Women's Race Day Commentary

12:18 Ann Alyanak finishes 9th overall and second in the USA championship, in 2:38:55, with Kristin Price right behind her in 2:38:57. That puts three Americans in the top 10.

12:12 Deena Kastor finishes fifth in 2:35:09, winning the USA Women's Championship.

12:10 The rainy and windy conditions led to the slowest winning time since 1985.

12:09 Wearing the winner's wreath, an emotional Grigoryeva is hoisting her trophy and bouquet on the victory stand as last year's winner, Rita Jeptoo, nears the finish line. Her time is 2:33:08.

12:07 Grigoryeva ran a 5-minute flat last mile. Runnerup for the second year is Jelena Prokopcuka, in 2:29:18, with Perez reaching her goal of top three in third, 2:30:16.

12:05 Lidiya Grigoryeva wins the 111th Boston Marathon in an unofficial 2:29:18, grabbing a Russian flag just before she hits the tape.

12:03 As the pace has picked up, Grigoryeva hits 25 miles in 2:23:12. Ponytail bouncing and arms pumping in rhythm, she's on Boylston Street.

Noon Grigoryeva turned in the fastest mile of the race between 24 and 25. She looks great, has less than a mile to go and has to be loving that 10,000-meter background right now. She has a 15-second lead.

11:58 Grigoryeva, in sight of the Citgo sign, has made a major break, gaining a 5-second lead in the blink of an eye. She is going, and neither Prokopcuka nor Perez is going with her.

11:57 Kastor is still in fifth, but about four minutes back.

11:55 In the USA championship race-within-a-race, it's Kastor, Alyanak, Price, Akor and Lundy.

11:53 Perez said her goal for this Boston Marathon was to finish in the top three and gain experience racing against the world's top marathoners in preparation for the Olympics. Given that she's now a stride ahead of the leader in the World Marathon Majors and in a three-way hunt for a victory in the final miles, it will be a good day for her. At 24 miles, they're at 2:18:02 and running neck-and-neck.

11:50 It just looked as if Grigoryeva was trying to make a break, but it was abandoned. Propokcuka is now behind the others. They hit 23 miles in 2:12:30. There are spectators here, but it's sparse compared to an average year when the fans are packed three and four deep along this whole Beacon Street stretch.

11:46 Rounding Cleveland Circle, Grigoryeva and Perez now tuck behind the taller Prokopcuka, who keeps shooting glances over her shoulder as if she's annoyed.

11:44 Coming off Heartbreak Hill, it's 49 degrees with a stiff headwind that may be picking up as they near the coast. But the leaders are spread across the road right now, so no one appears to be bothered by it.

11:40 Kastor is in fifth place at 21 miles. The leaders, meanwhile, ran a 6:03 mile up Heartbreak Hill, with Perez looking particularly strong right now.

11:38 Going up Heartbreak Hill, the three leaders are still running virtually shoulder-to-shoulder, and are obviously watching each other very carefully. It 2:01:15 at 21 miles.

11:37 Although her two Olympic appearances have been on the track, Grigoryeva is no stranger to marathons. On that front, she may be best known as the woman who won the $100,000 challenge purse at the Los Angeles Marathon last year for staying ahead of the men's leader in the handicapped start.

11:33 Prokupcuka has dropped a few steps behind Grigoryeva and Perez.

11:30 Wakako Tsuchida of Japan has won the wheelchair race in 1:53:30, with American Amanda McGrory second in 1:58:01. Tsuchida was third here in 2002 and fourth a year later. Her most recent win was the Honolulu Marathon in 2005.

11:26 Coming up to the Johnny Kelley statue in the Newton Hills, Kastor is about 1:20 back. In the lead pack, Perez, at just 5 feet 2 inches, is tucking behind the taller Prokopcuka. All three women look to be working, but none really laboring. They are all down to bare arms and hands now.

11:25 The women just passed 30K at 1:47:37, with defending champion Jeptoo now 20 seconds back. It's 50 degrees, and the women have been taking their fluids religiously, even carrying their bottles for awhile.

11:22 Going over the Rte. 128 overpass, it was very windy. It was just at that point that Jeptoo began to struggle. She has dropped well back.

11:19 Prokopcuka, Grigoryeva and Perez are running single file in that order, with Jeptoo a bit behind.

