2:31:20, $5000
3) Paul Aufdemberge, USA / MI, 2:33:04, $2500

WOMEN
1) Lidiya Grigoryeva, RUS, 2:29:18, $100,000
2) Jelena Prokopcuka, LAT, 2:29:58, $40,000
3) Madai Perez, MEX, 2:30:16, $22,500
4) Rita Jeptoo, KEN, 2:33:08, $18,000
5) Deena Kastor, USA / CA, 2:35:09, $39,000*
6) Robe Tola Guta, ETH, 2:36:29, $12,000
7) Lyubov Denisova, RUS, 2:38:00, $9000
8) Alice Chelangat, KEN, 2:38:07, $7400
9) Ann Alyanak, USA / OH, 2:38:55, $20,700*
10) Kristin Price, USA / NC, 2:38:57, $14,200*
11) Mary Akor, USA / CA, 2:41:01, $8600*
12) Christine Lundy, USA / CA, 2:41:14, $6100*
13) Janelle Kraus, USA / RI, 2:41:24, $4800*
14) Zoila Gomez, USA / CO, 2:41:36, $4200*
15) Melissa White, USA / MI, 2:42:56, $3500*
*includes USA Women's Championship money

34th USA Women's Championship
1-8) See above
9) Kelly Flathers, CA, 2:43:25, $1500
10) Dot McMahan, MI, 2:43:56, $1000

Masters WOMEN (40+)
1) Heidy Lozano, USA / TX, 2:56:03, $10,000

Complete results at: BostonMarathon.org and find more USA Women's Marathon Championship information at: USATF.org

Return to top / Return to main page

Verran, Cheruiyot Race to a Rare Tie at LaSalle Bank Columbus Half Marathon
Converse women's winner; thousands brave un-spring-like conditions in Ohio
From Stacey Stathulis

COLUMBUS, Ohio - (April 14, 2007) - Two professional runners, defending champion Daniel Cheruiyot, 33, of Kenya and Clint Verran of Lake Orion, Mich. battled for 13.1 miles at the 4th LaSalle Bank Columbus Half Marathon on Saturday before finishing the road race in a rare tie. Both athletes posted a 1 hour, 6 minute, 1 second finish time after an all-out, neck-and-neck sprint to the finish line in deteriorating weather. Verran, 31, drafted off Cheruiyot's left shoulder throughout the race, but the Hansons-Brooks athlete was unable to completely overtake Cheruiyot in the final stretch. Both men crossed the finish line at the same moment - according to both electronic timing and eyewitness accounts.

"This was the kind of race we hoped for from our elite runners. It was exciting for the fans to watch two runners battle for 13 miles at a five-minute-per-mile pace," said David Babner, president of John Bingham Racing. "Columbus offers all the runners a fair, but challenging race course. There was a lot of buzz and excitement out there today that gave everyone a boost."

The women's race also saw a close competition with only 18 seconds separating the winner and runner-up as Melissa Converse, 29, of Blacklick, Ohio defended her 2006 title to edge Jackie Rzepecki, 28 of Rochester Hills, Mich., 1:22:18 to 1:22:36.

In spite of colder than normal spring weather in central Ohio, nearly 4,500 total participants ran or walked in the LaSalle Bank Columbus Half Marathon (3,538), the Commit To Be Fit 5K (891) and the Capital Kids Mascot Chase (157 children ages 12 years and younger). Among them were Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman who completed the 5K in 33:20, placing 13th in his age group (50-54) and Steve Shepard, Senior Vice President of LaSalle Bank's Commercial Division in Columbus, who finished his half-marathon debut in 2:01.53, averaging 9:19 per mile.

For race results, go to: ColumbusDistanceClassic.com

Return to top / Return to main page

Another Houston Marathon Record: Runners Raise $841,000 for Charity
Money benefits 35 local non-profit organizations

HOUSTON - (April 12, 2007) - While Ryan Hall set the U.S. half-marathon record in Houston last January, thousands of other participants in the Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon and Houston Press/Smart Financial Credit Union 5K set another record as well.

Runners in the three races raised $841,000 for 35 area charities through the event's Run for a Reason charity program, race organizers have announced. That's an increase of almost 28 percent over last year's total of $660,000.

"Everyone associated with the race is proud of the thousands of runners who not only trained for their event, but went the extra mile and raised money for so many local charities," said Race Director Brant Kotch.

The Run for a Reason program has raised almost $6 million through pledges and donations in its 13-year existence.

"Chevron is very proud our association with the Chevron Houston Marathon," Dave Feldman, community affairs representative for Chevron, said. "It has enriched our community for 35 years and promises to continue to do so for many years to come. The Marathon's Run for a Reason program is an especially important element of the race that raises money for more than 30 local charities. We're excited to learn of the record-breaking contributions resulting from the 2007 Chevron Houston Marathon and look forward to continued growth of this important program."

A list of this year's charities and information about the program can be found at ChevronHoustonMarathon.com; click on the "Run for a Reason" link in the left navigation bar.

The fund-raising record is only the latest in a string of records set in this year's races. In addition to Hall's U.S. half-marathon record (59:43), other race records established were:
* Female marathon winner Dire Tune set a course record when she clocked a 2:26:52.
* The race set a registration record when it reached its cap of 15,000 six weeks before race day.
* A record 14 athletes qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon.

The 36th running of the Chevron Houston Marathon is set for Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008.

The Chevron Houston Marathon, a Running USA Founding Member, is the nation's premier winter marathon, annually attracting participants from all 50 U.S. states and more than 30 foreign countries. The race celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2007. The marathon offers the only closed marathon course in Texas and is ranked among the top five in the nation by the Ultimate Guide to Marathons for fastest course, organization and crowd support. More than 5,000 volunteers organize the race, which is Houston's largest single-day sporting event. More information is available at ChevronHoustonMarathon.com or call (713) 957-3453.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232
Ryan@RunningUSA.org | www.RunningUSA.org