Kovpotina blows away women’s record

Mike Sims

Monday, Jan. 31, 2005 | 9:35 a.m.

Olga Kovpotina ran like she had the wind at her back, not swirling all around her.

Kovpotina, of Ukraine, smashed the eight-year-old women's record Sunday at the 39th annual Las Vegas Marathon by 29 seconds in a time of 2 hours, 31 minutes, 53 seconds.

Russian Lioudmila Kortchaguina also broke the former record by 10 seconds, but settled for second place both annually and historically.

The men's record, held by Frank Plasso Jr., was believed to be in jeopardy against the field of almost 10,000 but will stand for its 20th year.

Gilbert Koech won the men's full marathon with a time of 2:13:44, 1:07 off the record pace. Koech and Kovpotina each take home $25,000 dollars for first place.

"They would have been under 2:09 if the weather would have permitted it," said Larry Barthlow, the elite coordinator of the Las Vegas Marathon.

Many of the elite athletes felt the wind was a problem.

"The conditions are tough for everyone," Kovpotina said. "If the conditions affect you, they affect your opponents also, and you have to make the right adjustments to win."

Koech said he made adjustments to win the men's race.

"It was a last-minute decision for me to run this race. I was training in New Mexico and decided to come out and run here to Las Vegas," Koech said. "There is a combination of things I did to win. I would sprint at certain times and rest at others, like on the hill climbs."

Koech, running in his first marathon, was not considered to be on the elite roster and was added at the last minute.

"He's a track guy," Barthlow said. "He runs a different style, which might have helped him in the wind."

Koech, 28, said he was not surprised that he won the race.

"I had a feeling I could do it," Koech, a native of Kenya, said. "I want this (win) to be a stepping stone to more marathons. I would like to specialize in them."

Kenyans rounded out the top three spots with Henry Serum and Elly Rono finishing second and third.

Ukraine's Mykola Antonenko finished fourth in the men's competition.

"I'm very disappointed with my finish. I made technical mistakes," Antonenko said. "I pushed the pace during the second half of the race and overcame four other runners. It was more technical errors than the weather for me."

Antonenko, who finished second in the Twin City marathon, paid his own way into this race and felt he should have been treated like the elite runners.

"I am upset with the elite coordinator who didn't accept me as one of the elite runners," Antonenko said. "Except for him, I liked the crowd and appreciate the congratulations from the race director (Al Boka) at the finish line."

Antonenko is planning on running in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He is known as an elite runner in his own country.

Christian Hesch, the half marathon winner, felt the same about showing what he can do.

"I didn't have much choice but to win," said Hesch, 29. "I wanted to show the elite coordinator that I am for real. I came here to win, not to run fast."

Hesch ran the half marathon in 1:06:18, a pace of 5:04. He finished two seconds ahead of Daniel Cheruiyot from Kenya. Nili Abramski from Israel won the women's half marathon.

Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip and fellow NASCAR driver Kyle Petty finished the 26.2-mile marathon in 3:56:52 and 4:16:02 respectively.