11:18 At 25K in the overall women's race, the lead pack is on a finish pace of 2:32:44, so they've speeded up a bit.

11:16 At 25K in the USA championship, it's Kastor, then Lundy and Akor about two minutes behind, with a pack of Zoila Gomez, Kristin Price, Ann Alyanak and Melissa White about 50 seconds behind them.

11:13 Kastor is back more than two minutes. Up front, Prokopcuka is pushing the pace.

11:11 Lidiya Grigoryeva, 33, is a two-time Olympian at 10,000 meters, finishing eighth in 2004, so she might have some good finishing speed. Now it's her turn to shed the arm warmers. She is running shoulder to shoulder with Prokopcuka, with Perez and Jeptoo right behind.

11:05 At 15 miles, Kastor is 30 seconds back, in seventh and fading. She is probably in no mood to enjoy the fact that the sun is trying to come out. Jelena Prokopcuka is now leading a pack of four; her companions are Jeptoo, Perez and Grigoryeva.

11:03 Kastor does not appear to be in distress, but she is falling further behind the pack, which has now split further.

11 a.m. Prokopcuka has just shed her arm warmers and gloves, Jeptoo her long-sleeved shirt and Kastor her arm warmers, although she kept her gloves. Kastor has dropped back a few yards, and appears to be losing some ground. The gap seemed to develop just as she was taking off her arm warmers. The escort motorcycle is now between the lead pack and Kastor. Volpato, the Italian runner, has dropped further back behind Kastor, so the lead pack is now six.

10:56 At the half, it was Prokupcuka leading the pack of eight. Americans Akor and Lundy, running together, hit the half in ninth and 10th places, at 1:18:33 and 1:18:34.

10:54 Women go through halfway in 1:17:10.

10:52 At 12 miles, they are on a 2:34:23 pace. Should that hold, it would be the slowest winning time since 21-year-old Joan Benoit won in 2:35:15 in 1979.

A report from the course says the women have just past their first group of partying spectators in T shirts and shorts despite the chill.

10:45 With Jeptoo safely reeled in, Volpato has decided to lead the pack for awhile. Entering Wellesley, about to go past Wellesley College, the women's race hasn't really begun, with no one inclined toward daring in this weather. They hit mile 12 in 1:10:29.

10:43 A spotter on the lead women's truck says it seems that Jeptoo keeps trying to get away but that the rest of the women "caterpiller up" behind to catch her.

10:40 At 15K, Mary Akor and Christine Lundy came through in 55:24 as the second and third American women in the chase for the USA championship podium. Lundy, from Sausalito, has a personal best of 2:41:55, from the 2004 women's Olympic Trials where she finished 22nd.

10:32 Prokopcuka leads at 15K, in 53:35. The lead pack is still eight. NASA astronaut Suni Williams, we have learned, began the race in space at 10 a.m., the same time as the mass start here on earth. Who would have guessed that, despite being tethered to a treadmill in space, she would be enjoying the best conditions of the day.

10:30 Kastor looks to be running a smart race, still tucked into the pack at the nine-mile mark (51:35) coming into Natick Center. The rain has let up a bit but the crosswinds are strong, hitting the women on their right shoulders. Kastor is keeping to the left side of the pack. They are on a 2:30.25 pace right now.

10:25 Volpato has rejoined the pack, which again numbers eight and went through eight miles in 45:31. The second pack is out of sight. In the women's wheelchair race, Japan's Wakako Tsuchida has a seven second lead over American Amanda McGrory at the 20K mark, in 51:03.

10:20 At the second fluid stop, everyone took their bottles. Volpato has fallen back from the lead pack, which now numbers seven. The women just went through seven miles in 39:21, a 2:27 marathon pace. It will not be a fast race, but in these conditions no one expected it to be.

10:16 Well, now the rain has picked up again, and rain is blowing into the women's faces. We now see that Alice Chelengat of Kenya is also in the lead pack.

10:12 The pack went through 10K at 34:50. The rain has let up a bit at the moment, but the crowds are still way down. Just past 10K, Kenyan Rita Jeptoo, the defending champ, took over the duties of leading.

10:07 Reports from the press truck at 5 miles are that the temperature has dropped a few degrees from the start, and the rain appears to be coming down sideways. It was 28:02 for five miles, the last mile in 5:43. So they've slowed just a bit. Kastor is tucked in the pack.

