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2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon - Women's Race
by John Elliott and Sharon Ekstrom
photo: Scott Winnier for MarathonGuide.com
Liliya Shobukhova Alone in the 2010 Chicago Marathon
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The 2010 Chicago Marathon brought together the best women currently running marathons on one of the fastest courses in the world. The stories we expected to write about included the continued dominance of Liliya Shobukhova, the return of Irina Mikitenko, and the addition of some talented Ethiopian marathoners.
Irina Mikitenko had been dominant in marathoning through mid-2008 when the psychological trauma of the death of her father and some injuries threw her off her training and she was beaten by Liliya Shobukhova at the 2009 Chicago Marathon and then DNF'd at the 2010 London Marathon. In the days before the marathon, Mikitenko told us that she was feeling better than she had the prior year and that she was hoping that this race would give her confidence and prove to herself and everyone else that she still had what it takes.
photo: Scott Winnier for MarathonGuide.com
Liliya Shobukhova
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Liliya Shobukhova, with a debut third finish at the 2009 London Marathon and followup wins at the 2009 Chicago Marathon and 2010 London Marathon, had to be considered a favorite. But beyond being the favorite, any finish for Shobukhova better than fifth place would guarantee her an extra $500,000 bonus as the winner of the 2009/2010 World Marathon Majors Series competition. We couldn't see how that could not happen.
The 2:17:18 course record at Chicago was set in 2002 by Paula Radcliffe and no one will expect that to fall for years, if ever (Paula is just in a class by herself). The winning time in 2009 was 2:25:56 - a bit slow. The 2010 race featured many of the same women who ran in 2009, and while we expected a finish that would be faster, with the same women we didn't expect it to be significantly so. Race organizers let us know that there would be two pace groups for the women, set to go through the halfway mark at a) between 1:10:20 and 1:11:00 and b) 1:12:00. Organizers realized that the day would be a bit warmer than ideal, so hedged that the pacesetters might be instructed to run a bit more slowly, should the women request that.
From the start, the women - led by the first pacesetter, were running well faster than expected. The fast mark pace of 1:10:20 for the halfway mark would translate to 5:23 per mile, but the miles ticked off at 5:15, 5:20, 5:17, 5:22, 5:16, 5:22, 5:16, 5:18... - a pace that would suggest a sub-2:20:00 finish. Five women went out at this pace, four favorites, Mamitu Deska (ETH), Atsede Baysa (ETH), Askale Tafa Magarsa (ETH) and Liliya Shobukhova (RUS), as well as one lesser-known, Maria Konovalova (RUS) whose Half Marathon and Marathon bests suggested she should be good for a 2:30 marathon. From the start, Irina Mikitenko trailed, recognizing that the sub-2:20 pace would be too fast and instead starting at a pace that might put her through the finish in 2:26.
Of the five in the lead, Konovalova dropped back first and the three Ethiopians and Shobukhova passed through 15K in 49:38. Approaching mile 11, Shobukhova dropped back significantly and thereafter Magarsa also fell back. By 20K, Shobukhova was 15 seconds behind in fourth place with three Ethiopians ahead of her - the day looked to be won by Ethiopia.
Two women, Atsede Bayisa and Mamitu Deska crossed the halfway mark in 1:09:45, on pace to run a marathon well faster than either had ever run before. After mile 15 (1:19:49), Atsede Baysa pushed the pace and broke away to take a solo lead and seemed destined for the win, but there was still a long way to go in a marathon, of course.
The warm day and fast pace seemed to affect Magarsa the greatest. Already behind the front pack, she would continue to fade and eventually finish in twelth place, following up her 1:09:58 first half with a 1:22:26 second half - not the way to run a marathon... To a lesser extent, Deska was starting to show fatigue and falling off her own pace. Soon, Shobukhova would be in second place, but at 18 miles into the race nearly thirty seconds back. Passing Deska, Shobukhova increadses her pace and at the same time, Bayisa slows running the slowest mile of the day, a 5:33 19th mile.
