by Larry EderCool conditions, about fifty-three degrees, greeted the 25,000 plus runners as they left Hopkinton on their historic run into the city of Boston. Our coverage of the elite races is broken up into three reports, Miles 1-half, an Miles half to finish and final thoughts. We hope that you like our coverage.
Welcome to the 112th Running of the BAA Boston Marathon
Welcome to the 112th running of the Boston Marathon! I have no idea how the BAA is doing it, as they presented a most amazing Women’s Olympic Trials marathon on Sunday! I can not still say enough about yesterday’s race! Great performances by Deena Kastor, Magdelena Lewy Boulet and Blake Russell and the 133 other finishers in the 2008 Olympic Trials!
The three grand marshals for todays’ marathon are Deena Kastor, Magdelena Lewy Boulet and Blake Russell! BAA’s Jack Fleming announced that during yesterday’s press conference-a very nice touch to a tremendous event on Sunday!
Women Elite, Miles 1-half
Well, the women’s elite race is off! 2007 BAA champion, Lidiya Grigoyeva is in the lead pack, with Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia, an ING New York Champion in 2005-2006, Rita JIptoo, BAA Boston Champion of 2006, Nuta Olaru of Romania, Bruna Genovese of Italy, Tola Guta Robe of Ethiopia, Dire Tune of Ethiopia, Alevtina Biktimirova of Russia and Magdaline Chemjor of Kenya.
This front pack hit the mile in 5:23, two miles in 10:59, three miles and 5 kilometers passed in 17:09. The pack is very conservative, and no one seems to be falling off the pace. Prokopcuka took the lead early, but the lead has been shared by Nuta Olaru and Bruna Genovese of Italy.
Media Center announcer, Dave Murphy noted that the elite women’s race was ” pedestrian.” That about covers it. The temperature at the start was 53 degrees and the temperature now is sixty degrees. Ten women in the lead pack.
The women’s pack hit four miles in 22:15, five miles in 28:09, six miles in 33:39 and the 10k in 34:50 with Askale Tafa Magarsa from Ethiopia in the lead. The rest of the pack, Tune, Biktimirova, Prokopcuka, Olaru, Chemjor, Jeptoo are all there. No changes so far, the women are grabbing their water, and watching each other.
Seven miles was hit in 39:13, eighth miles in 45:03, nine miles in 50:43, and 15k in 52:33. Olaru Nuta of Ethiopia and Magdaline Chemjor of Kenya are in the lead. Rita Jeptoo is right behind them, Grigoryeva is in the midle of the pack, with Prokopcuka in the back of the pack of ten. Ten miles was hit by the pack in 56:20, about a 2:25 pace.
Someone makes a move, and the Kenyan women go to the front, and slow it down. This is obviously going to be a very, very tactical race. Watch how the elite women hit the hills….Eleven miles was hit in 60:37, twelve miles in 1:08:15 and 20 kilometers in 1:10:47. At the half marathon, hit in 1:14:45, the pack was still together.
Men Elite, Miles 1-half marathon
The elite race of the men’s race started slow, with a pack of Robert K. Cheruiyot, three- time winner of BAA Boston, World Majors’ Champion as well, Abderrahime Bouraamdane of Morocco, James Mwangi Macharia of Kenya, James Kwambai of Kenya, Kasime Adillo of Ethiopia, Khalid El Boumlili of Morocco, Gashaw Asfaw of Ethiopia, Lawrence Saina of Kenya, Christopher Cheboiboch of Kenya and Tesfaye Girma of Ethiopia.
Face it, this is Robert K. Cheruiyot’s race to win or loose. I had dinner with Robert after Chicago and the gentleness and quiet candor of Robert hide a man of tremendous strength, and a man who is at the top his game. He has won B of A Chicago in 2006, he won Bosotn in 2003, 2006 and 2007-he has run Boston five times, finished four. He has also won fourth at ING New York in 2005, and fourth in B of A Chicago in 2007. Mr. Cheruiyot’s course record here is 2:07:14.
” Consider this quote from Robert in the media guide: ” I have had much succes on the Boston course because the more competitive and difficult a race is, the more I commit myself to do my best.”
So, the gang of ten, with Cheruiyot and Bouramdane are the real players in this crowd. The mile was hit in a sleepy 5:16, two miles in 10:18, three miles in 15:11, and five kilometers in 15:40, A 5:04 pace. Lawrence Saina of Kenya leads, with Cheruiyot and Bouraamdane and the pack 0f 25 right there.
The second five kilometers got the the guys focused, going from 4:59 miles to 4:43. Four miles was hit in 19:54, five miles in 24:39, six miles in 29:19, and ten kilometers in 30:20. So negative splits, 15:40 to 14:40. Lawrence Saina of Kenya continues to lead, with 21 in the pack. No one is getting dropped so far.
Seven miles was lead in 33:51 and eight miles in 38:31 with Lawrence Saina continuing to lead a crowd of 21 runners at a swift, but not insane 4:50 per mile pace.
It was at this time that Robert K. Cheruiyot reminded the field who was boss. Robert took the lead during the eighth mile and pass nine in the lead, in 4:45 per mile pace, with mile 9 hit in 43:19, with 21 runners still in the pack. Mile ten, passed in 48:07, at a 4:52 mile pace, dropped the pack to fourteen, and the race was on…
Khalid El Boumlilli of Morocco took the lead and passed the eleventh mile in 52:50, with the pack of fourteen, and the pack had to deal with the winds changing, to the east, forcing the runners to race a bit.
Robert Cheruiyot took the lead over at the twelfth mile, hit in 57:33, 13 miles in 1:02:14 and the half way in 1:02:40. Two miles in 4:41 per mile thinned the pack, and now it was down to El Boumlilli, Macharia, Adillo, Bouramdane, Asfaw and James Kwambai of Kenya.
The race was on, as the 5k was hit in 15:40, then 14:40, then 14:44, then 14:53. The pack of nine at the halfway will be the top performers today.
