Monday, December 14, 1998
By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Mbarak Hussein sprinted past Erick Kimaiyo for his victory.
Squeaker
and a Rout
Hussein wins the closest men's
By Pat Bigold
Honolulu Marathon. Bogacheva
runs away with hers
Star-BulletinDriven by the memory of his older brother's brilliant career, Kenya's Mbarak Hussein emerged victorious yesterday in the closest and most exciting finish of the Honolulu Marathon's 26-year history.
In the women's race, Kyrgyzstan's Irina Bogacheva, who lost a heated battle to Russia's Svetlana (Vasilieva) Zhakarova last year, ran away from the field to win in 2:33:27.
From an entry field of 27,701, a total of 22,050 runners finished, making the Honolulu Marathon the third largest marathon in the world for the second year in a row. There were 26,467 finishers last year.
When the 33-year-old Hussein hit the tape in 2:14:53, he was barely two steps ahead of two-time defending champion Erick Kimaiyo of Kenya in what was nearly a photo finish.
Although the winning time was well off the Honolulu revised course record of 2:12:17, the speed of the stretch run had one of the world's most famous runners in awe.
"It was the fastest finish I've ever seen in a marathon," said former world record holder Alberto Salazar, doing a radio broadcast at the Kapiolani Park finish line.
"They must have done the last quarter mile in 60 seconds and the last 200 meters in about 27 seconds."
By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Irinia Bogacheva ran virtually alone the last few miles.
The finish was even tighter than Ibrahim Hussein's one-second win over Juma Ikangaa at the 1988 Boston Marathon, the closest finish in that race's 102 years.More amazingly, yesterday's mad dash to glory occurred in 76 percent humidity. Salazar estimated the last mile was run in about 4 minutes and 20 seconds.
"The last few miles, the last 100 meters, I was thinking that my brother would say I can't lose this race," said Hussein, who actually fell 10 yards behind Kimaiyo at Triangle Park on Diamond Head Road (25th mile).
"I thought I would just hang in, and hoped he (Kimaiyo) would relax at the top of the hill," said Hussein, who had run unsuccessfully here here several times. "Then I realized I had something left."
Hussein and another Kenyan, 1997 runner-up Jimmy Muindi, closed on Kimaiyo coming down Diamond Head in a dead sprint. Muindi took the lead at the bottom of the hill at the intersection of Coconut Avenue. But a moment later, it was Hussein in a razor-thin lead with Kimaiyo pulling up alongside him.
By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
27,701 runners started the race, making Honolulu
the third-largest marathon in the world this year.
Muindi, who said he began to vomit at that stage, dropped off the pace at Poni Moi Road, and it became a two-man sprint over the 600-meter avenue to the Kapiolani Park finish.Kimaiyo assumed a slight lead with 300 meters to go, but Hussein refused to give up. In the last 30 yards, he summoned everything he had to bolt in front of Kimaiyo and win.
Muindi finished third in 2:15:56.
Hussein made a long distance call to his elder brother in the Kenyan village of Kapsabet as soon as he got back to his hotel. Ibrahim Hussein, 40, works for the Kenyan sports federation.
"I told him how close it was and he was happy for me," said Mbarak Hussein, who first accompanied his brother to Hawaii in 1987.
Meanwhile, Bogacheva, a 37-year-old physical education teacher who finished second last year after a brief physical tussle on the course with Zhakarova, cruised in to win in 2:33:27. Zhakarova was nowhere near the factor she was last year, finishing second, three minutes and 17 seconds later. It was Zhakarova's second runner-up finish in Honolulu.
A pack of six women that stayed intact until the sixth mile dwindled to Bogacheva, Russian Elena Razdroguina and Zhakarova by the seventh mile. Razdroguina surged into the lead at 16 miles as Bogacheva slowed to take water at an aid station.
Zhakarova dropped off the pace. But Bogacheva, the oldest woman in the elite field, responded by methodically overtaking Razdroguinac by the 17th mile. From there, it was a rout as Bogacheva blasted through the next two miles in 11 minutes and 24 seconds and ended all doubt.
Some observers said Bogacheva's explosive anger during the late stages of last year's race might have sapped the energy she needed to win.
Associated Press
Krige Schabort of Cedartown, Ga., celebrates after
crossing the finish line first in the wheelchair division.
Zhakarova had trailed extremely close behind Bogacheva through most of last year's race and visibly annoyed her with the tactic. The two made hostile physical contact at about the time that Zhakarova moved into the lead. The women engaged in two widely reported shouting matches after the race."That is over now," said Bogacheva, who also won the Belgrade Marathon this year. "Sport is sport. I like it friendly with everybody."
In a dramatic gesture signalling the public end of their very public feud, Bogacheva and Zhakarova sought each other after finishing and warmly embraced, almost tearfully, in the VIP tent.
Bogacheva's coach, Viktor Borisov, a 1980 marathon bronze medalist at the Moscow Olympics, said he is preparing her for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. She finished 21st in the 1996 Olympic marathon in Atlanta.
Kyrgystan is a former Soviet state which is the size of Nevada and has a climate similar to Northern California. It borders China in Central Asia.
The top local male finishers were Gustavo Varela and Jonathan Lyau of Honolulu who held hands coming across the finish. Nonetheless, Varela (19th) was clocked in 2:37:24, one second ahead of Lyau (20th).
They were also the first American men to cross.
The next highest local male finisher was John R. Smith (2:38:34, 23rd).
The top local woman finisher was 35-year-old Cynthia Schnack of Honolulu, who finished in 2:58:16. She was the 14th woman.
The first American woman was Christine McNamara of Boulder, Colo., considered a prerace contender. McNamara finished in 2:53:24.
McNamara suffered dehydration and had to be medically treated after she crossed the finish.
Jeannie Wokasch, popularly known for her finish line cartwheels, continued her racing comeback with a 3:03:13. She was the 18th woman across.
Other top local women were Rachel Portner (3:12:53, 25th) and Connie Comiso-Fanelli (3:13:22, 27th).
By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Konishiki was the center of attention at the starting line.
FOOTNOTES: Konishiki caused a stir among the 13,000-plus Japanese entries massed between Piikoi and Queen Street Extension on Ala Moana Boulevard yesterday in the predawn darkness. The retired sumo superstar was trucked in to be the official starter for the race. His vehicle was mobbed but race officials managed to restore order in time for the 5 a.m. start ... Lesotho's Thabiso Moqhali was running in a tight pack with Hussein, Kimaiyo and Muindi until the 23rd mile aid station when he fell. Some witness say he slipped on a sponge, others say he might have tangled with the feet of an aid station worker. He had won the Commonwealth Games marathon gold medal this year ... Of the 13,922 Japanese who started the race, a surprising 13,001 finished ... There were 12,739 male finishers and 9,311 female finishers ... After Honolulu (4,739), the largest local representation came from Kailua (595).
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