10:05 At 5K the women are on a pace to finish in 2:25. So far, Prokopcuka has been leading the pack, and thus taking the brunt of the elements. The runnerup here last year and current leader of the World Marathon Majors series, Prokopcuka has a look of confidence and told me the other day that she respects her rivals but "I can say it won't be easy to beat me."

10:00 Mary Akor is running in ninth place at 5K, the second American woman behind Kastor. A prolific marathoner, Akor has run 17 marathons in the past two years, because she often uses them as her long runs in training. A native of Nigeria, she said a few days ago that she is definitely not fond of this kind of weather.

9:56 At 5K (17:12), the lead pack includes Kastor, Jeptoo, Prokopcuka, Perez, Robe Tola Guta of Ethiopia (just 20 years old), Italy's Giovanna Volpato and Russia's Lidia Grigoryeva. So far they are running a very even pace.

9:53 The women went through two miles in 11:04. No one took fluids at the first stop, according to our bike spotters on the course. It's a lead pack of eight women, and they aren't running the tangents, probably to avoid puddles. Kastor, Prokopcuka and Jeptoo are all in that pack. The second pack is about 40 seconds back.

9:50 First place in the women's open division will bring $100,000, while the winner of the US championship will take home $25,000. Deena Kastor is the overwhelming favorite to take that prize, with a PR of 2:19:36 that is also the American record. Other women to keep an eye on include Mary Akor, who ran a PR of 2:33:50 as runnerup in the 2006 Twin Cities Marathon; and Zoila Gomez, whose 2:35:26 PR came in taking third in the same race.

9:40 The women are pretty bundled up out there. It's 52 degrees but the rain is coming down, the a report from the press truck describes conditions as "miserable." Jelena is in gloves and arm warmers, while Rita is wearing long sleeves and a wide headband. Rain is falling at a good clip. They just went through the first mile in 5:32, with Jelena Prokopcuka leading a small pack.

9:35 The elite women's race has begun.

9:30 One woman who could surprise is Madai Perez, who with a personal best of 2:22:59 is the third-fastest in the field. From Mexico and coached by former New York winner German Silva, she set that national record in finishing fourth last fall at the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

Deena was just on TV saying that her strategy is to stay relaxed and see what the day gives her as far as the weather.

9:25 The wheelchair racers are off. Diane Roy of Canada is back for her fourth try at a victory, after finishing second here the past two years.

9:20 Local TV is calling this "Monsoon Monday."

9:15 The other story today is Deena Kastor, who has the chance to be the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon since Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach. Ranked the #1 female marathon in the world, Deena looks to be in great shape,coming off an easy win in the USA 15K national championship in early March, at the Gate River Run, in 47:19, and a victory in the USA Cross Country National Championships in February.

But she has some stiff competition, to say the least: two-time ING New York City Marathon champ Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia, #2 in the world, and defending Boston champion Rita Jeptoo, #3. So, the top three women in the world are here. When last they faced each other,in New York last year, it was Jelena who triumphed, with Rita fourth and Deena a disappointed sixth. Kastor makes no bones about it: she's out for a measure of redemption here. As for her view of the weather: "I tend to thrive in adverse conditions."

9:10Well, the weather in Hopkinton has changed already. It's a lot warmer than expected there, at 58 degrees, but now it has started raining hard again. Overnight, rains were torrential.

9:00 Good morning. The story here for days has been the weather. At the moment it is not raining in Hopkinton and even the winds have let up a bit, but in Boston it is still raining and wind gusts are reaching 50 miles per hour. The elite women's field, which includes the USA Women's Marathon Championship, takes off at 9:35.

The 111th Boston Marathon start times are as follows:

9:25 a.m. Wheelchair Division Start
9:35 a.m. Elite Women's Start
10:00 a.m. Elite Men & Wave 1 Start
10:30 a.m. Wave 2 Start

Barbara Huebner will provide continuous live coverage of the Women's Race beginning at 9:00 a.m.

