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BY PAUL OREN
Times Correspondent | Monday, October 23, 2006 | (No comments posted.)
CHICAGO | Robert Cheruiyot had every reason to be excited.
The 28-year-old Kenyan was in the process of winning his first LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and second major U.S. marathon of the year -- he also won the Boston Marathon -- as he crossed the finish line at 2 hours, 7 minutes, 35 seconds. As Cheruiyot raised his arms in victory, he slipped on the finish line mat and fell backwards, slamming his head into the cold concrete.
"Did I win the race?" Cheruiyot yelled out. "What happened?"
What happened for Cheruiyot on a cold and blustery day in the Windy City was part luck, but mostly skill.
When he touched the finish line after a phenomenal performance against stiff competition, his chip registered with the computer and as he fell, his legs indeed crossed the finish line, even though it was second-place finisher Daniel Njenga who broke the tape. It was the fifth year in a row that Njenga has finished in the top three, but he has yet to conquer the race.
Cheruiyot was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital following the race because of internal and external bleeding and is expected to be kept over night.
"He is, of course, very tired and was confused after the race," Cheruiyot's agent, Federico Rosa, said. "He has a lot of pain in his head and a big knot, but he is very happy with the win."
Rosa also represented Berhane Adere, who won the women's race in 2:20:42 after holding off Russian Galina Bogomolova by five seconds. Both runners kept their distance from early race leader Constantina Tomescu-Dita, who was running at a blistering pace before fatigue set in and the duo caught her in the 23rd mile. The marathon is 26.2 miles.
There were plenty of local runners that made up the 34,698 participants in the 29th annual running of the Chicago Marathon, including Martin Graupner. The German-born runner spent the last five years living in Valparaiso before returning to Germany, but wanted to make it back for the marathon.
"For me, it's all about coming here with the running community," Graupner said. "Everyone around here motivates you and pushes you hard to be able to succeed."
Graupner posted one of the region's fastest times at 2:45:24, just edging Hammond's Richard Gutierrez, who finished with a time of 2:49:08.
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