StarBulletin.com

Zakharova back on top


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POSTED: Monday, December 14, 2009

Defending Honolulu Marathon women's champion Kiyoko Shimahara knew former winner Svetlana Zakharova's likely strategy for this year's race. She predicted that Zakharova, a Russian who won here in 1997 and 2002, would try to stay close through the first half of the 26.2-mile course and then power her way through the second half.

Unfortunately for Shimahara, 32, she was uncannily prophetic. After biding her time in a four-woman pack for the first 13 miles, Zakharova pulled away from Shimahara in the 17th mile and quickly ran away with the 37th Honolulu Marathon title yesterday morning.

“;The race actually went as I planned because I wanted to run in a group in the beginning and a little bit conservative,”; Zakharova said through a translator. “;And around the 30K mark, I saw that I could speed up a little bit and make a breakaway. I did that, and it was successful.”;

The 39-year-old Zakharova finished in 2 hours, 28 minutes, 34 seconds, not far from the course record of 2:27:19 set by Lyubov Denisova of Russia in 2006. Shimahara crossed the Kapiolani Park finish line with a big smile in 2:29:53. Kenya's Pamela Chepchumba was third at 2:34:41.

“;Svetlana is very good at preparing for races and having a race strategy, and what she did today matches what Kiyoko said she knows about her past,”; said Shimahara through a translator after the race. “;At 30K (about 19 miles) is where she likes to start to pick it up. She executed her race plan very well.”;

               

     

 

WOMEN'S WINNERS

        The last 20 women's winners in the Honolulu Marathon:
       

 

       

2009: Svetlana Zakharova, Russia, 2:28:34
       

2008: Kiyoko Shimahara, Japan, 2:32:36

       

2007: Alevtina Biktimirova, Russia, 2:33:07

       

2006: Lyubov Denisova, Russia, 2:27:19*

       

2005: Olesa Nurgalieva, Russia: 2:30:24

       

2004: Lyubov Morgunova, Russia, 2:27:33

       

2003: Eri Hayakawa, Japan, 2:31:56

       

2002: Svetlana Zakharova, Russia, 2:29:08

       

2001: Lyubov Morgunova, Russia, 2:29:54

       

2000: Lyubov Morgunova, Russia, 2:28:33

       

1999: Irina Bogacheva, Kyrgyzstan, 2:32:36

       

1998: Irina Bogacheva, Kyrgyzstan, 2:33:27

       

1997: Svetlana Zakharova, Russia, 2:33:14

       

1996: Ramila Burangulova, Russia, 2:34:28

       

1995: Colleen De Reuck, South Africa, 2:37:29

       

1994: Carla Beurskens, Netherlands, 2:37:06

       

1993: Carla Beurskens, Netherlands, 2:32:20

       

1992: Carla Beurskens, Netherlands, 2:32:13

       

1991: Ritva Kaija Lemettinen, Finland, 2:40:11

       

1990: Carla Beurskens, Netherlands, 2:33:34

       

*—event record

       

Source: honolulumarathon.org

       

 

       

       

Racing under near perfect weather conditions—cool with little humidity and no wind—a pack of five women separated themselves by the second mile of the race. Shimahara was slightly in the lead, followed closely by pace setter Yuko Manabe, Zakharova, Chepchumba and Kaori Yoshida. The group quickly became smaller when Manabe, who looked in pain the first few miles, grabbed her left side and pulled off to the side of the race just after the 3-mile mark.

Not having a pace setter—the previous two marathons, the pace setters finished second each year—didn't faze Zakharova, who said later that she didn't even notice Manabe's absence.

But Shimahara is a teammate of Manabe and had been relying on her to push the pace early to sap Zakharova's legs late.

“;After she fell off so quickly at 5K, she had to then switch over and just run her own pace, not that of a pacemaker,”; said Shimahara's agent, who translated for his client.

Without Manabe, the pace was still quite fast as the pack of four women reached the midway point at 1:14:49. After dropping Yoshida along the long open stretch of Kalanianaole Highway, the remaining three often ran in a straight line, with Shimahara looking comfortable in the lead, followed by Zakharova and Chepchumba.

But Zakharova, despite her herky-jerky stride and the constant look of pain on her face, was just biding her time until she made her move. And just after the 18-mile mark, the Russian gritted her teeth and pulled away from Shimahara as she clocked four straight miles of about 5:30, 5:35, 5:40 and 5:48.

By the 22nd mile, Zakharova had earned a nearly insurmountable 30-second lead as Shimahara, who ran the Yokohama Marathon in early November, didn't have the legs to keep up with the Russian.

“;(Shimahara) said she wasn't strong enough to go with (Zakharova) today,”; her agent said as he translated.

Zakharova's finish was the fourth-fastest time in Honolulu Marathon history. She ran that pace despite a recent injury to her left knee that also affected her hamstring, which she covered with light tape and said never really bothered her too much during the race.

Shimahara's finishing time was nearly 2 minutes faster than last year's winning run, although conditions for that race were less than ideal.

But the day belonged to Zakharova, who plans to take a month off to spend with her 3-year-old daughter before starting her training for the London Marathon in March.

With the victory, the Russian became just the fourth female to win at least three Honolulu Marathon titles. This is also the eighth time a Russian has won the Honolulu Marathon in the past 10 races.

