The Reporter (Addis Ababa)
22 December 2007
Honolulu, this city of 800,000 welcomed the warm sunshine which greeted them on Saturday morning. It was a much needed respite from more than a week of rainy weather, some of it accompanied by winds so strong they uprooted a few of Oahu's oldest trees.
But the rains were back again on Sunday morning, and the downpour which began just minutes before the 35th Honolulu Marathon started at five o'clock set the tone for the race where Ambesse Tolosa of Ethiopia and Alevtina Biktimirova of Russia splashed their way to victories and $40,000 in prize money.
For Ambesse it was his second win here in as many tries. Like last year, he used a patient approach, not taking the lead until the important climb up Diamond Head Avenue at the 38km mark. It was there he found himself in exactly the same position as last year: trailing five-time Honolulu Marathon champion, Jimmy Muindi of Kenya, by one step.
"He's a very challenging competitor," Ambesse said of Muindi after the race.
The fact that only two men remained in contention at that point in the race was a bit of a puzzle given the relatively cool conditions and the slow pace. Ambesse and Muindi successfully dropped Kenyans Lawrence Saina and Boniface Mbuvi despite only covering the five kilometers from 30km to 35km in a plodding 16:49.
"Nobody wants to push," observed Italian marathon coach Gabriele Rosa who was watching the race from the press truck.
Muindi had planned to go much faster, but every time he tried to accelerate he was overcome with nausea.
"My stomach was very bad," said the lanky Kenyan who dropped out of his other two marathons this year in Rotterdam and Chicago because they were so hot. "I just had to slow down."
Running past the multi-million dollar homes in the fashionable Kahala neighborhood, Ambesse lowered his head and pressed gently as the climb began. Muindi tried to respond, but instead got sick. The race was over.
"It was just like last year," said Ambesse as he sat shoeless with his feet in the muddy grass adjacent to the finish line. "I waited to the last minute."
Ambesse's winning time of 2:17:26 was the slowest here in 16 years. Muindi, understandably downcast, jogged home in second in 2:18:53. Eric Nzioki, a Kenyan who had been dropped from the lead pack very early in the race, finished third in 2:21:32.
MEN
1. Ambesse Tolosa, ETH, 2:17:26
2. Jimmy Muindi, KEN, 2:18:53
3. Eric Nzioki, KEN, 2:21:32
4. Boniface Mbuvi, KEN, 2:22:59
5. Aleksey Aleksandrov, RUS, 2:24:36 (debut)
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