Liliya Shobukhova decided enough was enough.

After running a slow pace because of cold weather, the Russian used her strong track credentials to kick it into high gear near the 40-kilometer mark, leaving the pack behind to capture her first marathon title at Sunday's Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

Shobukhova finished the 26.2-mile course in 2:25:36, an impressive 35 seconds ahead of World Marathon Majors champion Irina Mikitenko of Germany. Shobukhova pocketed $75,000 for the win.

"In the end, my speed was very helpful," said Shobukhova, the European recordholder for 5,000 meters, through a translator. "When there was 3K to go, I thought, 'this is my territory. I'm going to go as fast as I can.'

"It is only my second marathon. It is a great surprise for me to win."

Following Shobukhova and Mikitenko were defending Chicago Marathon champion Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia (2:26:47) and Ethiopians Teyba Erkesso (2:26:56) and Berhane Adere (2:26:38). The top American finisher was 2005 Chicago Marathon champion Deena Kastor, sixth in 2:28:50.

The temperature was 33 degrees when the race began.

Shobukhova wanted to challenge the Russian record of 2:20:47 held by Galina Bogomolova, but it was too cold. None of the top women pushed the pace early.

The leaders hit the half marathon mark in 1:15:03, which was fine with Shobukhova.

"If the weather would have been warmer, my PR would have been higher," said Shobukhova, who had posted a third-place 2:24:24 in her debut at the 2009 London Marathon. "It was too cold. In such weather conditions, there was no other way to run."

Mikitenko gave a strong effort but came up a little short while dealing with some personal matters. Entering Sunday's race, she had won the last three marathons in which she ran, including London in April. But she pulled out of the world championship in Germany in August after her father died.

By finishing second Sunday - which was her mom's birthday - Mikitenko clinched the World Marathon Majors title and the $500,000 first-place prize.

"I am happy that I had a good premier in the U.S," Mikitenko said through a translator. "It was such a spectacular crowd out there and they supported me so much. I am a little disappointed. I knew my preparations were not good because of what happened.

"I should have run a little earlier quicker and made the move earlier. I did the move a little late. The weather conditions were just so cold. Next time, I will be more confident."

Grigoryeva joked about the weather. While people may think Russians are accustomed to the cold, she said through a translator, "Russians like hot weather."

Kastor said she was pleased with her performance despite running more than seven minutes slower than her Chicago best of 2:21:25 in 2005. This was her first appearance in a marathon since a foot injury forced her to withdraw in the third mile of the 2008 Beijing Olympic marathon.

The 2004 bronze medalist at the Athens Olympics said several "hiccups" hurt her. She needed to use the bathroom during the race at a portable facility, which cost her time. Later at a water station, she had to run back to get a water bottle which other runners had inadvertently knocked to the ground.

"I really believe I could have run four or five minutes faster," Kastor said. "I had to start from scratch earlier this year. I feel real good of where I am at right now. My foot feels great."

Two other American women finished among the top 10 - Melissa White (eighth in 2:32:55), and St. Charles native Tera Moody (ninth in 2:32:59).