Sunday, December 8: Live updates from Oahu
HONOLULU, Hawaii

A total of 24,427 runners finished this year's marathon

The temperature is 68 degrees, which is a little warmer than some of the runners would prefer. The times may not be quite as fast.

One of the late-entry favorites to win today is Lazarus Nyakeraka of Kenya, who is making his marathon debut and is a favorite of race commentator Alberto Salazar. He is known as "Lazerman" because he's the number-one ranked U.S. road race runner at lesser distances, as well as around the world.

He usurped Benson Masya as the unofficial number-one ranked road racer in the world this year, and in 1995 he finished no less than fifth in several major road races. He has won Spokane's prestigious Lilac Bloomsday 10K and other major races. Anyone who has seen his loping style know that it means speed. He is just 21 years old and should be able to keep pace with the leaders today.

4:59 a.m. (local time):
The wheelchair racers have left and the main pack is due to go off in one minute.

Commentator Frank Shorter, the 1972 Olympic marathon champion, has said that the cool temperatures will leave no excuses for the main racers.

Shorter says the high winds will in fact be leading the men. The leading women will be in a pack and will break the wind. He says it's a wonderful experience to run the race in the dark because it makes you feel like you're moving faster. Running in the dark leads to greater speeds.

5:01 a.m. (local time):
They are underway at Ala Moana Park. There are a lot of fireworks going off to celebrate the start of the race.

5:03 a.m. (local time):
A Polish woman, Aniela Nikiel, has taken the lead early. She has a best of 2:29:19 at Reims, France, in 1995. Part of a Polish contingent that trains in the U.S., she was third in 1995 at the Las Vegas Half-Marathon and fourth at the City of Los Angeles Marathon in 2:34:51.

5:18 a.m. (local time):
Total entrants in today's marathon are 30,107 of whom 9,055 are from the state of Hawaii, 17,890 are from Japan, and 2,353 are from the U.S. mainland. Other foreign runners total 812. There are 18,688--62 percent--men in today's race compared with 11,419, or 38 percent women.

There are 28 runners in the 80-89 age group and four runners over 90 years old. A total of 17,314 are doing their first marathon today. The wheelchair contest includes 54 men and five women.

5:18 a.m. (local time):
Rabbit Francis Nade of Tanzania is 30 yards ahead of the pack at the five-kilometer mark, which he reached in 16 minutes--a conservative pace, according to race director Jim Barahal.

Commentator Salazar says that with this sort of wind it's very important for the men to stay together in a pack. The effort extended is much less when you can take turns drafting and breaking the wind.

"When you turn a corner it feels as if you just ran into a wall," he said.

5:25 a.m. (local time):
At the start, the wind was 9 mph and the temperature was 68 degrees. It has since climbed to 70 degrees. "At the four-mile mark everyone looks comfortable. Last year everyone looked hot and lathered at this point," Barahal said.

Now Nade maintains a 20-yard lead at the four-mile mark along Ala Moana Boulevard.

5:30 a.m. (local time):
Salazar says the runners are at a 2:14 pace and he sees them maintaining that until the end. At the final turnaround point at 17 miles at Hawaii Kai they will have a tail wind pushing them home. So a new course record is not impossible.

There are now some sprinkles of rain hitting the runners.

5:45 a.m. (local time):
The men just went by the 10-kilometer mark at 31:45. There are 22 men in the lead group now.

5:48 a.m. (local time):
Nade is doing a great job as the race rabbit. Every time the pack catches him he sprints ahead. He did eight miles in 41 minutes flat.

The women just passed the 10-kilometer mark at 35:08.

Eriko Asai, 37, of Japan, is running 30 seconds behind the lead pack of women. There are only three or four women in the lead pack now, surrounded by a group of men.

Asai is running this race just a year after the death of her husband, who also was her coach. She has a PR of 2:28:22 at Nagoya, Japan, in 1993, and she won the Nagoya race in 1994 with a time of 2:30:30.

The runners are now 44:28 into the race.

