Kenyan contingent races to the front in record time

Seven of the top 10 men and four of the top 10 women were from Kenya.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Surprise, surprise. Look who dominated the New York City Marathon again.
Margaret Okayo shattered the course record she set in 2001 by nearly two minutes and Martin Lel raced to his first marathon title Sunday, leading another dominating Kenyan contingent in New York.
Okayo finished in 2 hours, 22 minutes, 31 seconds, and then dropped to her knees to kiss the ground, while Lel won in 2:10.30, beating countrymen Rodgers Rop and Christopher Cheboiboch.
"I am very happy because for sure we are representing our country," Lel said.
Kenyans follow
Reigning world champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya was second among the women in 2:23:04, followed by Lornah Kiplagat, a native Kenyan who became a Dutch citizen this year, in 2:23:43. They also beat the previous course record.
Seven of the top 10 men and four of the top 10 women were from Kenya. Five of the last seven men's champions have been from Kenya. The top three men last year were from Kenya, along with the winner and third-place finisher in the women's race.
"It's such an honor," Ndereba said about the Kenyan dominance. "We are very proud. We feel we've made our flag fly high."
Okayo, who started running when she was 13, also holds record times in the Boston Marathon and the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon.
"I didn't know I was going to break my own record, but I was just trying to do my best," Okayo said.
There were 35,104 entrants for the 26.2-mile run through the city's five boroughs -- including producer-rapper Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. The top American man was Matt Downin, the former New Hampshire runner who ran at the University of Wisconsin, in 17th place in 2:18:48. The best U.S. woman was Sylvia Mosqueda of Los Angeles in 10th place at 2:33:11.
Lel and Okayo each won $100,000, with Okayo getting a $60,000 bonus for finishing under 2:23.
"The Americans have to get to work," Mosqueda said. "Kenyans run well, Russian women run well. They do their homework. They run fast, they deserve it. It's really going to take Americans to have a really great day to really come and catch these Kenyans."
Racing challenges
Okayo beat one of the strongest fields in NYC marathon history. And she did it on a warm day, with the temperature in the 60s. Just one year ago, she completed the race with severe back pain and was taken to the hospital after finishing.
Winning here for the second time made up for her fifth-place finish last year. She pulled away from the pack with about 7 miles to go and easily won.
Lel finished third in the Boston Marathon in April, and won the world half-marathon in October.
He started focusing on his running last year after opening up a small grocery store in Kenya to help support his family. At the urging of his family, Lel gave control of the store to a cousin and started more serious training.
Through the first 18 miles, Lel, Rop, Cheboiboch, Laban Kipkemboi and Elly Rono led the way. Then Rop and Lel emerged as the front-runners and were side-by-side with a few miles to go. Lel surged ahead in the final mile.
Rop was second in 2:11:11 and Cheboiboch was third in 2:11:23.
"When I took Rodgers Rop, I was excited because I didn't know whether I would be able to drop him," Lel said.
The two are good friends, and Rop said, "When he broke away I knew for sure he was going to win because I was feeling tired."
Dropping back
It was not a good day for the American women. Marla Runyan, who finished fourth in New York last year and fifth in Boston this year, was among the early leaders. But she tangled with Ndereba at a water station at the eight-mile mark and fell behind.
Runyan stopped several times along the course and considered dropping out around mile 18 because her legs were sore. She went on and finished 20th in 2:45.12.
Christy Nielsen-Crotts dropped out at the 15th mile and Jen Rhines almost pulled out at mile 22.
Julio Rey withdrew after twisting his right ankle while reaching for water at the first station around the 4-mile mark. Rey finished second in the world championships this summer.