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Men's Race Day Commentary

While such conditions will unquestionably affect times, they may also serve as the great equalizer, allowing contenders to emerge who might otherwise have been consigned to placings far from the front. Even so, Robert Cheruiyot, the defending champion, is the man around whom all the speculation rages. The now 28 year Cheruiyot added the 2006 Boston title to the crown he had taken in 2003, then proceded to win in Chicago last year as well, albeit in dramatic fashion. As he sprinted through the finish line, Cheruiyot slipped backward, banging his head on the ground. He was treated for internal bleeding in his skull and he spent two nights in hospital. Prior to this race, the defending champion revealed that he has been suffering headaches since his fall. "I may have trained well, but due to the headaches I cannot say that I am 100%. But I'll give it my all. One of my strongest points is that I believe in myself and I'm confident of doing well."

Cheruiyot's greatest competition should come from Ben Maiyo (2nd last year), Robert Cherboror (2nd here in 2004 and the man with the fastest PR in the field, 2:06:23), Philip Manyim (the winner in Berlin in 2005, though this is his first race in the US) and Stephen Kiogora (2nd in New York last year and the training partner of Maiyo). US hopes rest largely with Peter Gilmore, 7th here last year, a placing he intends to improve significantly this year.

With just over 30 minutes remaining until start time, there is no sign of the dreadful conditions abating. That may be the X factor that opens the door for many unanticipated results.

9:42 The wheelchair race is underway. South Africa's Ernst Van Dyk has been dominant in this event in recent years, and is here in an attempt to take his seventh consecutive Boston title. In 2004, Van Dyk established world record figures of 2:18:27 in taking the Boston win. Last year here, he was 5:02 slower. Time may be inconsequential this year, given the weather conditions, which remain wet and blustery, all the more problematic for the wheelchair competitors.

Van Dyk led through the first mile, but at 5 miles (15:31) he was 50m behind the leader, Masazumi Soejima (JPN).

9:55 Rain in Hopkinton has eased slightly in Hopkinton, although the blustery winds remain. The elite men's field is making its way toward the starting line. A $100,000 first place prize is on the line, with a total of $242,500 in men's prize money.

In the wheelchair race, Soejima remains in the lead, passing 15K in 29:09.

10:05 The men's race is underway. Pools of water have ben reported along the course. Remarkably, already two men have carved a lead of 50m on the field. Just as inevitably, neither is a legitimate contender and will be swallowed whole by the pack in a matter of miles.

10:06 The large group of contenders is remaining in close formation 150 or so meters behind the two early-leaders. Spectators along the course are sparse, testimony to the dire conditions. Rain has slowed to a drizzle, but a strong headwind remains.

The two leaders are Josephat Ongeri and Jared Nyambok. The pack is almost 30 seconds in arrears. The leaders' first mile split was 4:49 - 2:06 pace.

10:12 The two leaders have passed two miles in 9:47, with the main pack at approximately 10:35, a dawdling pace for a field of this caliber.

10:15 At three miles, the split time for the leaders was 14:41, a mile of 4:54. Reportedly, Ongeri and Nyambok both hail from Georgia.

10:22 The chasing pack has passed 5K in 16:20 - 2:17:50 pace. Among those in the group are Cheruiyot, Kiogora, Benjamin Ndaya (KEN), Elece Jorge Real (COL), Akinori Shibutani (JPN), Jason Lehmkuhle (US) Yutaka Watanabe (JPN) and Robert Van Horn (US).

The two leaders have passed four miles in 19:31, with the pack at 20:50.

10:25 In the men's wheelchair race, Soejima passed half way in 41:35 with Van Dyk far in arrears at 44:14. In third (46:50) was Krige Schabort (RSA). Lead American was Adam Bleakney (49:22).

10:30 The rain has eased up, but a strong crosswind from the north remains problematic. Temperature is 50 degrees.

10:33 The leaders have passed five miles in 24:34 (5:04). The chasing pack (26:09) comprises 30 people, all tightly bunched. Among the pack is Ben Maiyo, James Kwambai, 2005 winner Hailu Negussie, Teferi Wodajo (ETH), Tekeste Kebede (ETH), Patrick Moulton (NH), Casey Moulton (NH), Stephen Biwott and Cheruiyot.

10:36 At this point in the race, it is clear that the two leaders are only here for the short duration, taking some TV time, while the main contenders are playing an especially cautious game.

Ongeri and Nyambok passed six miles in 20:35 (5:00). They passed seven miles in 34:36 (5:01). The pack remains far in arrears.

