Kenya’s Saina Ends Up Finest of This Crop

Mark Saina almost stayed home.

The Los Angeles Marathon seemed too big and was too far away for the 34-year-old farmer from Kenya.

“I wanted to pull out, but something told me just to come here,” he said.

Saina’s decision -- and his first visit to the United States -- proved profitable.

On Sunday, he chased down countryman Ben Maiyo and passed him just after the 26-mile mark for the victory. Saina collected $110,000 and a new car.

“This was a very good trip,” Saina said with a broad smile.

Saina’s time of 2 hours 9 minutes 35 seconds was 10 seconds off the L.A. Marathon record set by Kenya’s Simon Bor in 1999. But it was enough to defeat Maiyo, who finished in 2:09:45 in his first marathon.

Kenya’s Laban Kipkemboi finished third in 2:10:51 and Bor fourth in 2:12:13. The top seven finishers, and eight of the top 10, were Kenyans.

Saina, who won a marathon in Athens in 2002 and finished second in a marathon at Florence, Italy, in November, said Sunday’s victory gave him “a lot of encouragement and a lot of hope.”

Not to mention a nice harvest of cash and prizes.

Saina earned $25,000 for winning the men’s race, $10,000 for finishing under 2:10 and $75,000 for overcoming a 15-minute 50-second differential and defeating women’s winner Lyubov Denisova in what race organizers call “The Challenge.” The car he won is valued at more than $26,000.

For most of the race, it looked as if Maiyo would win in his first attempt at the marathon distance.

Maiyo, 26, spent more than two-thirds of the race running easily at or near the front of a pack of six runners. The group crossed the halfway mark at 1:04:40. As Maiyo began pushing the pace, and pulling away by mile 23, Saina remained patient.

“Many times, I have participated in races and many times I have pushed and the people behind me benefited,” Saina said. “[Sunday] I decided, ‘Let me try to run behind.’ ”

Maiyo put himself in position to win “The Challenge” bonus as well as the men’s race when he passed Denisova along a stretch of Olympic Boulevard in the 25th mile, but by that time the 4:48 splits he had been running had slowed to 5:03. He turned the corner onto Flower Street and could see the finish line at the end of the homestretch.

But Saina also had passed Denisova and was closing the gap on Maiyo as he too turned onto Flower.

Baiyo kept his gaze focused straight ahead, apparently unaware of Saina’s approaching presence. With about two-tenths of a mile remaining, Saina came up on Maiyo and then moved past him for a sprint to the finish.

“I expected him to go -- I thought I had a 50-50 chance,” Saina said.

But Maiyo could not respond.

“Fortunately, he had used all of his strength,” Saina said.

According to a marathon official, Maiyo was unavailable for comment because of cramps. But Saina said he spoke to Maiyo after the race.

“He told me that he never thought I closed the gap that much,” Saina said. “He was surprised for sure.”

Saina said he was looking forward to returning to Kenya, where he grows maize and wheat on his farm. He said he would use his winnings to help his family and others.

“We have so many people that are less fortunate,” he said. “I feel happy that I will be able to help in that way.”