Posted on 03/07/2004 1:32:16 PM PST by GulliverSwift
LOS ANGELES -- For the first time in history, a woman crossed the finish line ahead of the men in the Los Angeles Marathon.
Russian Tatyana Pozdnyakova, 49, defended her title as the elite women's winner of the LA Marathon with an unofficial time of 2 hours, 30 minutes and 16 seconds. Pozdnyakova won the battle of the sexes, besting male winner David Kirui of Kenya by about four minutes.
Kirui finished the race with an unofficial time of 2 hours, 13 minutes and 40 seconds.
The women were given a 20-minute head start on the men this year to even the playing field.
More than 24,000 people laced up their running shoes and hit the pavement Sunday for the race.
Beginning at 8:30 a.m., the marathon started at Figueroa and Sixth Street and concluded at Flower and Fifth streets. The majority of the race took place on the flatter, faster course laid out in 2002 that winds past historical landmarks and communities. This year's course featured 10 entertainment centers and over 85 bands and musical groups.
Heat played a major role in the race and most of the runners' paces were slowed because of the hot day. Temperatures hovered around 75 degrees for most of the race and were nearing 80 degrees as the leaders approached the finish line.
Romania's Anuta Catuna was the early leader in the women's division, despite having difficulties finding her elite fluids throughout the course. However, Pozdnyakova stormed passed Catuna to the head of the women's pack shortly before Mile 17.
In the men's division, Kenya's Stephen Ndungu set the pace early on as the front-runner of the men's pack only to have fellow Kenyan David Kirui emerge as the men's leader halfway through the course. At Mile 18, Kirui had opened a lead of about 70 meters on the rest of the male runners and never looked back.
As the runners approached the 20-mile marker, the women's lead over the men had been reduced to just a few minutes. As Kirui made the turn after Mile 21, he had cut Pozdnyakova's lead to less than five minutes. At Mile 24, Pozdnyakova held a strong pace, lengthening her lead by an extra 20 seconds, making it difficult for the men to catch her.
In the wheelchair division, race favorite and last year's winner Saul Mendoza from Mexico was out of contention early on because of a wheelchair malfunction, opening the door for 37-year-old Joel Jenette of France who finished first in the division with a time of 1 hour, 27 minutes and 19 seconds.
This year's race was dubbed the battle of the sexes, as the first male or female to cross the finish line received a $50,000 bonus. Pozdnyakova and Kirui each received $25,000 and a Honda Accord EX V6.
Women runners started the race 20 minutes and 30 seconds ahead of the men, which is the average time the top male finishers have beaten the fastest females in the past.
In the men's elite division, Simon Wangai of Kenya finished second with a time of 2 hours, 13 minutes and 58 seconds and Kenya's Matthew Birir finished third with a time of 2 hours, 14 minutes and 26 seconds.
Finishing second in the women's elite division was Russian Tatiana Titova with an unofficial time of 2 hours, 33 minutes and 39 seconds. Third place went to Kenya's Anastasia Ndereba who finished in 2 hours, 34 minutes and 43 seconds.
Last year, Kenyan Mark Yatich surpased his countryman Ndungu during the last moments of the race to win the 18th Annual Los Angeles Marathon. Ndungu, who was attempting to win his third consecutive Los Angeles Marathon, held the lead for much of the second half of the race.
Pozdnyakova won the elite women's race last year and set a world record for her age group.
49 years old? How competative was this race? Well, there's still hope for George Foreman.
She starts out twenty minutes before they do and she's proud of it? That's like a WNBA team starting the game with 50 more points than an NBA team.
LOL!!
umm....
It does not say she is proud of it or favors this ridiculous head start stunt. Hope she doesn't.
" The women were given a 20-minute head start on the men this year to even the playing field."
The women were given a 20-minute head start on the men this year to even the playing field.
So, her REAL finish time was 2 hours, 43 minutes and 40 seconds.
Thank you.
I think what he meant to say was:
That's like a WNBA team starting the game with 50 more points than Division A Boys High School Basketball team.
There, that's better. And your comment still applies...
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