Ndereba sets record


She lowers world mark in Chicago

By Rick Gano, Associated Press, 10/8/2001

CHICAGO - Running the final 15 miles pretty much by herself, Catherine Ndereba of Kenya easily won the Chicago Marathon yesterday while breaking the women's world record set just a week ago.


Ndereba, a two-time Boston Marathon winner, finished in 2 hours 18 minutes 47 seconds, eclipsing the mark of 2:19:46 set in Berlin by Japan's Naoko Takahashi.


Once at the finish line, Ndereba glanced up to see her time and the tears began to flow.


''I was thinking in my mind this morning that if the climate was good, I'd go probably on a pace of 2:20,'' Ndereba said. ''It was overwhelming; I could not express it. I could not believe my eyes that I could go under 2:19.''


In the men's race, Ben Kimondiu went from pacer to racer, holding off fellow Kenyan Paul Tergat in the final mile.


Ndereba's victory means both the men's and women's world's bests have been set at the Chicago Marathon. Three-time champion Khalid Khannouchi, who did not compete this year, set the men's mark of 2:05:42 in 1999.


Ndereba broke away in the 11th mile, expanding her lead to 10 seconds over Lornah Kiplagat. Four miles later, she was ahead by nearly a minute. From there, she was by herself.


Ethiopia's Elfenesh Alemu finished second in 2:24:54 and Australia's Kerryn McCann was third in 2:26:04. Kiplagat dropped out with a stomach problem.


Ndereba ran 1:10:14 for the first half, and then picked it up to 1:08:33 in the second.


Kimondiu, a designated pacesetter, was supposed to run about 18 miles as a ''rabbit'' for the favored men runners and then drop out. But he was among the leaders for the entire race and didn't stop, resisting Tergat's final kick.


Kimondiu won in 2:08.52.


Tergat, a former world record-holder at 10,000 meters, running in his second marathon appeared on the verge of passing Kimondiu but couldn't find the leg strength in the stretch.


A 22-year-old Seattle man collapsed near the finish line and died. Luke Roach was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.


This story ran on page E15 of the Boston Globe on 10/8/2001.