Okayo wins NYC Marathon

2003-11-02 19:32

New York - Kenya's Margaret Okayo set a course record on Sunday in winning the New York City Marathon for the second time, dropping to her knees and kissing the ground after crossing the finish line.

Okayo shattered her course record by nearly two minutes, finishing in 2 hours, 22 minutes, 31 seconds.

She set the course record in 2001 with 2:24:21. The next two finishers also beat the previous record.

Reigning world champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya was second in 2:23:04, followed by countrywoman Lornah Kiplagat in 2:23:43.

Despite mild temperatures and a light wind, Okayo won against one of the strongest NYC marathon fields.

Nine runners were bunched through the first half of the race, including Okayo, Kiplagat, former winner Ludmila Petrova, Ndereba and 2002 NYC Marathon winner Joyce Chepchumba.

At the halfway mark, the women were on pace to set the record after finishing the first 21 kilometres in 1:12.04.

Okayo, Kiplagat and Petrova pulled away from the front-runners back at the 27.4-kilometre mark. Ndereba started to make a move shortly afterward. With Kiplagat opening a small lead over Okayo, Ndereba passed Petrova for third.

But Okayo turned it on. She overtook Kiplagat for first and then cruised to victory. She finished fifth last year after having back problems throughout the race.

Ndereba was attempting to join Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway as the second woman to win in New York, Boston and Chicago.

Marla Runyan, the legally blind American who finished fourth in New York last year, was among the leaders early on but she tangled with Ndereba at a water station between and fell behind. At the 16-kilometre mark, she was 30 seconds off the pace.

Runyan was fifth in Boston earlier this year. She wanted to finish in the top five in New York.

A field of 35,104 started the race.

Kenyan Martin Lel, 24, won the men's race in the unofficial time of 2hr 10min 29sec.

His countryman and last year's winner Rodgers Rop was second, and Christopher Cheboiboch made it a one-two-three for Kenya.

- AP