Women's Race Day Commentary
Men's Race Day Commentary

Women's Race Day Commentary

Finishing fifth is Kiyoko Shimahara of Japan, in 2:26:52.
Jeptoo's official time in victory is 2:23:38; Prokupcuka came in at 2:23:48 and Tosa was third in 2:24:11. This was the fastest time by a Japanese woman here; the previous best time was 2:26:00 by Yoshiko Yamamoto in 1992, when she finished second.

1:59: Jeptoo hits the tape at 2:23:37, the eighth fastest time ever run here. The Kenyan was virtually sprinting at the finish, with Prokupcuka finishing as runnerup 10 seconds back.

1:57: It looks as if Jeptoo will hang on for the win, but Prokopcuka is not making it easy.

1:55: This could be a great finish. Prokopcuka still gaining, now five seconds back as they come out of the new underpass on Commonwealth Ave. Turning onto Hereford, she is not going away.

1:52: Prokopcuka is six seconds back as they pass through Kenmore.

1:51: Coming toward Kenmore Square, Jeptoo hits the final mile, but the Latvian has chipped a few seconds of her lead away.

1:49: Jeptoo quickly builds a 9-second lead, but there's no quit in any of the three. Prokopcuka still looks strong in chase and the gap is no longer growing.

1:47: From Mile 23 to 24, Jeptoo ran a 5:06 mile. That's just two seconds slower than the men's split at 21 miles. This woman is not kidding.

1:45: With 3 miles remaining, on Beacon Street in Brookline with the Citgo sign in view, Jeptoo is making a decisive move. She rips through Coolidge Corner leaving everyone behind.

1:42: A 5:24 mile takes the trio to Mile 23 in 2:06:48.

1:41: With 4 miles left, both Jeptoo and Prokopcuka look smoother than Tosa, but she's showing her toughness. To see a legitimate three-woman race at Mile 22 of a major marathon is a real treat.

1:37: At 35K, Tosa, Jeptoo and Prokopcuka are neck-and-neck in 2:00:13. Mile 22 was the fastest mile in the race, 5:17. Genovese appears out of it at 17 seconds back, but Tosa has definitely regrouped.

1:35: At the top of Heartbreak Hill, Tosa is back, but Genovese is out of the picture. Perhaps she tried to push too soon after all. They go through Mile 21 in 1:56:17.

1:31: On Friday, Prokopcuka described her strategy for the first half of the race: "I sleep at this moment. I usually start to run the second part."

1:29: Tosa looks to be struggling as Prokopcuka surges ahead, with Jeptoo matching her. Tosa is falling back, with Genovese fading to fourth with 6 miles to go.

1:26: At 20 miles, Jevtic in fifth is 23 seconds back. Genovese has tucked back into the pack of four. The quartet hits 20 miles in 1:50:39, with a 5:34 last mile. That's a good pace through the Newton Hills.

1:22: At 19 miles, you can tell the women are working hard as they try to match Genovese's surge. The last mile, 5:26, is one of the fastest of the day.

1:19: This is the fourth Boston for the 29-year-old Genovese, and she has improved her place each time, from 9th in 2001 to 6th in 2002, before a podium third-place showing last year. To do well here, she said at the pre-race press conference on Friday, "You must run slowly in the beginning."

1:16: At 18 miles, in 1:39:37 with a 5:41 last mile. Pack is down to 4 women: Prokopcuka, Tosa, Genovese and Jeptoo. Suddenly Genovese takes the lead and looks to be putting the hammer down.

1:13: Edith Hunkeler of Switzerland has won the women's wheelchair race, proclaiming as she crosses the line "I can't believe it!" over and over. Her time was 1:43:42.

1:11: At the right turn by the firehouse at Mile 17 heading into the hills, the women go through in 1:33:55, and have let the two who dropped off earlier back into the pack, which is now at 7 again.

1:08: Now the women are starting to spread out across the road, so there appears to be little wind where they are at the moment. The men are more tucked in at their point in the course. You can see the women all looking at each other. All seem to be running within themselves, so it could be a great finish.

