Limo and Kastor secure victories in Chicago

Both the men's and women's titles at the LaSalle Banks Chicago Marathon today were decided in the final kilometre, but in a contrasting fashion.  Kenya's Felix Limo sprinted away from countryman Benjamin Maiyo coming up the course's only noticeable hill within a quarter mile of the finish to record the year's fastest time of 2:07:02, while the US's Deena Kastor willed herself across the line in 2:21:25, five seconds in front of Romania's World Half Marathon champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita.

Behind Limo, Benjamin Maiyo was second in 2:07:09, ahead of Daniel Njenga in third (2:07:14). Rutto, who won the Chicago race in the last two years, was fourth in 2:07:28, as Kenyans filled each of the top 10 placings.The victory was worth $155,000 in prize money, incentives, and time bonuses for Limo.

Kastor pocketed $165,000. Japan had two women in the top five as Masako Chiba placed third in a time of 2:26:00 and Eri Hayakawa was fifth in 2:28:50.

MEN

The men's race was a tactical battle with frequent lead changes and a gradual whittling down of the lead pack.  Because of erratic pace-making, a slow early pace, and wind over the last half of the course, a large lead pack stuck together until the later stages of the race.  A temperature in the 50s Fahrenheit was ideal, but like last year, a stiff wind during the last half of the course made running fast difficult.  By 35 kilometres the front group was down to five: Limo, Maiyo, defending champion, Evans Rutto, Daniel Njenga, and debut marathoner Patrick Ivuti.  By 40K Ivuti had been dropped and Rutto was losing touch with the other three as his right shoe glistened red from bleeding blisters. 

As the trio took the second to last turn off Michigan Avenue onto a train overpass on Roosevelt Avenue, Limo pounced.  Njenga, wearing white elbow arm warmers, ala Tomescu-Dita, and a grimace spreading across his face, began to fall back.  Limo rocketed up the hill, quickly opening up a seven second gap over Maiyo.  "All my fans know when I make the move," said Limo.  "If I don't make the move at 40K, I will move at 41 because I don't want to leave it to the final straight because there anybody can win."

Maiyo said he was preparing mentally to make his bid in the final downhill straightaway and he momentarily lost his focus on Limo.  "I didn't pay attention," he said.  "Then after ten seconds I realized that the race got away from me.  I was planning to kick on the last straight but (Limo) got away from me and it was too late to catch him."

Maiyo had made a similar error near the finish of this year's Los Angeles Marathon, where he was also the runner-up.  Coming to the finish there, he says, he was distracted and didn't notice that another runner was sprinting past him until it was again too late to respond.  In contrast Limo spent much of the race, especially the later stages, checking out his opposition.  "I would get close to everybody," said Limo, "and I would look at their face(sic)." 

"At 40K I looked at the faces of everybody and I moved,"  he said. "Ben Maiyo resisted.  He was strong.  At 41K I realised that this is where I have to go.  When I made that move I looked behind and I saw the guys struggling.  That is when I knew I had won the race."

Halfway down the final straight, Limo pumped his arm into the air, a smile across his face, and he cruised to the finish. 

WOMEN

Kastor, however, had no such luxury.  Openly declaring before the race that she came into the event with three goals: to win, to break her own American record, and to run under 2:20.  In this case one out of three wasn't bad, but it did make the victory "bittersweet," said Kastor.  "I suffered greatly in the last 5K," she said as her per mile pace during the last 10K drifted from 5:22 for mile 21 to over 6 minutes for the final mile.  After a blistering opening 5K of 16:14, and the half marathon passed in 1:09:17, only Kastor and Tomescu-Dita, accompanied by a large pack of male "escorts,"  could hold the pace.

Near the 19 mile mark, Kastor surged and Tomescu-Dita decided she'd gone as far as she could at sub-2:20 pace.  "Deena wanted to run sub 2:20, and I'm not ready to run under 2:20."

Tomescu-Dita also experienced stomach problems, her form appeared to deteriorate, and her leg turnover was not as quick.  Kastor opened up a good lead, nearly 40 seconds at one point, and the race for first appeared to be over.  A mile later that all began to change.  Kastor, who had small bad patches up to that point began to feel warning signs.  Her feet became tender. The balls of her feet became sore by mile 21.  Next came a gradual tightness in her hamstrings, then her gluts, and finally her lower back. By the final straightaway, Kastor was in the elite athlete's version of the "survival shuffle."  Tomescu-Dita, who had adjusted her pace in an attempt to break her Romanian record for the marathon, began closing the gap.
 
As Kastor made the last turn onto Columbus Avenue and could see the finish, she could also see the picture being broadcast on the Jumbotron television screen.  She saw Tomescu-Dita closing on her, but she managed to will her legs to move fast enough to get to the finish in front of her rival.  "It's really a strange feeling for your mind to be so sharp, and your body is not willing (to do what your mind wants it to)."  In the press room, Kastor's husband, Andrew, could only watch the drama unfold.  Afterwards a friend asked him, "How are your (finger) nails?"  "They're good," replied Kastor.  "They're short."

Though she failed to defend her title, Tomescu-Dita was pleased with what she'd accomplished.  This year she finished second in the Flora London Marathon, won a bronze medal in the World Championships marathon, and won the World Half Marathon title.  "It was a great year for me," she said. 

Like the Kenyans in the men's race, the US team fared well in the women's competition.  41-year-old Colleen De Reuck broke the American masters record by nearly four minutes in a time of 2:28:40, good enough for fourth place overall.  Another American, Blake Russell, 30, ran a personal best of 2:29:10 to finish sixth.

The race had 40,000 entrants from 125 countries.

Jim Ferstle for the IAAF 

RESULTS - Official

Men (all Kenyan)
1. Felix Limo 2:07:02,
2. Benjamin Maiyo 2:07:09,
3. Daniel Njenga 2:07:14,
4. Evans Rutto 2:07:28,
5. Patrick Ivuti 2:07:46,
6. Laban Kipkemboi 2:09:22
7. William Kipsang 2:09:25,
8. Timothy Cherigat 2:10:34

Women
1. Deena Kastor (USA) 2:21:25,
2. Constantina Tomescu-Dita (ROM) 2:21:30,
3. Masako Chiba (JPN) 2:26:00,
4. Colleen De Reuck (USA) 2:28:40
5. Eri Hayakawa (JPN) 2:28:50,
6. Blake Russell (USA) 2:29:10,
7. Kathy Butler (GBR) 2:30:01,
8. Tatyana Petrova (USA) 2:31:03