Ethiopia’s Tiki Gelana sets women’s Olympic marathon record

LONDON -- Two U.S. runners put their arms around each other as they walked away from the finish line.

There was some progress in the women’s Olympic marathon, but not enough for their taste.

Shalane Flanagan finished 10th with a time of 2:25:51. Behind her in 11th was Kara Goucher, who crossed the line 16 seconds later Sunday at the Mall of London.

It was the first time the U.S. had two women among the top 11 finishers, but Flanagan seemed disappointed.

Ethiopia’s Tiki Gelana set an Olympic record while winning the event in 2:23:07, fending off Kenya’s Priscah Jeptoo by five seconds. Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova of Russia was third in 2:23:29.

“It’s a bummer to not be in it when you work so hard,” said Flanagan, running in her third marathon ever. “I don’t think Kara and I dedicated ourselves more to anything in our life than to this race. So it’s a little heartbreaking.”

Flanagan was the bronze medalist in the 10,000 meters at the 2008 Olympics but felt the need to expand her running parameters. She trained in Mammoth Lakes this year to try to sharpen her conditioning via rugged terrain and altitude.

Rain appeared intermittently Sunday, notably in the beginning and end, on a course that included landmarks Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square.

Both Americans were among the leaders’ pack a majority of the race. But by the 18th mile, Flanagan had drifted to seventh place, 11 seconds off the pace. Goucher had dropped even farther away, 30 seconds from the lead.

“I just couldn’t match it. It was kind of like a slow death,” Goucher said.

Gelana broke the Olympic record by seven seconds, pulling away from Jeptoo on a turn at the fountain outside Buckingham Palace.

Gelana turned her head three times to check on Jeptoo, then raised her arms and blew a kiss before crossing the finish line.

“As soon as the rain started, I said to myself, ‘Thank God,’ ” Gelana said. “I love running in the rain, I have been doing that since I was a small child. I slipped in the middle of the race and my elbow is still injured. But I didn’t feel any pain during the race.”

The women’s Olympic marathon debuted in 1984. Joan Benoit Samuelson won it that year, and there has been only one other medalist for the U.S. (Deena Kastor, bronze, 2004).

U.S. runner Desiree Davila did not complete the race. She had not been training as much as she hoped recently because of injuries.

“I could tell early on that it’s not going to happen today,” she said. “I have a long career ahead of me. I don’t want to compromise that. You just don’t try to tough out what you cannot tough out.”

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

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