BOSTON MARATHON CHAMPIONS CHERUIYOT & TUNE TO DEFEND TITLES
By David Monti
(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission
Boston Marathon
Kenya's
Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot and Ethiopia's Dire Tune will defend their
Boston Marathon titles at the 113th edition of the race in April, John
Hancock Financial announced today.
Cheruiyot, 30, the first-ever
World Marathon Majors champion, is already the Boston record holder
(2:07:14) and has won the race four times. Homeless as child on
Nairobi's streets, Cheruiyot's rise to the top of marathon running is
one of the sport's most compelling stories. He once smoked cigarettes
to fight off hunger, but as an athlete his mighty lungs have propelled
him to marathon victories in Boston (2003, '06-'08), Chicago (2006),
and Milan (2002).
"I'd like to thank John Hancock for
inviting me back to race in Boston again," said Cheruiyot through a
prepared statement. "Boston is one of my favorite races, and I am
training as hard as I can to try to win for the fifth time if possible
and run my best time."
Only Clarence DeMar with seven
victories has won Boston more times than Cheruiyot, who is tied with
Canadian Gérard Coté and American Bill Rodgers with four wins each.
Tune,
23, was an unlikely champion at Boston in 2008. She had won the
Chevron Houston Marathon in a course record and personal best 2:24:40
on January 13, then 99 days later found herself in a pitched battle
against Russia's Alevtina Biktimirova in Boston's hilly second half.
Off of a relatively slow first half split (1:14:46), the pair dropped
established stars Jelena Prokopcuka, Lidiya Grigoryeva and Rita
Jeptoo. The race came down to the final sprint on Boyleston Street,
and Tune edged Biktimirova by just two seconds, 2:25:25 to 2:25:27, the
closest women's finish in Boston history. Tune recorded a sparkling
1:10:40 for the race's hilly second half.
"Since I was a young
girl, I always dreamed to come and compete in the Boston Marathon,"
said Tune through a news release. "My dream came true not only to come
to Boston, but to win. Now I have an unbelievable determination to
defend my title."
Cheruiyot and Tune will face credible threats
from USA stars Ryan Hall (2:06:17 PB) and Kara Goucher (2:25:53 PB).
Hall ran London the last two years and will be running his fifth career
marathon in Boston. Goucher made an impressive debut at the ING New
York City Marathon last November. Finishing third, she became the
first American woman to make the New York podium since Anne Marie Letko
in 1994.
The 113th Boston Marathon is scheduled for Monday,
April 20. Last year's race had 25,283 entrants, 22,375 starters and
21,948 finishers, making it the third largest marathon in the United
States behind New York and Chicago.
ENDS