 

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

     

     

       

       

       

       

       

     

 

Name  AgeCountryTime
1Svetlana Zakharova39Rus02:28:34
2Kiyoko Shimahara32Jpn02:29:53
3Pamela Chepchumba30Ken02:32:41
4Kaori Yoshida28Jpn02:35:46
5Eri Hayakawa28Jpn02:44:33
6Satoko Uetani28Jpn02:45:19
7Akemi Ozaki32Jpn02:48:24
8Mina Ogawa34Jpn02:50:20
9Kozue Saito27Jpn02:51:59
10Amy Wilson33Usa02:57:59
11Fusai Narita34Jpn03:00:55
12Ady Ngawati32Nzl03:03:3
13Misako Hamaguchi32Jpn03:11:46
14Jessica Tranchina32Usa03:12:30
15Yoko Yamazwa41Jpn03:13:54
16Sara Verga29Usa03:13:59
17Rani Tanimoto34Usa03:15:38
18Mariko Nakajima35Jpn03:16:18
19Takako Oi45Jpn03:16:46
20Shoko Toshima31Jpn03:17:45
21Shie Yamada36Jpn03:19:40
22Janna Hinz26Ger03:21:04
23Mayumi Fukunaga41Jpn03:20:34
24Alison Dunn29Usa03:22:22
25Tae Nomura33Jpn03:23:29
26Keiko Nagasaka41Jpn03:23:41
27Kumiko Kobayashi34Jpn03:23:37
28Joanna Bilancieri36Usa03:23:48
29Mai Ishida24Jpn03:26:18
30Kimberly McLean33Usa03:25:09
31Ritsuko Iizuka32Jpn03:25:52
32Kirsten Kolb34Usa03:28:22
33Jessica Mowder24Usa03:28:10
34Masako Nakajima40Jpn03:27:00
35Kei Onzuka44Jpn03:27:14
36Miho Suzuki28Jpn03:28:20
37Toyoko Maeda62Usa03:28:05
38Sarah Peterson39Usa03:34:14
39Barbara H Forsyth34Usa03:28:29
40Sharon Moran36Usa03:29:31
41Patricia Havey26Usa03:28:40
42Seleena Harkness29Usa03:31:47
43Emiko Iwasaki44Jpn03:30:12
44 Riko Aso 34Jpn03:31:51
45Mayumi Nakagawa34Jpn03:31:55
46Lia Bosch46Usa03:31:26
47Hiroko Masumoto22Jpn03:34:12
48Atsuko Yamada52Jpn03:31:20
49Yumi Fuchiwaki36Jpn03:36:03
50Akemi Ueda31Usa03:32:05
51Yoshiko Katakura52Jpn03:31:35
52Ayaka Shiozaki21Jpn03:33:51
53Rina Iwamoto41Jpn03:33:33
54Jessica Vivers25Usa03:33:46
55Setsuko Amano55Jpn03:34:26
56Rosario Pawelczak31Can03:35:18
57Ruiko Kotaki44Jpn03:34:37
58Kristen Campbell27Usa03:34:44
59Sheila Van Cuyk40Usa03:36:51
60Tammy Bautista30Usa03:34:34
61Sharon Carbone43Usa03:52:28
62Asako Shimada33Jpn03:38:2
63Hayley McGowan28Can03:35:06
64Miyako Ikuhara33Jpn03:37:57
65Hiroko Matsuki39Jpn03:37:56
66Mami Urabe21Jpn03:37:56
67Nami Sakamoto28Jpn03:35:16
68Karen Finnerty27Usa03:38:32
69Yukie Yoshiyama37Jpn03:38:35
70Rebecca Williams29Usa03:36:43
71Mayumi Kuroyama30Jpn03:39:07
72Misako Nishiyama32Jpn03:39:28
73Michelle West37Usa03:38:35
74Nancy Coles51Can03:39:43
75Midori Kato53Jpn03:37:55
76Eriko Asai50Jpn03:38:02
77Miyuki Fujii36Jpn03:38:51
78Mineko Kojima52Jpn03:39:19
79Heather McGee39Usa03:39:05
80Linda Thiesen45Can03:40:42
81Alison Andrews32Usa03:40:04
82Akiko Ofuchi27Jpn03:38:45
83Rumi Nakazaki28Jpn03:39:41
84Kaori Yamada43Jpn03:40:32
85Tamaki Matsuda62Jpn03:39:38
86Meaghan Morrissey30Can03:42:55
87Angie Sremba25Usa03:42:35
88Ayumi Yamamoto38Jpn03:41:1
89Sachiyo Yagi59Jpn03:40:39
90Mami Yamada35Jpn03:41:1
91Lily Cheung57Usa03:40:44
92Kazuyo Itagaki35Jpn03:41:48
93Mariko Morita28Jpn03:41:09
94Endo Atsuko43Jpn03:42:47
95Mihoko Ide36Usa03:40:57
96Mie Kasuga34Usa03:40:57
97Michelle Watson31Usa03:44:43
98Rie Hasegawa36Jpn03:41:24
99Takako Matsumoto46Jpn03:44:4

 

       

100Teresa Sanchezarias28Usa03:42:13