10:43 The lead duo passed eight miles in 39:47, with the chasing pack 2:04 in arrears, a remarkable gap, even accepting the conditions and incautious early pace of Ongeri and Nyambok.

10:45 Wind and rain have abated and the temperature remains steady at 50 degrees. The main pack is a congealed knot, holding steady at 2:17 pace, little more than training pace for many in the group.

10:48 At mile 9, the leaders clocked 45:02, a mile split of 5:15. Their last three miles have been covered in 5:01, 5:10 and 5:15, the writing starting to appear on the wall. The question remains as to when somebody among the true contenders will elect to make a move to signal the start of the race proper.

10:55 Masazumi Soejima has claimed the men's wheelchair title, dethroning the hitherto omnipotent Ernst Van Dyk. Soejima earns $15,000 for his victory.

11:01 At 10 miles in the men's race, the split for the chasing pack was 52:25. At 11 miles, the split for the leaders was 55:48. The chasing pack was timed at 57:54.

11:01 12 miles for the leaders was 61:05. A strong headwind is troublesome, but conditions underfoot are OK considering the early rain.

11:08 Ongeri and Nyambok remain in the lead but, passing Wellesley College two Americans - Jason Lehmkuhle and Peter Gilmore - are approximately 10 seconds ahead of the chasing pack. The noise is defeaning as the runners pass the famed Tunnel of Girls adjacent to the College.

11:10 The two leaders remain out front (1:07:07) at the half way mark. The split for the pack is 1:08:42 (5:02). Gilmore and Lehmkuhle have been drawn back into the group, and defending champion, Robert Cheruiyot, has inched to the front.

11:17 The chasing group at half way includes Cheruiyot, Lehmkuhle, Kebede, Ben Maiyo, Biwott, Manyim, Kiogora, Gilmore, Cheboror and Negussie.

At 14 miles, the split for the group is 1:13:07.

The two leaders are approximately 400m ahead of the pack. For the first time in recent miles, the pack can actually see the leaders. All in the large pack appear composed and ready for the inevitable charge that will unfold in the coming miles. Evidently, the Newton Hills will play an even more significant role than ever this year.

Reportedly, the pack is 55 seconds behind the leaders.

11:22 At 16 miles, the split time for the pack is 1:22:29 (4:58). At the front, Nyamboki has separated himself from a struggling Ongeri. The pack is 30 seconds down and closing with every stride.

The pack covered mile 14 to 15 in 5:12.

Winds have picked up again.

11:31 The run down at the front is Nyamboki holding a diminishing lead, Ongari struggling off his pace, and a group bearing down that includes Cheboror, Manyim, Stanley Leleito (KEN), James Koskei (KEN), Biwott, Ruggero Pertile (ITA), Cheruiyot and Kiagoro.

At 17 miles, the split for Nyamboki is 1:28:07 (5:40). Ongeri has fallen adrift, but has yet to be passed by the pack, which passed 17 at 1:28:34.

Shortly after 17, Ongeri is swallowed by the chasing group, which comprises in the region of 20 runners.

11:33 The pack has caught Nyamboki climbing the Newton Hills. The group remains closely knit, with all of the foremost contenders remaining in contention.

11:35 The USA's foremost contenders, Peter Gilmore and Jason Lehmkuhle, are still among the cumbersome pack.

11:38 At mile 18, the split for the group is 1:33:42. Winds, reportedly, are getting stronger.

11:43 The pack passed 19 miles in 1:39:00, an uphill split of 5:15. Stephen Biwott fronts the pack, which remains in close formation. Approximately 16 men are in contention.

11:45 Philip Manyim has moved into the lead, holding an advantage of approximately 5m as they near the top of Heartbreak Hill.

The 20 mile split is 1:44:11 (5:11). Manyim has been reeled back in.

11:47 Biwott is back at the front of the pack, though it is clear that the real fireworks have yet to explode. All of the contenders - with the exception of Cheboror, who is starting to drop off - are holding close. It is a matter of time before somebody decides that it is time to go for broke.

11:53 At 21 miles, the split is 1:49:13. Cheruiyot and James Kwambai are in the lead, beginning to force the pace. Falling adrift are Manyim, Pertile, Gilmore, Lehmkuhle, Samuel Nedereba (the brother of Cathrine), Negussie and Kebede.

11:55 The men's pack is beginning to slim down, with only seven remaining in contention.