1:05: Jeptoo is still in the lead pack, despite not getting into town until Saturday because of a passport problem. We are told she took a run almost the minute she stepped off the plane, still raring to go. The 25-year-old Kenyan looks composed, tucked right now between Tosa and Prokopcuka as Tosa eases back a bit and the other two share the lead.

1:01: Balciunaite has fallen off the pack, and Biktimirova appears to be struggling.

12:59: Tosa is setting a steady pace: At 14, they are at 1:17:12, with a 5:32 last mile; at 15 it was 1:22:44 for another 5:32 mile.

12:55: The spotlight so far has been on Tosa, but don't overlook Prokopcuka. Her PR is only 10 seconds slower than Tosa's; she knows this course and she's right on Tosa's shoulder.

12:49: At halfway, the pack of 8 includes Tosa, Balciunaite, Shimahara, Jeptoo, Jevtic, Prokopcuka, Genovese and Alevtina Biktimirova of Russia. They go through in 1:12:18. The flag in Wellesley Center is hanging straight down: there is no wind whatsoever. These are very good conditions.

Whatever happens, Boston will have a new women's champion this year: four-time winner Catherine Ndereba is not here to defend this year.

12:39: The women are headed to the "scream tunnel" in Wellesley after hitting 12 miles in 1:06.11.

12:32: In 2005, 10 of the 25 fastest female marathoners in the world were from Japan, and the last two Olympic champions have been from that country. Through 10 miles (55:04, 5:34 last mile), Tosa has led almost every step of the way, and reports from the lead women's vehicle indicate that she is completely dictating the pace.

12:25: At 9 miles, 49:27 Genovese took the lead for a moment soon after, perhaps just to get clear enough to grab her fluids.

12:22: Shimahara is also in that lead pack of nine, which could prove interesting.

12:18: Tosa back in the lead as the women enter Natick; she takes them through Mile 8 in 43:53 for a 5:31 last mile. She's wearing arm warmers; a slight headwind has kicked up. This controlled pace could play in Tosa's favor at the end.

At 20K in the women's wheelchair race, Diane Roy and Edith Hunkeler are in the lead, 47:49.

12:13: Kutre Dulecha and Olesya Nurgalieva are two of the women who have dropped off the end of the pack. At 10K, which they passed in 34:07, Prokopcuka had taken over leading the pack, followed closely by Balciunaite, Jeptoo, Genovese, Jevtic, Tosa and master's runner Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova, who has won the division here twice and was second last year.

12:06: Tosa led the women through 5 miles in 27:24. This is her first marathon since Athens, not only does she look comfortable but the other 8 women in the pack appear to be looking to her to control the pace.

11:59: As the elite men begin, the women are 28 minutes into their race. At 5K, they were on a 2:24:10 pace, the pack still led by Tosa is beginning to string out a bit; they went through 4 miles in 21:58.

11:54: Although Tosa, who finished fifth in the 2004 Olympics, is the most heralded of the two Japanese women in the field, also running is Kiyoko Shimahara, who ran 2:26:47 for third in Osaka in January. The Japanese women are always tough and, because they run so little outside their own country, much less known than their talent would warrant.

Women went through 5K in 17:05. Reports from the course indicate there is no wind whatsoever at the moment.

11:47: Tosa, Prokopcuka and Zivile Balciunaite of Lithuania led the pack through 2 miles in 10:59, for a 5:35 mile.

In a total field of 22,517 runner, 8,849 are women.

11:37: 45 women took off from Hopkinton in the separate start, with a dozen breaking away almost immediately. Tosa led them through the first mile in 5:24.

11:31: With Roberta Gibb as the official starter, the women are off. They've come a long way since 1966, when Gibb had to hide in the forsythia bushes at the start before hopping into the race as the first unofficial woman to run. This year, the winner will get $100,000 and will also be the first athlete to score points in the new World Marathon Majors series, which kicks off here today. The two-year, five-marathon series will end with the top overall male and female sharing at least $1,000,000.