Shortly after mile 20, Shobukhova catches Bayisa and for a short time Bayisa tries to match Shobukhova's pace but eventually can not. Running a smarter race as well as being the strongest runner, Shobukhova is able to run alone from the 21st mile to the finish. The question becomes not whether Shobukhova will win the marathon, but by what margin.
Shobukhova runs strong - and alone - to finish in 2:20:25 (in an even split 1:10:00 first half and 1:10:25 second half). Atsede Bayisa holds on for second place in 2:23:40 having slowed considerably in the second half. Maria Konovalova surprises us by finishing third in 2:23:50.
photo: Scott Winnier for MarathonGuide.com
Desiree Davila and Magdalena Lewy Boulet
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The American women in the race - in our opinion - run extremely well and smartly. Desiree Davila and Magdalena Lewy-Boulet running together through the half in 1:13:07 (in 11th and 12th place) and finishing in 2:26:20 and 2:28:44 respectively for 4th and 7th positions. After the race we note that Davila was very happy with her strong personal best and the performance of her race. Magdalena Lewy-Boulet's race required a bathroom break (it happens to the best of runners!) and so her finish needs to be recognized as a stronger result than the time or place might indicate. Irina Mikitenko's result - fifth place in 2:26:40 - was disappointing to her, but she told us that was just what she could do that day.
As one of the fastest marathon courses suitable as an Olympic Trials qualifying race, many American women chose to shoot for their A-Standard (2:39) or B-Standard (2:46) qualifying times on the day and despite the warm weather, seventeen American women ran faster than the qualifying times.
Liliya Shobukhova's finish time set a new Russian National record and was the fifteenth fastest women's marathon ever run and the fastest time at Chicago since Paula Radcliffe's course record of 2002. With her win, Shobukhova also clinched the $500,000 World Marathon Majors bonus and, with the first place prize and time bonuses gave her a $615,000 payday. When asked what she expected to do with the money, she told us that she planned to use the money with her husband to open a hotel in her hometown - a town that currently has just one hotel and which sits near some popular ski destinations. With her continued wins and domination of the sport, Shobukhova will be in the driver's seat for a repeat win of the World Marathon Majors money in the 2010/2011 season and we would not be surprised if she wins another $500,000 next year.
Top Ten Finishers:
1. Shobukhova, Liliya (RUS) - 2:20:25
2. Baysa, Astede (ETH) - 2:23:40
3. Konovalova, Maria (RUS) - 2:23:50
4. Davila, Desiree (USA) - 2:26:20
5. Mikitenko, Irina (GER) - 2:26:40
6. Daska, Mamitu (ETH) - 2:28:29
7. Lewy-Boulet, Magdalena (USA) - 2:28:44
8. Yoshida, Kaori (JPN) - 2:29:45
9. Chaofeng, Jia (CHN) - 2:30:35
10. Moody, Tera (USA) - 2:30:53
photo: Scott Winnier for MarathonGuide.com
At 53, Joan Benoit ran sub 2:50!
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Additional USA Finishers beating Olympic Trials Qualifier Standard
13. Gomez, Zoila (USA) - 2:32:51
15. De Reuck, Colleen (USA) - 2:34:12
16. White, Melissa (USA) - 2:35:02
17. McMahan, Dot (USA) - 2:36:01
19. Houck, Jennifer (USA) - 2:37:16
20. Moeller, Erin (USA) - 2:37:28
21. Wells, Brooke (USA) - 2:37:39
22. Skunda, Stephanie (USA) - 2:37:59
24. Storage, Tara (USA) - 2:40:14
25. Baumert, Lisa (USA) - 2:41:17
26. Thompson, Sharon (USA) - 2:41:28
27. Becque, Claudia (USA) - 2:44:03
28. Bracy, Addie (USA) - 2:44:34
31. Marty, Jaymee (USA) - 2:45:09
32. High, Renee (USA) - 2:45:29
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