Mi-Ja Oh of South Korea took the lead for the women at the 45-minute mark. The male runners who are blocking the wind--which is gusting up to 30 mph--for the lead women give them a tremendous advantage.

At the eight-mile mark, the leaders for the women are Mi-Ja Oh of South Korea, Ramila Burangulova of Russia, Maimuna Margwe of Tanzania, Aniela Nikiel of Poland, Eriko Asai of Japan, and Carla Beurskens of Holland.

Third-place Margwe is a policewoman who placed 100th in the world cross-country championships at Stellenbosch, Germany. In June she won the Moshi Half-Marathon and at the end of October she won the Moshi High-Altitude 10K. She trains at an altitude of 4,500 feet.

At 5:48 the men are up and over Diamond Head after a nine-mile split of 46:05. The tempo is very quick, says Frank Shorter, who says the rabbit is doing the best job he's ever seen.

When they came down Diamond Head the wind hit them the hardest; this is where they're most exposed to the onshore north wind.

6:01 a.m. (local time):
The 10th mile, which included an uphill, was run in 5:07. The elapsed time for the men's leaders is 51:12.

The women got through 10 miles in 58:12.

Mi-Ja Oh of Korea is leading the pack. Second place now is Svetlana Vasilyeva of Russia, with a 2:36:44 best in Austin, Texas. Beurskens is fourth.

Burangulova is tucked into the back of the pack and hiding from the wind. She looks "extremely comfortable," says commentator Mary Decker-Slaney. Burangulova had a 2:27:58 at the Nagoya International Women's Marathon, in which she got fourth this year.

6:06 a.m. (local time):
The men have turned onto Kalanianiole Highway now. Most race-watchers believe that the real racing will begin at mile 17 when they make the final turnaround. Right now it's still dark and breezy.

6:08 a.m. (local time):
The men went through the 11-mile mark at 1:01:42.

In the lead pack are Alphonce Muindi and his cousin Jimmy Muindi. Also in the pack is Kim Yi Yong of Korea and Masya, the 1991, 1992, and 1994 winner, who looks comfortable.

The lead pack has dropped from 22 runners to just nine as they approach the half-marathon point.

Masya had planned to do well in New York last month and not race in Honolulu, but he had a bad day there and decided to concentrate on his favorite marathon, Honolulu.

The men had a 1:08:11 half-marathon split.

6:17 a.m. (local time):
The women passed 11 miles in 1:04:30. Oh Mi Ja of Korea is the leader, followed by Vasilyeva, Nikiel, and Burangulova, who is content to remain blocked by the wind and chase the leaders. These four or five have separated themselves from the rest of the group.

Today's weather--a moderate 68 degrees at the start--is sure to play a role in the finish. In 1986 when the record was set it was 59 degrees at the start. Last year it was an uncomfortable 78 degrees.

6:26 a.m. (local time):
The men just crossed the 25-kilometer mark at 1:21:05. Nyakeraka made a tentative move to the front, thought better of it, and dropped back. Instead, Andre Ramos of Brazil took the lead. He had a 2:14:51 PR this year in Boston.

It's feeling very easy for Nyakeraka, but all the pundits say no one is going to make a definitive move until the wind is at their backs.

6:27 a.m. (local time):
Today's race rabbit, Francis Nade of Tanzania, is currently unemployed, but race director Barahal says after today's excellent performance he can get work wherever he wants in the world.

He does have an impressive resume coming into today's race, including a 61:04 half-marathon this year at the Simon Roberts Naali Memorial Half-Marathon, held at 4,500 feet. He also did a 10K in 27:51.

6:28 a.m. (local time):
The men just made a series surge. As soon as they felt the wind at their backs it was like a switch went on they and surged ahead. Yi Yong Kim is straining to stay with the pack. The Muindis, Eric Kamaiyo, and Thabiso Moqhali of Lesotho are all there.

Moqhali's PR is 2:10:35 at London in 1992 and he just turned 27 on Pearl Harbor Day. He has won two ultra-marathons, took fifth in Berlin, and took second place in 1994 here in Honolulu. He's also been in two Olympics and two Commonwealth Games.

