A Race With More Than One Winner : Marathon: South African finishes first in New York City, Aussie woman sets record, and Lebow gets loudest cheers.

The greatest satisfaction belonged to winner Willie Mtolo. The women’s course record went to Lisa Ondieki. The loudest cheers were reserved for the effort of Fred Lebow, the race director who has cancer.

For all three, their performances in Sunday’s New York City Marathon represented remarkable achievements.

The victory by the South African Mtolo, who was denied an opportunity to compete internationally until this year because of his country’s racial policies, provided his nation with a dramatic boost in its bid to return to recognition in the world scene.

It also was the chance to show his ability to a world audience. He came to New York last year with the intention of running, but was denied the chance because South Africans were banned internationally.

“In South Africa, they will be very happy,” said Mtolo, 28, who never has become involved in the political situation in his country. “This will mean a lot for South Africa.”

Mtolo, who lived up to the No. 1 he wore on his racing singlet, was timed in 2 hours 9 minutes 29 seconds, matching the seventh-fastest time in the race’s history.

For Ondieki, the victory was vindication for her Olympic failure. She was the favorite at the Barcelona Games, but dropped out after 16 miles.

“I thought my marathon would be at Barcelona, but I’m glad it was at New York,” said Ondieki, 32, of Australia, who was timed in 2:24:40. “I wasn’t comfortable at Barcelona. Here, I wasn’t afraid of losing.”

And for Lebow, 60, it was the dream of a lifetime. After directing and orchestrating the race since its inception in 1970 and completing the event only in its first year, he shuffled or walked through the entire 26 miles 385 yards, less than three years after undergoing surgery for brain cancer.

As he ran, accompanied by nine-time women’s winner Grete Waitz, 39, of Norway and an entourage of backers, he was cheered loudly along the entire route through the city’s five boroughs.

Lebow was not able to finish in less than five hours, as he had hoped, but his emotional performance was greeted by tremendous cheers and strains of “New York, New York,” over the loudspeakers after he finished in 5:32:34.

“I’ve never run so slow, but I’ve never enjoyed one so much,” said a tearful Lebow, who ran the race to help raise money for cancer research. “It made my life bearable. New York is so fabulous.”

Said Waitz, who was also in tears: “This was a very special race for me. It was tough to run that slow. I’m very proud of Fred. He did great.”

Mtolo never had raced outside South Africa until winning a marathon at Enschade, the Netherlands, on June 21.

That race, however, did not compare in stature to the New York City Marathon, the world’s largest marathon with a field of about 25,000. Neither did it compare in prize money.

For winning New York, Mtolo, who grew up as a member of a Zulu tribe in the village of Kilimon in the foothills of the Drakensburg Mountains, automatically received $20,000, plus a new car.

In addition, he earned $30,000 for his sub-2:10 time.

Never had Mtolo, the son of a cattle farmer, won anything close to the amount he earned Sunday. His biggest purse previously was about $2,500 for his victory in the Netherlands.

This was the seventh marathon victory of his career, to go along with four seconds and one in which he did not finish.

Mexico’s Andres Espinosa, who had held the lead until Mtolo surged past him at the 23-mile mark, was the runner-up for the second consecutive year, in 2:10:53.

Ondieki, a two-time runner-up and last year’s third-place finisher at New York, won the women’s division for the first time after three near-misses.

The previous course record of 2:25:29 was set by Allison Roe of New Zealand in 1981. She earned the $20,000 first prize, a new car and $30,000 bonus money for breaking the course record.