Seko Runs 2:08:27 to Win; Kristiansen Clocks 2:27:08

Japan’s Toshihiko Seko outran Ahmed Saleh of Djibouti in the final three miles Sunday and won the $285,000 America’s Marathon/Chicago in a personal-best 2 hours 8 minutes 27 seconds for his second marathon victory of the year.

Norway’s Ingrid Kristiansen, the fastest women’s marathoner in history, was the first women’s finisher, in a disappointing 2:27:08, much slower than her world-best of 2:21:06.

Seko, who won the London Marathon this year, and Saleh pulled away from a pack of seven runners at about the 16-mile mark and battled together through the 22nd mile. Then Seko, 30, opened a 30-yard lead and expanded it to 100 yards by the end of the next mile. He finished with a final mile of 4:55.

“I looked at Saleh’s face,” Seko said through an interpreter. “I could see he was a little tired, so I began to move away.”

Saleh, who finished in 2:09:57, had been examined by a doctor Thursday for an apparent cold believed to have been caught in the change from Djibouti’s hot climate to the cold and wet of Chicago.

The race was run under overcast skies and with the temperature in the mid-50s. The wind was a slight factor. There were 12,000 competitors, including 40 world-class marathoners.

Olympic bronze medalist Charlie Spedding of England finished third in 2:10:14, followed by Michael Musyoki of Kenya in 2:10:30 and West German Herbert Steffny in 2:11:17.

Seko collected $40,000, Saleh $25,000 and Spedding $20,000. The best American finisher was Bill Rodgers, in 2:15:31, for 11th place.

Kristiansen never was challenged but did not run as well as she had hoped.

“I’m disappointed because I ran seven minutes slower than I had planned,” said Kristiansen, who came to Chicago predicting she could lower her world best.

Maria Lelut of France was second in 2:29:51, followed by 41-year-old Priscilla Welch of Britain in 2:31:14, Debbie Raunig of the United States in 2:31:28 and American Maureen Custy in 2:34:41.

Kristiansen earned $40,000, Lelut $25,000 and Welch $18,000.

The defending champions, Steve Jones of Wales and American Joan Benoit Samuelson, did not compete this year because of injuries, and the pace suffered noticeably.