Benson Masya is also up in the group, and in previous races Masya has made his move here.

Nyakeraka also has maintained touch with the pack. Now the top runners are testing one another with punishing surges.

6:32 a.m. (local time):
There are six women in the lead pack. Beurskens is at the back of the pack. Decker-Slaney says Burangulova looks to be the most comfortable of all the lead runners.

6:37 a.m. (local time):
The women went through the halfway mark at 1:13:50, which is record pace. At the 15-mile mark they were at 1:24:13, still with six women in the lead pack.

6:39 a.m. (local time):
The women's 15-mile pace is 5:36 per mile, which translates to a 2:37 marathon, and they haven't even got to the tail winds yet. This is shockingly fast for Honolulu.

6:43 a.m. (local time):
At miles 17, 18, and 19 of the men's race, Kim Yi Yong led an amazing burst of 4:40, 4:44, and 4:40, respectively, which is too fast to keep until the finish.

6:45 a.m. (local time):
The South Korean racer is 23 and is primed to make a breakthrough. At his country's prestigious Dong-A Marathon held in March he ran a 2:11:54. He was 12th in the Olympics.

6:49 a.m. (local time):
They just ripped off another 4:50 mile. Moqhali is first, Kim second, Kamaiyo third, Muindi fourth, and Masya fifth.

6:55 a.m. (local time):
The race has just been broken open by Kamaiyo of Kenya going into mile 22. He now has a 30-yard lead over Jimmy Muindi, followed by Moqhali, followed by Kim of Korea.

Kamaiyo had slower marathons in 1995 and 1996, coming in 14th at last year's New York Marathon and 18th at Boston.

Muindi is from Kenya and really doesn't have a fast time. But he does very well in Honolulu, and he got third at Lilac Bloomsday in 1996. He is leading his mentor Masya now.

6:56 a.m. (local time):
In the women's race, Vasilyeva is leading followed by Nikiel and Burangulova. The three are virtually elbow-to-elbow. In fourth, 30 yards back, is Asai. Fifth is Beurskens.

7:04 a.m. (local time):
Just coming up to Diamond Head, Eric Kamaiyo now has a 50-yard lead over Jimmy Muindi. Kamaiyo looks to be almost on record pace. They are at the 23rd mile.

7:05 a.m. (local time):
Kamaiyo has a 50-yard lead, then it is 70 yards back to Moqhali, 30 more to Kim, and 50 more to Masya. Kamaiyo ran the 24th mile in five minutes even, which is about a 2:12 pace to finish.

7:07 a.m. (local time):
Mari Tanagawa of Japan is now in the lead for the women, followed by Vasilyeva, Nikiel, and Burangulova.

The men have crested Diamond Head and it's downhill from there.

There is a $5,000 bonus for breaking the course record, set by Bong Ju Lee of Korea at 2:13:16, and $20,000 for winning the race.

Kamaiyo just completed a 5:02 mile including a steep uphill, but Jimmy Muindi is moving up. The leaders are now in the last mile. Muindi is a very good short-course racer and is used to these sprints, so the leader could be in trouble. They've got about a quarter-mile to go.

7:14 a.m. (local time):
The 25-mile split for the men was 2:07:35. They've now got a minute and a half to go and look like they are going to break the course record.

7:15 a.m. (local time):
Muindi, about 20 yards back, made an effort to catch Kamaiyo, but Kamaiyo dug deep and sprinted ahead again with 30 yards to go. They are coming into the chute now at 2:12:41. They are really close to breaking the course record.

They've got 10 seconds to beat the record ...

They didn't break the record. Kamaiyo finished in 2:13:22, missing the record--and an extra $5,000--by just six seconds.