11:58 At 35K (1:52:36) Cheruiyot holds the lead from Kwambai, James Koskei, Ben Maiyo, Kiagoro and Teferi Wodajo (ETH).

12:00 At 35k, Peter Gilmore was clocked at 1:53:12.

12:02 At 23, the split is 1:58:40 (4:45). Only three men remain as true contenders - Cheruiyot, the defending champion, James Kwambai, and Kiagoro - though the latter is beginning to allow daylight to open.

12:03 Kwambai has run a 60:22 half marathon and has a marathon best of 2:10:20 from Brescia last year. He is coached by famed coach, Gabriele Rosa.

12:05 At 24 miles, the split is 2:03:19 (4:37). Cheruiyot and Kwambai are side by side. On the line is a $100,000 for first. Second place gets $40,000.

12:06 Approaching 25 miles, it is entirely a two man race, a startling contrast to the first 19 miles of this race. Cheruiyot and Kwambai are hammering, shoulder to shoulder with nothing to choose between them.

Kwambai won in both Beijing and Brescia last year with times of 2:10:36 and 2:10:20 respectively. He has run three half marathons between 60:00 and 61:00.

12:09 Cheruiyot has injected a startling surge. He passed 25 miles in 2:08:10 (4:51), then increased the pace with startling effect. Kwambai has been dropped and now it is all about the defending champion.

12:10 With one mile to go, Cheruiyot's time is 2:09:12.

12:12 Cheruiyot is the only man to have won Boston and Chicago in the same year. Should he hold on to his lead, he will all but secure his victory - and a $500,000 prize - in the World Marathon Majors series.

12:13 Onto Boylston St, the crowd is roaring encouragement. Cheruiyot appears to have the title, though Kwambai is chasing hard. Both can see the finish line. Five or so runners are all in the home straight, making this the closest mass finish in many years.

12:13 Cheruiyot has crossed the finish line. Kwambai holds second, with Kiagoro in third. This is the slowest men's finish since 1985.

12:17 Cheruyiot has claimed his third Boston title, having also won in 2003 and 2006. His unofficial winning time is 2:14:13.

12:20 Cheruiyot states that he had trained hard enough and felt very strong.

12:22 Unofficial results 1. Robert Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:14:13 2. James Kwambai (KEN) 2:14:33 3. Stephen Kiogora (KEN) 2:14:47 4. James Koskei (KEN) 2:15:05 5. Teferi Wodajo (ETH) 2:15:06 6. Ben Maiyo (KEN) 2:16:04 7. Ruggero Pertile (ITA) 2:16:08 8. Peter Gilmore (USA) 2:16:41 9. Samuel Ndereba (KEN) 2:17:04 10. Robert Cheboror (KEN) 2:18:07

Top Americans 8. Peter Gilmore, 2:16:41 16. Cecil Franke, 2:20:43 17. Chris Lundstrom, 2:21:24

111th Boston Marathon, Race Overview

The 2007 Boston Marathon was a contest with the elements as much as it was a competition between some of the world's foremost contenders. Although the snowstorms forecast earlier in the week did not materialize, sheets of rain lashed the course in the 24 hours leading up to the start, and blustery winds reaching 50 mph hampered runners as the event got underway at the new starting time of 10am.

The weather notwithstanding, much of the pre-race speculation focused on the well-being of defending champion, Robert Cheruiyot. Cheruiyot had first won this race in 2003, then endured a couple of indifferent years before storming back in 2006 and winning in both Boston and Chicago - the only man to have accomplished that feat. Significantly, that also placed Cheruiyot firmly at the head of the nascent World Marathon Majors table and in line for a $500,000 bonus were he able to maintain his form into 2007 and the second stage of the WMM.

All that was thrown into jeopardy at the conclusion of the 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, when Cheruiyot slipped as he crossed the finish line, cracking his head on the ashphalt and incurring some internal bleeding in his skull. Even prior to Boston, Cheruiyot stated that he was still troubled by headaches and, despite some good training, was unsure if he would be on top form. Those doubts were placed firmly to rest when he injected a late race surge that devastated his sole remaining contender, James Kwambai, and brought the 28 year-old a victory that was as gratifying as it was courageous.

