THE SIDELINES : Mexican Wins San Diego Race

Benjamin Paredes Martinez followed his strategy of coming from behind to win the San Diego Marathon on Sunday.

Martinez, 29, of Ecatepec, Mexico, finished the 26.2-mile race in two hours, 19 minutes and 3 seconds.

“My plan was to come from behind,” said Martinez, who crossed the finish line waving a small Mexican flag. “I had to have patience.”

Similarly, 24-year-old Kathleen Smith of Newport Beach followed her own patient strategy and broke open the women’s race with 10 miles to go, winning in 2:43:05.

Doug Kurtis of Detroit finished second in 2:19:39, and Alfredo Rosas of San Pedro third in 2:19:49.

In the women’s division, Mindy Ireland, 39, of Escondido, who was hindered by a sore left hamstring, finished more than nine minutes behind Smith in 2:52:12.