Skies are overcast at the start, with a very slight crosswind from the N-NW. The temperature is 53 degrees.

10:45: Welcome to live coverage of the women's elite race. After temperatures near 80 degrees last Friday, the weather in Boston cooled steadily over the weekend; at 10 a.m. it was 49 degrees in Hopkinton. A bit of a crosswind is expected early in the race from the N-NW, which might become a headwind later.

Cool temperatures could play into the race strategy of Reika Tosa, who is bidding to become the first Japanese woman ever to win the Boston Marathon. Tosa, the fastest woman in the field with a personal best of 2:22:46, likes to run from the front, and said she plans to do so today.

On paper, her main challenger will likely be Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia, who is coming off 2005 wins in Osaka and New York. Prokopcuka's plan, which worked to a T in her last two triumphs, is to run from behind. So if Tosa takes off, don't be surprised if the Latvian hangs back and bides her time.

Of the 10 top elite women in the field today -- Tina Connelly of Canada is a late scratch -- seven are Boston rookies, including Tosa. Keep your eyes open for the subplot of rookie over-enthusiasm, because going out too fast on the early downhills of Boston often proves unwise.

That's not something Italy's Bruna Genovese will be doing. The most veteran of the three returnees (Prokopcuka and Olivera Jevtic of Serbia and Montenegro are the others, Genovese will toe the line in Hopkinton for the fourth time. "Last year here I was ninth at halfway and I finished third. I know one thing: the marathon finishes at 26.2 miles." Genovese's PR of 2:25:35 is only the seventh-fastest in the field, but if the pace isn't particularly fast don't count her out.

The wild card: Rita Jeptoo of Kenya, who is running her first race in the United States. With a PR of 2:24:22 and a seventh place at the World Championships in Helsinki, she could be in the mix. But a passport issue caused a late arrival here, which could be a factor.

The elite women's race, for the third year a separate start here in Boston, begins at 11:31 a.m.

The 110th Boston Marathon Start times are as follows:

10:00 a.m. Mobility Impaired Start
11:25 a.m. Wheelchair Division Start
11:31 a.m. Elite Women's Start
12:00 noon Elite Men's Start and Wave One Start
12:30 p.m. Wave Two Start

Barbara Huebner will provide continuous live coverage of the Women's Race beginning at 11:15 a.m.

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Men's Race Day Commentary

2:17: Top 10 Preliminary unofficial results

1. Robert Cheruiyot, 2:07:14 (CR), $100,000 + $25,000
2. Ben Maiyo, 2:08:21, $40,000
3. Mebrahtom Keflezighi, $22,500, 2:09:56
4. Brian Sell, 2:10:55, $18,000
5. Alan Culpepper, 2:11:05, $14,000
6. Kenjiro Jitsui, 2:11:32, $12,000
7. Peter Gilmore, 2:12:45, $9000
8. William Kiplagat, 2:13:26, $7400
9. Wilson Onsare, 2:13:47, $5700
10. Clint Verran, 2:14:12, $4200
    

2:15: Preliminary unofficial results

1. Robert Cheruiyot, 2:07:14 (CR), $100,000 + $25,000
2. Ben Maiyo, 2:08:21, $40,000
3. Mebrahtom Keflezighi, $22,500, 2:09:56
4. Brian Sell, 2:10:55, $18,000
5. Alan Culpepper, 2:11:05, $14,000
6. Kenjiro Jitsui, 2:11:32, $12,000
   

2:11: Sell takes fourth, unofficially in 2:10:55. Culpepper is fifth, in an unofficial 2:11:05.

2:10: Keflezghi places third in 2:09:55, two seconds shy of his PB.

2:09: Maiyo is second.

2:07: At the line, Cheruiyot takes the win and the record. His time is 2:07:14, worth $25,000 on top of his $100,000 winner's purse.

2:06: With the finish line in sight, Cheruiyot has victory locked up. The only question is if he can take down Ndeti's CR of 2:07:15.

