1983

Kevin Ryan, 35, took command of the 11th annual Honolulu Marathon near the 14-mile mark yesterday, but slowed considerably over the final miles. The competition slowed even more, however, and Ryan won by more than a half-mile while recording 2 hours, 20 minutes, 18.6 seconds, the slowest winning time since the 1976 race.

"I didn't come here for a fast time," Ryan said afterward. "I'm satisfied just to have won it." Ryan came to Honolulu from the Boston, Mass. area where he has been employed for the last three years as manager of the New Balance Track Club. A member of New Zealand's 1976 and 1980 Olympic teams, Ryan hopes to be selected to represent his country in the Los Angeles Olympics next year.

The winning time was well off the course record of 2:15:30 set by Dave Gordon last year. Steve McCormack, a 23-year-old Californian, finished second in 2:23:09 and Graeme Holden, another New Zealander, was third in 2:25:46.6.

Annick Loir-Lebreton, a 25-year-old French citizen, won the women's race in 2:41:24.3, the slowest winning time for women since 1978.

Of the 10,874 runners who had signed up for the race, 9,121 started and 8,434 finished. It definitely was not a day for records. Many of the competitors complained of slower times this year, although none seemed certain about what was responsible. The temperature, although a few degrees higher than last year, was in the usual 68- to 75-degree range for the first 2-1/2 hours of the race. The humidity might have been a little higher, but most of the runners interviewed agreed that conditions were not abnormal. Some felt that it was one of the cooler races and were happy that it did not rain as it had last year.