|
Men's
Champion
Mbarak
Hussein
Kenya
* 2:14:53
|
|
Women's
Champion
Irena
Bogacheva
Russia
* 2:33:27
|
Marathon
turns into a sprint
In
the closest finish in the 26-year history of the Honolulu
Marathon, Kenya's Mbarak Hussein upset defending champion
Erick Kimaiyo with a final-second spurt that could only
have come from the last measure of energy and spirit in
him.
Twenty
yards from the finish line, it appeared that Kimaiyo of
Kenya would win his third consecutive Honolulu Marathon,
as he had a half-stride lead on Hussein. But Hussein --
the younger brother of three-time Honolulu Marathon winner
and race record-holder Ibrahim Hussein -- somehow surged
past Kimaiyo with 10 yards remaining.
"I
was thinking of my brother in the last 100 meters," said
Hussein, who had never before won a marathon.
In
what was nearly a photo finish, both Hussein, 31, and
Kimaiyo, 30, were credited with the same time -- 2 hours,
14 minutes, 53 seconds.
In
contrast, Irina Bogacheva of Kyrgyzstan was alone as she
coasted to victory, finishing 3 minutes and 17 seconds
ahead of defending women's champion Svetlana Zakharova
of Russia. Bogacheva's toughest foe was the clock; her
time, 2 hours, 33 minutes, 27 seconds, was the seventh
fastest time by a woman. The 37-year-old physical education
teacher led Zakharova, 28, by as much as three-quarters
of a mile during most of the last six miles of the race.
"I
kicked it in today," said the beaming Bogacheva at the
finish line.
From
an entry field of 27,704, a total of 22,112 runners finished,
making the Honolulu Marathon the third largest marathon
in the world for the second year in a row. The weather
conditions were better than average with low humidty and
only moderate winds.
The
official starter for the race, Konishiki, caused a stir
among the estimated 23,000 runners lined up on Ala Moana
Boulevard in the predawn darkness. The retired sumo superstar
was trucked in to fire the starting gun. Konishiki's vehicle
was mobbed but race officials managed to restore order
in time for the 5 a.m. start.
(excerpted
from the Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu
Star-Bulletin, Monday, December 14, 1998)
The
26th Annual Honolulu Marathon was held
Sunday, December 13, 1998.
There were 22,112 finisher out of 27,704 entrants.
LOCAL
MEDIA COVERAGE
| 1998
Honolulu Marathon: A Squeaker and a Rout |
| Marathon
Needs More Winners Like Hussein |
| Familiar
Faces Among Men's Favorites
| Women's
Race Worth Watching |
| Memories
of the Honolulu Marathon |
| Marathon
Remains Among Biggest | Christine
McNamara |