2:04: Cheruiyot appears assured of victory. Sell is closing on Culpepper.

2:03: Cheruiyot's 25 mile split is 2:00:49 (5:07). He appears to be laboring, but there is nobody else in sight.

At 25.2, Cheruiyot is at 2:01:55, still on record pace.

2:00: Keflezighi is in third, Culpepper is fourth and Brian Sell fifth.

1:59: At present there are four Americans in the top 10 - Keflezighi, Culpepper, Brian (7th and moving through well) and Peter Gilmore.

1:56: 24 mile split is 1:55:41 (4:51) with Cheruiyot holding a 43 second lead on Maiyo. The course record of 2:07:15 by Cosmas Ndeti (1994) is within his grasp.

1:51: News from pack - at 35K, Culpepper had moved into fourth position, though almost two minutes down on the third placed Keflezighi.

1:48: Cheruiyot is forging onward at the front of the field. His 22 mile split was 1:46:02 (4:41). His previous 5K was covered in 15:16.

1:45: When Cheruiyot won this race in 2003, he hit the tape in 2:10:11. On that occasion, he effected his victory with a hard charge in the latter part of the race.

1:42: 21 mile split is 1:41:21 (5:04) with Cheruiyot still moving away. Maiyo is eight seconds down.

1:40: At the crest of Heartbreak Hill, Cheruiyot injects a surge and opens an immediate five metres. Approaching 21 miles he is moving away with every stride.

1:38: 20 mile split is 1:36:17 (5:04) for Maiyo and Cheruiyot. Keflezighi is 24 seconds down.

1:37: 19 mile split is 1:31:13 (4:49) with Maiyo and Cheruiyot side by side.

1:36: At 30K the order was Maiyo, Cheruiyot, Keflezighi, Korir, Merga, Cherigat, Culpepper, Jisui, Onsare, Kiplagat.

1:32: Cheruiyot, 27, is the 2003 Boston winner. He has a PB of 2:08:59 set in Milan in 2002.

1:30: Just past 30K (1:20:30), Cheruiyot is immediately behind Maiyo, the latter gesticulating for his new found companion to assist with the pace. Keflezighi is 13 seconds back.

1:28: Updating splits. 16 was 1:16:27, 17 was 1:21:23 and 18 was 1:26:23 (5:00). Maiyo holds the lead, but Merga has fallen from forefront and Robert Cheruiyot has charged into contention, passing 18 miles just five seconds back on Maiyo. Keflezighi is 11 seconds down on Maiyo.

1:20: The three Newton Hills are frequently where this race is decided. Patience pays off, as the athlete working the hardest here is often not the one claiming the laurel wreath downtown. But Maiyo looks comfortable and is evidently staking his claim for the win.

1:18: Into the Newton Hills, Maiyo is extending his lead, although he has started to look back. 15 meters down is Keflezighi, with Merga another 10 meters in arrears.

1:15: 25K split is 1:14:21 for Maiyo with Keflezighi and Merga two seconds down.

Maiyo placed second in both Chicago and Los Angeles last year. His Chicago finish of 2:07:09 was third fastest in the world last year. He has a half marathon best of 61:59 from 2002 in Lisbon.

1:12: 15 mile split for Maiyo is 1:11:51 (4:51). Keflezighi and Merga are five strides down.

1:10: Weather conditions are 53 degrees with winds at 2mph from the north.

Coming through Wellesley, approaching mile 15, Maiyo has a 10 meter lead on Keflezighi and Merga.

1:07: The order at half way was: Maiyo, Keflezighi and Merga all at 62:43. Cheruiyot and Korir at 62:55. Cherigat at 62:56. Culpepper at 63:27. Onsare at 63:28. Kiplagat at 63:30.

1:05: The Boston Marathon half way split record is the 62:01 of Juma Ikangaa from 1990.

