Belarus Pair Win Marathon

In their first visit to the United States, Andri Hardzeyeu and Halina Karnatsezich of Belarus made sure the trip was a memorable one. Hardzeyeu ran away from the pack, winning the San Diego Marathon in 2 hours 18 minutes 21 seconds.

Hardzeyeu said he knew by the 18th mile that he had a three-minute advantage on the field.

“The difficult part was being able to run a steady pace alone,” Hardzeyeu said.

In the women’s race, Karnatsezich helped make it a Belarus sweep with a winning time of 2:44:03, holding off American Jenny Prokos. Karnatsezich and Hardzeyeu earned $3,000, but the latter added $1,000 more for breaking the course record of 2:18:50.

The women’s race was not without controversy. Near the two-mile mark, a train approached and race officials told some of the runners to wait. Some ignored the warning and beat the train across the tracks, prompting Suzi Morris, who came in fourth place, to file a complaint with race officials.

Lynn Flanagan, director of the marathon, said a decision on whether to disqualify any of the runners will not be made until she speaks with U.S. Track and Field Assn. officials. Flanagan said the first- and second-place winners will not be affected.