|
Men's
Champion
Benson
Masya
Kenya
* 2:15:04
|
|
Women's
Champion
Carla
Beurskens
Netherlands
* 2:37:06
|
Masya
the master
For
the first 10 miles of the 22nd annual Honolulu Marathon
yesterday morning, Benson Masya, the prerace favorite, was
nowhere to be seen. He was huddled in a large pack of runners
that trailed the leaders by as much as 45 seconds in the
26.2-mile run.
But
when Masya made his presence known and finally became a
factor in the race, he did it in a big way.
The
24-year-old native of Kenya took command in the 19th mile,
shortly after the runners left Hawaii Kai. Masya pulled
away to win by nearly two minutes in 2 hours, 15 minutes,
4 seconds; it was his third Honolulu Marathon victory.
"I
was never concerned," Masya said, referring to the lead
the others had built up on him. "I knew I had the speed
and the endurance, and I was just waiting to get the wind
behind me."
South
Africa's Thabisco Moqhali, 25, who was also part of the
chase pack and who briefly took the lead before yielding
to Masya, finished second in 2:16:52. England's Andy Green,
31, was third, three seconds behind Moqhali in 2:16:55.
Carla
Beurskens fought strong winds and formidable competition
to win her eighth Honolulu Marathon. The 42-year-old native
of Holland completed the course in 2 hours, 37 minutes,
6 seconds to win her third straight Honolulu race. Japan's
Eriko Asai, 36, finished second in 2:38:21
Although
it was Beurskens' slowest finish of her eight victories,
she was pleased to overcome both the windy conditions and
close competitor. "I'm very happy. It was my best marathon
ever," Beurskens said.
A
record number of 32,804 entries yielded close to 30,000
runners lined up on Ala Moana Boulevard for the 5:30 a.m.
start.
(excerpted
from the Honolulu Advertiser, Monday, December 12, 1994)
The
22nd Annual Honolulu Marathon was held
Sunday, December 11, 1994.