1:04: The 13 mile split is 62:12. Half way split is 62:43. Maiyo, Merga and Keflezighi are all close at the front. The second pack is 12 seconds back and comprises Cherigat, Cheruiyot and Korir.

1:02: The 20K split is 59:33.

1:01: On a downhill stretch Maiyo's narrow margin is erased. The trio is running single file - Maiyo, Keflezighi and Merga. Culpepper is 30 seconds down.

1:00: Maiyo has a lead of two strides on Keflezighi and Merga.

12 mile split is 57:32 (4:43)

12:57: The leading trio is running side by side - Merga, Maiyo and Keflezighi.

12:53: 11 mile split is 52:49 (4:42). The leading trio remains Maiyo, Merga and Keflezighi. Culpepper is 13 seconds down and losing ground. This is Merga's marathon debut. He clocked a 60:44 course record in the Paris Half Marathon in March. He is a training partner of Haile Gebreselassie.

12:52: Three runners have broken away - Maiyo, Merga and Keflezighi.

12:50: 10 mile split is 48:07 (44:47) with Maiyo in the lead. Culpepper is 10 seconds down.

12:47: Just past 15K, Ben Maiyo, second placed finisher in last year's Chicago Marathon, moves into the lead. The pack is stretching out and the order is Maiyo, Yuda, Keflezighi, Merga, Cherigat, Cheruiyot, Korir, Kiplagat, Onsare and Culpepper.

12:45: When Cosmas Ndeti set the Boston course record of 2:07:15 in 1994, the 15K split was 46:24.

12:44: The nine mile split is 43:19 (4:43). Yuda appears to inject surges every so often. Keflezighi, looking comfortable, always covers. The 15K split is 44:51. Culpepper appears to be falling adrift.

12:41: The order in the pack is: Yuda, Maiyo, Cherigat, Merga, Keflezighi, Cheruiyot, Kiplagat, Jitsui, Culpepper and Korir. Negussie is more than 100m back.

12:40: The eight mile split is 36:36 (4:46). Negussie has lost in the region of 100m. Yuda remains at the front with Keflezghi holding cloe. Culpepper is closer to the back of the pack, approximately five meters back.

12:38: Approaching eight miles, Negussie the defending champion, is falling from the pace.

12:35: The seven mile split is 33:50 (4:40).

12:33: Yuda is being especially aggressive, fronting the field. Keflezighi, the foremost US hope, appears comfortable in a close up fourth position.

12:29: The six mile split is 29:01 (4:41). 10K is 30:04, 2:07:15 pace. In the pack are Yuda, Keflezighi, Maiyo, Merga, Korir, Cherigat, Culpepper, Negussie, Kiplagat and Kenjiro Jitsui (JPN). Brian Sell is 50m back at 10K.

12:25: The five mile split was 24:20 (4:52 split).

12:24: Yuda holds the lead, although the pack is unchanged, holding formation.

12:20: The 5K split is 15:22 and four miles is passed in 19:32. In the pack are Yuda, Keflezighi, Maiyo, Negussie, Deriba Merga (ETH), Cherigat, Culpepper, Onsare, Wilson Komen (KEN) and John Korir. Brian Sell, another top ranked American, is in 17th position passing 5K in 15:29.

12:15: The three mile split is 14:51. The lead pack of 15 includes Yuda, Maiyo, Culpepper and Keflezighi.

12:10: Passing two miles in 10:06 Yuda holds the lead, but with Culpepper, Keflezighi and Ben Maiyo right on his heels. Yuda surges again opening an advantage of five meters.

12:05: The first mile split for Yuda is 4:57. The chasing pack includes all of the anticipated contenders, including Keflezighi and Culpepper. The pack is eight seconds in arrears.

12:03: The leader is John Yuda, who already holds a lead in the region of 20 meters on the pack.

At the start, the temperature was 53 degrees with a wind from the north at 4 mph.

12:00: The men's race is underway with, almost as expected, the large group of contenders, already chasing a lone and impetuous leader.