Official results for top 10 men:
Place | Name | Age | Country | Time
1. Eric Kamaiyo, 27, Kenya, 2:13:23
2. Jimmy Muindi, 25, Kenya, 2:13:37
3. Kim Yi Yong, 23, South Korea, 2:14:07
4. Thabiso Moqhali, 28, South Africa, 2:14:26
5. Andre Ramos, 26, Brazil, 2:15:54
6. Benson Masya, 26, Kenya, 2:16:15
7. Alphonce Muindi, 24, Kenya, 2:16:19
8. Tesfaye Dekele, 25, U.S., 2:17:57
9. Francis Nade, 22, Tanzania, 2:19:32
10. Ibrahim Kinutha, 33, Kenya, 2:19:59

The men had negative race splits, with 1:08 for the first half and 1:05 for the second half. The wind had calmed down for the second half.

Winner Eric Kamaiyo said he wasn't sure of victory. "I never knew that I had won. I just prayed to run my fastest race," he said. "I am happy."

Race-watcher Salazar said today's race saw the best conditions since 1986. "It was a little windy but it cooled them off."

Second-place finisher Jimmy Muindi said he was "feeling very bad" when Kamaiyo made his move. "In the last little bit I recovered and tried to catch up but didn't quite make it. I am not surprised at how well Eric ran. I know how good he is."

Meanwhile the women are on course-record pace. At mile 23 Burangulova is leading by about 30 yards over Vasilyeva. Mari Tanagawa dropped back but still leads Aniela Nikiel.

Race rabbit Nade just came across the finish at 2:19:34.

Sixth-place Masya said the wind was not a problem for him today. The problem was the move made by the leaders. "I tried to keep up but they were better today," he said.

7:22 a.m. (local time):
Going up Diamond Head, Burangulova has made the definitive move and will likely win. The others are going behind her fairly closely.

Beurskens clearly didn't have the horsepower today, and the three other chasers are fading noticeably at mile 25.

7:30 a.m. (local time):
Burangulova has a 200-meter lead and crossed the 24-mile mark at 2:25:41, so she has at least a reasonable chance of breaking the race record of 2:31:01 set by Beurskens.

The Russian just clocked 2:27:55 at the 25-mile mark, one to two minutes off course-record pace.

7:34 a.m. (local time):
Burangulova has just passed David Tsebe of the Republic of South Africa, who was second overall a few years ago.

7:36 a.m. (local time):
Burangulova has got a 300-yard lead as she comes to the last 200 meters of the race ...

She just recorded a winning time of 2:34:37.

Salazar said the wind kept both course records from being beaten today, otherwise the weather was good.

The women's race was decided with three or four miles to go, while the men's race was not decided until the final mile.

9:00 a.m. (local time):
Official results for top 10 women:
Place | Name | Age | Country | Time
1. Ramila Burangulova, 35, Russia, 2:34:28
2. Svetlana Vasilyeva, 26, Russia, 2:35:36
3. Mari Tanagawa, 34, Japan, 2:36:20
4. Aniela Nikiel, 31, Poland, 2:37:33
5. Carla Beurskens, 44, Netherlands, 2:38:19
6. Mi-Ja Oh, 26, South Korea, 2:39:43
7. Yoshiko Yanamoto, 26, Japan
8. Eriko Asai, 37, Japan, 2:50:23
9. Yukie Hayashaya, 30, Japan, 2:52:01
10. Salena Chirchir, 28, Kenya, 2:52:26

Burangulova finished 27th overall and Vasilyeva finished 31st overall.

A total of 197 of the 30,824 finishers broke the three-hour mark.

Men's wheelchair winners:
Place | Name | Age | Country | Time
1. Kazuya Murozuka, 32, Japan, 1:38:48
2. Jun Hiromichi, 22, Japan, 1:41:15

Women's wheelchair winners:
Place | Name | Age | Residence | Time
1. Deanna M. Sodoma, 29, Carlsbad, California, 2:01:45
2. Candace Cable, 42, Truckee, California, 2:02:14

Master's (40+) men winner:
Place | Name | Age | Country | Time
1. Yoshihisa Hosaka, 47, Japan, 2:34:26

Master's (40+) women's winner:
Place | Name | Age | Country | Time
1. Carla Beurskens, 44, Netherlands, 2:38:19