NEW ENGLAND RUNNER ARTICLE

This article was featured in the 2009 January-February edition of New England Runner. Thanks to John Stevens and Bob Fitzgerald (Editor/Publisher). Visit New England Runner at www.nerunner.com

Brrrr…Record Runs Mark Second Manchester Marathon

433 Marathon Finishers, 933 Half Marathon Finishers - Race Scoring by: Yankee Timing Company - Marathon USATF Certified: NH07007RF - Half Marathon USATF Certified: NH07006RF. Marathon Course Records: Scott Rowe, 2:27:51, 2007; Christin Doneski, 3:05:36, 2008. Half Marathon Records: Elijuh Kitur, 1:07:31; Heidy Westerling, 1:16:32, 2008

Photo: Christin Doneski claims the new women's record at the Manchester City Marathon. Photo by John Stevens

It was cold (44 degrees), and breezy, and I couldn't help but be reminded of New Zealand's former top master runner (now author and university professor) Roger Robinson's words from "Prelude to a Race": "it is a unique moment of stillness. For 5 or 10 seconds everyone in that vast crowd looks silently inward and forward. All feel the premonitory glow, the flicker of readiness, like dry wood about to flare into flame. Then the gun is fired. The marathon begins."

The Manchester City Marathon and Half-Marathon, now in it's second year, is not an easy course and is rightfully billed by race director Sarah Normand as "a challenging Boston Qualifier with an exhilarating climb to one of the city's highest points." In spite of the fact the course was altered this year to eliminate one monster 1.5-mile hill there are still enough hills to satisfy all but a mountain climber, especially in the first 13 miles. A full 434 marathoners and 924 half- marathoners crossed the finish line. "Next year we're hoping to add a marathon or half-marathon relay to this event", said Normand, "We want to keep growing and become the event this city rightly deserves".

In the marathon, the day belonged to native Kenyan, Benjamin Ndaya, 33, now a Lowell, MA resident who overpowered the field to win by a margin of almost 10 minutes in 2:40:39. This was his first marathon win in the U.S. although he placed 3rd in last year's MCM with a time of 2:33:16, and placed 10th in the October 19th Bay State Marathon. Daniel Verrington, 46, of Bradford, MA placed 2nd in 2:50:37 and earned $1,000 to Ndaya's $1.5K. "I never even saw Ben", said Verrington.

Ndaya said he would have liked company. "Running by yourself is so hard," he said. "Alone you can't increase your pace and there's nobody pushing you, so you just have to try to maintain. It was cold; too cold for me," In the women's division, last year's runner-up, Christin Doneski, 37, of Hopkinton, bettered her time by nearly four minutes to win in a course record 3:05:36. Runner-up Amy Gregg, 21, a Dartmouth College senior, was close behind in 3:06:00. Doneski said she was concerned about some hip problems when she entered the race, but instead was plagued with muscle cramps in her left calf at mile 21. "It must have been brought on by the cold. It scared me and I started drinking Gatorade, which I never drink in a race. It never really went away but I just made up my mind to run through it," said Doneski.

Gregg is new to the marathon scene having run only the Vermont City Marathon last May where she finished in 26th place at 3:19:55. "I had no idea I would improve as much as I did (by 14 minutes) over Vermont," said Gregg.

A battle ensued in the half-marathon as Bronx, NY-based Kenyans Elijah Kitur, 36, and Joseph Ekuom, 38, dueled with Boston's Michael Chettle, 31. Ekuom led the trio for most of the race and it wasn't until the last two miles that Kitur made his move. "Elijah was waiting for his moment," said Chettle, who tried his best to keep pace; still, Ekuom held on to second place while Kitur surged. In the end there were only 20 seconds between them with Kitur winning in a course record 1:07:31. Ekuom ran 1:07:45, and Chettle ran 1:07:51.

Heidi Westerling, 27, of Acworth, won the women's division in a course record 1:16:32. Westerling had just won the Cape Cod Marathon the week before. Nichole Hagobian, 33, of Hadley, MA, placed 2nd in 1:16:52 for another close finish, with Duxbury, MA runner Julie Spolidoro, 27, coming in 3rd at 1:18:47 Christine Reaser, 42, of Dayton, ME, placed second in the master's division with a time of 1:32:14. "I worked last night and have to work tonight. I don't know why I did this race. It was cold and I'm tired. The hills nearly killed me. Never again will I attempt a race under these conditions, and I've got cross-country nationals coming up", said Reaser. Yes she will-"She's one of the toughest competitors I've ever seen", said fellow Maine champion Sheri Piers, 37, of Falmouth, who won her age group with a time of 1:20:18. This is the same Sheri Piers who was going to take a break after placing second in the recent Hartford Marathon. Oh yeah, she'll "take a break"… until the next "gun is fired" and the next race begins.

-John Stevens