Boston bound: Cheruiyot rules Boston

By Robin Toskin and Agencies

Robert Cheruiyot braved the chilly weather, temperatures as low as 11 degrees, and blustery wind to win the 114th edition of Boston Marathon with a course record of 2:05:52.

Defending women champions Salina Kosgei, too, battled gallantly but had to settle for third place in 2:28:35 as Ethiopian Teyba Erkesso won it in 2:26:11 followed by Russia’s Tatyana Pushkareva.

Cheruiyot, 21, entered the race towing the underdog tag although with a personal best of 2:06:23 (Frankfurt, 2009) better than defending champions Deriba Merga (2:06:38 (London, 2008)) but knowing the Ethiopian was a known battler.

Weighed against him also was the stature of compatriot and namesake Robert ‘Mwafrika’ Cheruiyot, who has since changed his name after converting to Islam, whose course record set in 2006 stood at 2:07: 14.

However, the youngster set on the Boston course with youthful enthusiasm backed by countrymen John Komen, David Mandago, Moses Kigen, Elijah Keitany and Stephen Kiogora.

In their midst, offering the challenge as often, were Ethiopians Merga, Tekeste Kebede and naturalised American Mebrahtom Keflezighi.

Add that to the presence of the fastest man in the field, with a personal best of 2:05:30, in Morocco’s Abderrahim Gourmi who second in Chicago and second place finisher in London and New York (twice) and the youngster from Bomet had a dog fight in his hands.

However, as it is intrinsically a Kenyan affair, Cheruiyot refused to roll over and stayed with the leading pack at the tenth kilometre comprising Gourmi, Dmytro Baranovskyy (Ukraine), Kiogora, Keflezighi, Mandago Kigen, Chala Dechase (Ethiopia) and Keitany.

Injected pace

Merga surged ahead but Kigen is hang right behind him with a three metre gap to the chasers. And just past half way, Komen injected pace, a surge that strung out the pack.

In the Newton Hills, the pack was still holding tight and Cheruiyot intervened, injecting some pace and Merga responded although the pace quickly easeed again and the pack re-grouped.

Then on the 17-mile and split at 1:22:19 Merga and Cheruiyot still fronted the group but by the 40km mark the race narrowed down to two — Merga and Cheruiyot, running side by side with everybody else gone from the fray.

Goumri, one of the potent attackers dropped out and Cheruiyot, fifth last year in Boston raced clear of Merga as he coasted to sweet victory.

Earlier, Kosgei had battled gallantly as she bade to defend the title she won last year, in the face of yet another Ethiopian challenge fronted by the winner, Teyba Erkesso.