Byline: BERT ROSENTHAL Associated Press
BOSTON No one ever called the Boston Marathon course fast. Until Monday.
Under ideal weather conditions, Cosmas Ndeti of Kenya smashed the record in defending his men's title and Uta Pippig of Germany broke the women's record.
In addition, Bob Kempainen, a 27-year-old medical student at Minnesota, broke the American record in finishing seventh on a day in which temperatures reached the mid-50s and runners took advantage of a 19 mph tailwind.
``I was not aiming to get a fast first or second half. I was only concentrating on the pace other people were running,'' Ndeti said.
He covered the 26 miles, 385 yards in 2 hours, 7 minutes, 15 seconds 36 seconds better than Rob de Castella's Boston record set in 1986. Ndeti's time was the fifth fastest ever and the fastest in the world in six years. It was only 25 seconds off the world best of 2:06:50, set by Belayneh Densimo of Ethiopia at Rotterdam in 1988.
Pippig, crying for joy after finishing, won in 2:21:45. She broke the women's record of 2:22:43, set by Joan Benoit Samuelson in 1983, and moved into third place on the all-time list, 39 seconds behind the world best of 2:21:06 set by Norway's Ingrid Kristiansen at London in 1985.
``If I had not done well, I would have cried (in disappointment),'' said Pippig, who had the flu last week. ``I took it very seriously.
``I thought about the record with about three-four miles left. But I really tired at miles 25 and 26, and I just wanted to finish. I said, `C'mon, just win.' I trained for a 2:22. So this was a good run. I need maybe one or two good years to break the (world record).''
The Boston layout is considered difficult because of its undulating terrain and notorious Heartbreak Hill, which crests at 230 feet at mile 21. Monday, the perfect weather and strong men's and women's fields combined to get the better of the course.
In winning for the second consecutive year, Ndeti became the fourth straight Kenyan champion. Countryman Ibrahim Hussein won in 1991 and 1992.
On Monday, the course records fell, and so did the American record. Kempainen, the runner-up at New York last November, was timed in 2:08:47, breaking the mark of 2:08:52 set by Alberto Salazar at Boston in 1982.
Ndeti held off late-charging Andres Espinosa of Mexico, the 1993 New York City Marathon champion. The Kenyan won by four seconds, the fourth-closest finish in the race.
Ndeti ran an almost identical race to the one a year ago, biding his time over the first half before surging to the front. He seized the lead for good just before 22 miles, overtaking Boay Akonay of Tanzania.
Last year, after winning, Ndeti gave his 2-day-old son the middle name of ``Boston.''
``Last year was a miracle to me,'' he said Monday.
At the halfway point, Ndeti was ninth, with Keith Brantly of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., leading in 1:04:52. Ndeti ran the second half close to 1:02:00.
Kempainen had mixed emotions about his race.
``If somebody had told me what I ran today, I think I would have won the race or been close,'' he said. ``But I was seventh. I feel baffled because I don't know what to make of my race, how much was it was the wind or the great field.''
Espinosa's runner-up time was 2:07:19, also under the previous course record and the sixth fastest ever. He was followed by Jackson Kipngok of Kenya at 2:08:08, 1992 Olympic gold medalist Hwang Young-Jo of South Korea at 2:08:09 and former 10,000-meter world record-holder Arturo Barrios of Mexico at 2:08:28.
Brantly wound up 20th at 2:13:00 and first-time marathoner Mark Coogan of Boulder, Colo., placed 22nd at 2:13:24.
In the final mile, Espinosa closed within 10 yards of Ndeti, but the Kenyan had enough left.
The women's race was settled earlier as Pippig, the 1993 New York City winner, broke away from first-time marathoner Elana Meyer of South Africa between 18 and 19 miles.
Meyer wound up third in 2:25:15, with 1992 Olympic champion Valentina Yegerova of Russia the runner-up in 2:23:33.
Kim Jones of Spokane, Wash., a two-time Boston runner-up, was the first American finisher, taking eighth in 2:31:44.
Russia's Olga Markova, the two-time defending champion, dropped out near the 21-mile mark.
Ndeti and Pippig each earned $70,000 from the purse of $455,000, the biggest ever for a marathon, and $25,000 bonuses apiece for breaking the course record.
While the Open division men and women were close to the world-best times, the wheelchair winners produced the best times ever.
Heinz Frei of Switzerland took the men's division in 1:21:23, nearly a minute faster than the previous best of 1:22:17, by Jim Knaub of Long Beach, Calif., at last year's Boston Marathon.
Jean Driscoll of Champaign, Ill., won the women's race for the fifth consecutive year and for the fifth year set a world best. Her time of 1:34:21 was 29 seconds faster than her winning clocking of a year ago.
Doug Kurtis, 42, of Northville, Mich., was the first Masters finisher, clocking 2:15:48, for 29th place overall.
