Records, endurance pushed at marathon

Kenyan Mark Saina dashed past fellow statesman Ben Maiyo for the win, with an unofficial time of 2:09:35. The 34-year-old victor earned a $75,000 bonus as part of "The Challenge," a battle-of-the-sexes format started last year that allows the women to start ahead of the men.

Saina seemed to come out of nowhere to overtake Maiyo as the two runners neared the finish line. Saina broke the tape less than a minute later.

"As we came towards the end of the race, I saw Maiyo was not moving any faster, and I tried to close up the gap," said Saina. "... I tried to go with the pain because, uh, it was very hard, but I tried."

Saina and Russian Lyubov Denisova, who set a course record for the women of 2:26:10, both received $25,000 and a new car for winning the men's and women's divisions.

The women runners were given a 15-minute, 50-second head start in an attempt to create a thrilling finish. The men were expected to catch up with the women late in the 26-mile race that weaves through downtown and neighborhoods to the west.

The time differential last year was 20 minutes, 30 seconds. The advantage was shortened to compensate for a stronger field of women runners.

Following the race, Denisova, 33, said she had considered not competing because she thought the time differential favored the men.

"It gave them a big advantage," Denisova said in Russian through an interpreter.

Still, the excitement was deafening.

Throngs of cheering, sign-waving and awed supporters lined the streets of Los Angeles from the Crenshaw District to the Westside as they watched runners endure the grueling 26.2-mile meet.

"It just means so much," exclaimed Roberto Leonardo, a 42-year-old Lancaster warehouse manager after he crossed the red and gold balloon-arced finish line.

"What's so beautiful is the people out there that support you," he said, still dripping with sweat.

Sunday's course snaked through downtown to Leimert Park, into Little Ethiopia, and past Museum Row ending a block from where it started on the corner of Flower and 5th streets in front of Library Towers. By 8:15 a.m., with the blare of Randy Newman's "I Love L.A." and Muhammad Ali waving in support, officials fired the shot to signal the start.

A sea of runners -- donning baseball caps, shorts and smelling of sunblock -- set out past a shower of confetti. Ernie Van Leaden stayed behind to survey the crowd and wait for an opening.

"It's a perfect day to start this off," said the 92-year-old Encino man, the oldest to run the marathon.

With the mercury hitting 70 degrees by 11 a.m., there was little for the runners to complain about besides cramps. Along the way, stages were set up where gospel singers belted out songs while mariachi singers crooned.

Neighbors sat outside their homes waving to exhausted runners as they pushed on.

"It's exhilarating," said Hector La Fecha Hernandez, a 32-year-old San Diego coach. "You don't have to be extraordinary to run this. Anyone can."

Most people, he pointed out, can train in four months by steadily increasing the number of miles they run each week.

"I used to drink, smoke and eat all this crazy food," said Bernardo Feler, a 54-year-old Northridge resident who began running after a heart attack a decade ago. "Everybody can do this."

It was that attitude that drove Yvette Marquez as she passed the 10th mile marker in the Crenshaw District more than 3 hours into the marathon.

"It just goes to show you there is no such thing as a challenge you can't face," said the 30-year-old Manhattan Beach resident, as she chatted on the cell phone to friends near the finish line.