With 10 minutes to go before the start of the men's race, the elite field is beginning to make its way out to the Hopkinton starting line. Conditions are perfect at present: temperatures in the mid-50s with minimal wind.

Defending champion Hailu Negassie is seeking to retain his title, but will have his hands full with Wilson Onsare, last year's second place finisher, plus 2003 winner Robert Kipkocech Cheruiyot, 2004 winner Timothy Cherigat, Ben Maiyo, John Korir and the American dynamic duo, Alan Culpepper and Meb Keflezighi. Hopes are high that one of the latter two will become the first US male winner of this race since Greg Meyer in 1983.

Reports are that Keflezighi awoke with back spasms this morning, for which he received massage therapy.

Records
World: 2:04:55, Paul Tergat (KEN)
US: 2:05:38, Khalid Khannouchi
Boston: 2:07:15, Cosmas Ndeti, 1994
Boston, masters: 2:11:04, John Campbell, 1990

Men's Prize money

1. $100,000
2. $40,000
3. $22,500
4. $18,000
5. $14,000
6. $12,000
7. $9000
8. $7400
9. $5700
10. $4200
11. $2600
12. $2100
13. $1800
14. $1700
15. $1500
    

Masters

1. $10,000
2. $5000
3. $2500
4. $1500
5. $1000

Men's Elite Field Facts

In this year's field:

Three past champions - Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (2003), Timothy Cherigat (2004), Hailu Negussie (2005).

11 men with PRs faster than 2:10

Five 2004 Olympic marathoners - Alan Culpepper, Mebrahtom Keflezighi, Luc Krotwaar, Hailu Negussie, John Yuda.

Two Olympic marathon medalists - Meb Keflezighi (2004, silver), Tesfaye Tola (2000, bronze).

One runner coached by a former Boston Marathon winner - Alirio Carrasco is coached by 1971 winner, Alvaro Mejia from Colombia.

110th BAA Boston Marathon - Men's Race Preview

With the second largest field in Boston Marathon history (22,519 runners) making its way to the fabled Hopkinton starting line, there are two questions in most people's minds: 1) Will the weather cooperate for once, and 2) Who will capture the laurel wreaths? The first is more readily answered than the second.

Forecasts one hour in advance of the 11:31am elite women's start indicated that, for the first time in the last handful of years, conditions may be favorable for some fast times. Temperatures at start time are forecast to be in the mid-50s, dropping to the high 40s once the leaders begin to approach downtown Boston. The only potential handicap may be a potent wind hitting the runners from the north/northwest. The most prudent tactic, therefore, may be to settle in among whatever group one may be able to find and to be as patient as possible.

That is a tactic that has proved effective time and again on the celebrated Boston course. Rarely does the winner come from among those charging to the forefront in the early going. To be cagey will certainly be the wisest option this year given that, despite the depth of the field, there is no clear favorite.

Among the men, defending champion Haile Negussie is back to try for number two following some indifferent performances in the interim, while last year's second place finisher, Wilson Onsare, is poised to move up a place on the rostrum. Ben Maiyo, John Korir and '03 and '04 winners Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot and Timothy Cherigat are also in the field and reported to be in fine form.

From a domestic perspective, Boston 2005 is especially intriguing, boasting two Americans who, for the first time in many years, harbor strong and legitimate hopes of taking the crown. Olympic silver medalist Mebrahtom Keflezighi and Olympic Trials winner Alan Culpepper represent the leading edge of a US marathoning resurgence, and each is clearly in shape to emulate Greg Meyer, the last American to lead the field into Boston, that being in 1983.

The permutations are endless and the only sure thing is that, in this year's men's Boston Marathon, there is no such thing as a sure thing.

The 110th Boston Marathon Start times are as follows:

10:00 a.m. Mobility Impaired Start
11:25 a.m. Wheelchair Division Start
11:31 a.m. Elite Women's Start
12:00 noon Elite Men's Start and Wave One Start
12:30 p.m. Wave Two Start

Jim O'Brien will provide continuous live coverage of the Men's Race beginning at 11:15 a.m.

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