Less pay, they stay away
As far as William A. Burke was concerned, this year’s race was a test. It was only a test.
Burke, the president of the Los Angeles Marathon, attributed a small field of 26 elite runners -- 19 men and seven women -- to smaller winner’s purses that were down to $20,000 from the $35,000 that 2006 men’s and women’s winners Benson Cherono and Lidiya Grigoryeva earned last year.
Neither of the 2006 winners took part despite a new point-to-point route that was projected as flatter and, theoretically, faster than the old course.
Fred Mogaka of Kenya won the men’s race with a time of 2 hours 17 minutes 14 seconds in his first appearance in Los Angeles, and Ramilia Burangulova of Russia won the women’s race in 2:37.54. Both times were considerably slower than the course records that Cherono (2:08:40) and Grigoryeva (2:25.10) set last year on a circular route.
“What I did was put together a tester field,” Burke said. “What we’ll do next year is re-skew it.”
According to Burke, money for a larger purse was available but was spent on increased traffic control and medical-services needs.
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There was little concern about a small payday for the wheelchair competitors.
Apparently, they’re used to it.
Men’s wheelchair winner Kurt Fearnley of Australia won his race in 1:23:40.
He and Shelly Woods, who won the women’s wheelchair race in 1:50.55, each earned $3,000.
“There’s never a lot of money in it, and yet, we keep coming back,” Fearnley said.
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Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Malcolm Kennedy never met Raul Reyna or Jim Leone, but Sunday, he met their widows. Reyna and Leone died after suffering heart attacks during last year’s marathon.
Deciding to complete the race the other men started, Kennedy ran this year in honor of Reyna and Leone this year.
After finishing in 5:38:59, Kennedy, 53, presented 2006 marathon participation medals to Reyna’s wife, Covina resident Terry Reyna, and Leone’s wife, Carol Leone from St. George, Utah.
“My husband would have been honored that someone he didn’t even know did this for him,” Carol Leone said.
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A 50-year-old male cyclist died while participating in the bike event held in conjunction with the marathon.
The cause of death of the unidentified man was not immediately available.
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After suffering a heart attack during last year’s race, Los Angeles resident Luis Pagan was back on the road Sunday.
This time, Pagan, now 81, completed the race in 7:41:12.
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The final head count of competitors was 24,715.