Geir Kvernmo of Norway pulled away in...

Geir Kvernmo of Norway pulled away in the 14th mile and held on to win the Houston Marathon in 2:11:44 and earn $25,000 in prize money.

Linda Zeman, an uninvited participant from Albuquerque, N.M., also earned $25,000 by finishing first among the women with a time of 2:34:52.

Zeman, 27, hadn’t run a marathon since 1984, and her previous biggest payday came when she won a 20K at Ames, Iowa, in 1982 and earned $100.

On Sunday, she ran eight minutes faster than her personal best. “I had no intention of winning,” she said. “I just wanted to finish in the top 10 and break 2:40 and qualify for the Olympic Trials.”

Elsewhere, Tommy Hughes of Northern Ireland beat his personal best time by two minutes to upset Mustapha Nechchadi of Morocco in the Marrakesh Marathon in Morocco. Hughes was timed in 2:15:48.