In addition to highlighting his competitive resolve, though, the outcome of this event illustrated that Cheruiyot is also a man of remarkable tactical awareness. The early miles passed at a pace that was literally dawdling. The unheralded Josephat Ongeri and Jared Nyambok charged to the forefront, passing the first mile in 4:49 and four miles in 19:31. Though the conditions indicated that so brisk a pace was folly - rain had slowed to a drizzle, but a blustery headwind persisted - a large pack comprised of all the main contenders opted for a pace that was hardly more than a jog. At that four mile point, the chasing group was 1:39 in arrears, a margin that had stretched to over two minutes by the time they reached 11 miles.

Ordinarily, one might safely assume that so large a gap in a race of this caliber would impact the outcome significantly. On this occasion, though, the universal - and accurate - consensus was that, Ongeri and Nyambok were running on borrowed time, and the real running would only begin once the Newton Hills presented themselves.

Indeed, as the leaders began to pay the price for their impetuous running, the pack - including Cheruiyot, Kwambai, last year's second placer Ben Maiyo, Stephen Kiogoro, as well as Americans Peter Gilmore and Jason Lehmkuhle - began to re-focus and set about the real business of the day.

It was between 17 and 18 miles that Ongeri and Nyambok were swallowed whole, essentially the signal that the race was about to begin. Stephen Biwott took a turn at the front as the group passed 19 (1:39:00, an uphill split of 5:15), then allowed Philip Manyim to inch ahead. But the group remained a cohesive unit. It was only with the hills fully behind them that things began to change.

At 20 miles, the clock read 1:44:11 (5:11) and at 21 the figures were 1:49:13 (5:02), by which time Cheruiyot and Kwambai had drifted to the forefront, the first indication that the face of the race was about to change. At 35K (1:52:36), the group had slimmed to Cheruiyot, Kwambai, James Koskei, Ben Maiyo, Kiogoro and Teferi Wodajo.

A 4:45 split to mile 23 (1:58:40) pruned that pack still further, with Wodajo and Maiyo falling adrift and Kiogoro appearing to weaken. The bell was tolling and, quickly, a pedestrian competition evolved into a mano-a-mano nail-biter.

The defending champion and the novice pretender raced shoulder to shoulder from 23 to almost 25 (24 mile split of 2:03:19 - 4:37), at which point Cheruiyot upped the ante to a level that Kwambai could not reach. It was a question of commitment and reserves and strength and courage; and Cheruiyot held all of those attributes in abundance.

Once the move was made - and it was dramatic - there was never any question as to whom the winner would be. The defending champ opened daylight with every stride and never had cause to look back. At the line - which one might have assumed he approached with trepidation, given his fall in Chicago - his time of 2:14:13 gave him a 20 second advantage over Kwambai. Kiagoro held on for third in 2:14:47. Respective prize money was $100,000, $40,000 and $22,500.

"Boston is not so easy," Cheruyiot stated. "It is very tough. It was very cold." Asked about the headaches from which he had been suffering, he explained, "There was a little pain, but it was just something small."

As he received the celebrated Boston laurel wreath with the Kenyan National Anthem playing, Cheruiyot was clearly moved. "Our National Anthem reminds me of a lot of things," he stated. "It reminds me of missing my home and that there are a lot of people - my family - looking at me. And it makes you feel like crying."

Peter Gilmore's 8th place finish was one lower than that of 2006, and his time of 2:16:41 was almost four minutes slower; but, there was still much cause for gratification. "This is the 10th marathon that I've finished," he explained. "I've never had a race in which I felt so in control with regard to breathing and heart-rate, but my legs just wouldn't respond. I think it was just the cold. The cold got to my legs. But it was good. I wasn't going to drop out, and I wasn't going to stop running hard."

The post-event analyses of this race will show it to have been one of affirmation that a thrilling race can evolve from one in which the times become a virtual irrelevance. Additionally, it affirmed that Robert Cheruiyot is a man who can overcome adverse conditions, troublesome tactics and personal ailments and prove, without question, that he is, at present, the finest marathoner in the world.

The 111th Boston Marathon start times are as follows:

9:25 a.m. Wheelchair Division Start
9:35 a.m. Elite Women's Start
10:00 a.m. Elite Men & Wave 1 Start
10:30 a.m. Wave 2 Start

Jim O'Brien will provide continuous live coverage of the Men's Race beginning at 9:00 a.m.

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