RUNNING / LONG BEACH MARATHON : Ramirez Wins Easily; Bowman Learns Lesson

Jose Ramirez won the 13th Long Beach marathon Sunday in 2 hours 17 minutes 25 seconds, and Kathy Bowman won the women’s division in 2:46:32.

Each won $5,000.

It was the first marathon victory in the United States for Ramirez, 30, of Mexico.

Stefan Klausler, 31, of Switzerland overtook Sam Rotich with less than two miles to go and finished second in 2:25:49.

Rotich, 36, of Albuquerque, N.M., finished 59 seconds later to place third after finishing second the past two years.

Ramirez took the lead at the three-mile mark and was never challenged. He said he was using the race as a tool to try to whittle his time down to 2:14 and to practice for the Boston marathon.

Bowman, wobbling on rubbery legs moments after finishing, acknowledged that she had attempted a crazy stunt.

Bowman, 32, of Bellingham, Wash., finished sixth in the Walt Disney World marathon three weeks ago in Florida. Many would consider running two marathons so close together unthinkable.

“This was kind of an off-the-wall move to see just what the heck I might be able to do,” Bowman said.

“It’s the last thing I would recommend to anybody. It’s pretty stupid, really, but sometimes we marathoners are kind of crazy.”

Terry Schmidt, 37, of Reno, was second in 2:48:14.

Jim Knaub, 38, of Long Beach decided on Saturday night to enter the wheelchair division on Sunday and won it in 1:37:30, breaking his own 1991 course record by 1:17.

It was Knaub’s eighth victory in the event and he won $500. He also has won three L.A. marathons and five Boston marathons.

De Anna Sodoma, 26, of Carlsbad was the only female wheelchair competitor, and her time of 1:51:58 broke the course record, which she set last year, by 5:12.