Two Kenyans Win Los Angeles Marathon

Los Angeles - Edna Kiplagat of Kenya won the women's division of the 25th annual Los Angeles Marathon today, and a $100,000 bonus as top overall finisher, while countryman Wesley Korir was the men's winner for the second consecutive year.

Kiplagat completed the 26-mile, 385-yard course from Dodger Stadium to near the Santa Monica Pier in two hours, 25 minutes, 38 seconds, the third fastest women's time in the race's history.

"I was trying to run my best," said Kiplagat, a 30-year-old who was running in her second marathon. "I'm not surprised being the winner and overall champion."

The elite women's field was given an 18-minute, 47-second head start over its male counterparts, determined by a formula involving the runners' lifetime best times.

The "Challenge Bonus" has been offered seven times, with women winning four times. The same sex has never won two consecutive races.

Teyba Naser of Ethiopia was second in the women's race in 2:26:20, while Silvia Skvortsova of Russia was third in 2:27:20.

Kiplagat usually runs half-marathons and 10-kilometer races. Her previous marathon was the 2005 Las Vegas Marathon, where she finished 10th.

Kiplagat's husband, Gilbert Koech, was 13th in the men's race in 2:20.

The two fastest women's times both came in 2006. Russian Lidiya Grigoryeva won in a record time of 2:25:10 and Gete Wami of Ethiopia was second in 2:25:26.

Korir was timed in 2:09:19, the third fastest time in race history, behind his record time of 2:08:24 last year and the 2:08:40 time of Benson Cherono of Kenya in 2006.

"Crossing the finish line was just so emotional for me because I knew my wife was there and I knew my parents were watching me," said Korir, who was married last Sunday to Tarah McKay, who had been a teammate at the University of Louisville.

"This was more than just an ordinary race. Last year I was surprised. This year I was just overwhelmed with emotion because I knew what it meant, having my wife there to give me a hug and give me a kiss at the end and having my parents watching me back home.

"I can't imagine how my mom feels right now, seeing her son for the first time crossing the finish line. That was overwhelming."

Korir's parents watched the Universal Sports telecast of the race in Louisville, where they had come from Kenya for his wedding, he said.

Korir was the first men's back-to-back winner since Kenyan Stephen Ndungo won in 2001 and 2002.

Kenyans took the first 15 places in the men's race. Richard Limo was second in 2:09:48, while Paul Samoei was third in 2:09:54.

The male and female winners each received $20,000 and a 2010 Honda Insight EX sedan. Kiplagat also received a $25,000 time bonus for matching the 20th-fastest women's marathon time of 2009.

Kiplagat's victory ends an 11-race winning streak by women from the former Soviet Union. Russian women had won the last five races and seven of the last nine.

Kenyan men have won 12 consecutive races.

No U.S. runner has won the race since 1994, when Paul Pilkington won the men's race and Olga Appell was the women's winner.

Linda Somers Smith of San Luis Obispo was the top U.S. women's finisher, finishing sixth in 2:36:33. Troy Harrison of Colorado Springs, Col., was the top U.S. men's finisher, finishing 16th in 2:26:50.

Kiplagat took the lead in the 21st mile, as the field moved through the Veterans Administration grounds in Brentwood, passing Skvortsova, who had led from about a mile-and-a-quarter into the race.

Korir re-took the lead from Laban Kipkemboi in the 24th mile. Later during the same mile, on San Vicente Boulevard, between 14th Street and Ocean Avenue, Korir broke away from Limo and Samoei, taking a significant lead.

"Coach (Ron Mann) always tells me, `When you make that move at the end, make it a decisive move," Korir said. "When I made it, it was a decisive move."

Krige Schabort, a 46-year-old from Cedartown, Ga., was the men's wheelchair winner in 1:31:51. Amanda McGrory, a 23-year-old, from Savoy, Ill, was the women's wheelchair winner in 1:56:35. They each received $2,500 for their victories.

Under overcast skies and a 53-degree temperature, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa fired the starting gun that sent a record field off on a course that went outside Los Angeles' city limits in its history.

Organizers billed the course as having a "landmark every mile," including Los Angeles City Hall, Echo Park, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the Sunset Strip and Rodeo Drive. Rodeo Drive.

The latter parts of the race, officially known as the Honda Los Angeles Marathon, included Century City, the Veterans Administration grounds and Brentwood's San Vicente Boulevard, concluding at Santa Monica Boulevard and Ocean Avenue near the Santa Monica Pier.

"The course was amazing," Korir said. "The spectators were incredible.

"I don't think there wasn't a corner where there weren't people. People were shouting every corner. When we were running through Beverly Hills, people shouted my name twice. I thought, `Somebody knows