Torrid finish caps red-hot day

Patrick Ivuti of Kenya didn't get much publicity during the week leading up to The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, but Ivuti certainly made a name for himself Sunday.

In one of the closest finishes in Chicago Marathon history, Ivuti nipped Jaouad Gharib of Morocco by :00.5 of a second to win in 2:11:11.

In the final 200 meters, Ivuti and Gharib sprinted to the finish as a jubilant crowd cheered them on.

With strong credentials as a track runner, Gharib appeared to have the edge as he surged ahead, but Ivuti was just as determined.

He leaned his right shoulder forward to cross the finish line first as both runners broke the tape at what appeared to be the same time.

According to head race referee Pat Savage, there was no doubt who won.

"You could clearly see that 108 was the winner," said Savage, referring to Ivuti's bib number. "It was really close. At the same time, you could see that one man finished ahead."

In 1990, Martin Pitayo edged Aurora Cunha by :00.3 of a second. The 2007 finish tied the mark for the second-closest finish. Ivuti took home $128,500, which included a $3,500 time bonus for finishing sub-2:12.

In the women's race, defending champion Berhane Adere of Ethiopia surprised Romanian Adriana Pirtea 10 meters from the finish line, nipping her by three seconds with a time of 2:33:49.

Pirtea, running her debut marathon, had pulled into a commanding lead during the 23rd mile. The time gap between Adere and Pirtea in the final miles was as big as 30 seconds.

Pirtea's inexperience played a factor in the finish, as she made a critical mistake. She did not see Adere surging up the right side of Columbus Drive and was even waving at the spectators, thinking she was cruising to the win. But Pirtea got a real shocker when Adere motored past en route to the title and $125,000 in prize money.

The winning times were the slowest in a decade because of unseasonably warm and humid conditions. At the 8 a.m. start of the race, it was 77 degrees with 86 percent humidity. The average high for Oct. 7, according to weather.com, is 68 degrees.

The heat impacted recreational runners even more than the elite athletes, and marathon officials stopped the race about 3½ hours after the start.

By 11:35 a.m., temperatures and the heat index had soared into the upper 80s. Fearing for the runners' safety, race officials and various City of Chicago departments made a joint decision to stop the race for the first time in Chicago Marathon history.

Runners were diverted just after the halfway point back to Grant Park as a precautionary measure. Runners already past that point were allowed to continue. This was all part of a contingency plan already in place, according to executive race director Carey Pinkowski.

Of the record 45,000 registered runners, 35,867 made it the finish line -- and 24,933 finished the marathon.

Ivuti prevailed in his second Chicago Marathon despite the steamy weather which he called "too hot."

Ivuti, who finished fifth in 2005 with a personal-best of 2:07:46, did not receive the same prerace attention as past Chicago Marathon champions Robert Cheruiyot (2006), Felix Limo (2005) and Evans Rutto (2004 and 2003).

But that didn't matter as he decided to follow the pace of the leaders.

"For the last 300 meters, I had two things in my mind. I had to leave it (slow down) or continue it (fight to the finish)," said Ivuti, who pulled away with Gharib from a pack of five runners at around 23 miles. "I had no power. But when I saw the tape, I decided to go the finish line."

"In the last 200 meters, I tried to do my best to win, but it didn't happen," Gharib said through a translator.

Daniel Njenga of Kenya was third in 2:12:45, while Cheruiyot placed fourth in 2:12:45 after battling stomach cramps late in the race.

Three American men finished in the top 10: Michael Cox in eighth place at 2:21:42, Jason Flogel in ninth at 2:26.34 and Eric Blake 10th at 2:26:55.

In the women's race, Adere had dropped back as Pirtea decided to push the pace in the later stages. But Adere decided to make her move at the 40-kilometer mark because she thought her opponent was tiring.

"There was a possibility to catch her -- I thought of track racing," said Adere, who has a strong pedigree as a track runner.

Pirtea had no time to react as they closed in on the finish.

"I didn't realize what happened; it was a mistake," Pirtea said. "I didn't check all the race (where the other runners were). No one in the crowd said anything. I didn't know someone was coming. I would have pushed harder.

"It is hard to be kicked. When you get beat, you are completely out. I had tears in my eyes."

U.S. runner Kate O'Neill was third with a strong performance in her debut marathon, clocking in at 2:36:15. Another American runner, Paige Higgins, finished seventh at 2:40:14.

Chicago Marathon

Top 10 men

1. Patrick Ivuti (Kenya) 2:11:11

2. Jauuad Gharib (Morocco) 2:11:11

3. Daniel Njenga (Kenya) 2:12:45

4. Robert Cheruiyot (Kenya) 2:16:13

5. Ben Maiyo (Kenya) 2:16:59

6. Christopher Cheboiboch (Kenya) 2:17:17

7. Bong-ju Lee (Korea) 2:17:29

8. Michael Cox (U.S.) 2:21:42

9. Jason Flogel (U.S.) 2:26:34

10. Eric Blake (U.S.) 2:26:55

Top 10 women

1. Berhane Adere (Ethiopia) 2:33:49

2. Adriana Pirtea (Romania) 2:33:52

3. Kate O'Neill (U.S.) - 2:36:15

4. Liz Yelling (Great Britain) 2:37:14

5. Benita Johnson (Australia) 2:38:30

6. Nuta Olaru (Romania) 2:39:04

7. Paige M HIggins (U.S.) 2:40:14

8. Yolanda Fernandez (Colombia) 2:45:23

9. Tera Moody (U.S.) 2:46:40

10. Kathy Butler (Great Britain) 2:48:21