Lead group seems packed with talent

By John Powers, Globe Staff  |  April 20, 2009

Did Robert Cheruiyot ever think he'd be going for a fifth Boston title this morning after winning his first in 2003?

"Who knows only, is God," said the 30-year-old Kenyan, who's bidding to become the first man to win four in a row here.

While much has been made of the challenge from US star Ryan Hall, several other rivals figure to give Cheruiyot a spirited go.

Evans Cheruiyot won Chicago in 2:06:25 in brutal October heat, while Ethiopia's Deriba Merga, who was fourth in the Olympics, demolished the Houston record by more than two minutes in January.

"All the athletes who come to Boston come to win, to be the last lion," said Merga.

Also in the chase are Merga's countryman Gashaw Asfaw, who was fourth here last year, former champion Timothy Cherigat, and Daniel Rono, who was third in New York.

"I respect everybody in the race," said Cheruiyot. "The best man will win."

If Cheruiyot wins today, he'll have more Boston victories than anyone but Clarence DeMar, the Melrose printer who won seven between 1911 and 1930, claiming his last at 41.

"It would be pretty stunning," said Bill Rodgers, who along with Cheruiyot and Canada's Gerard Cote also won four times. "Even though he has won here and Chicago, I don't think Robert gets the respect that Martin Lel and Sammy Wanjiru do. I don't know why, but maybe he should."

Whatever happens today, this will be Robert Cheruiyot's last appearance here. He's about to change his first name to Omar to reflect his Muslim background. "Cheruiyot will be there, Robert will be out," said Cheruiyot, who will keep his middle name of Kipkoech.

Hall, who's making his Boston debut after two promising seasons, isn't fazed by all the chatter about his chance to become the first American winner since Greg Meyer in 1983.

"It's a great opportunity," he said. "I don't feel any pressure. I'm 26 years old. If I don't win this race, I'll be back. If I don't win then, I'll be back again."

To earn the laurel wreath, though, Hall knows that he'll have to run a savvy race, as Cheruiyot always does here.

"If it's crazy, you can't go with the pace that's going to kill you," he said. "You have to be smart."

If Hall only finishes second, it'll still be the best performance here by a US male since Gary Tuttle in 1985, the last year before prize money was offered.

Team Hoyt, with father Dick pushing son Rick in a wheelchair, will compete in their 1,000th event (and 27th Boston) today after 30 years of racing together. "We made sure that the 1,000th was going to be Boston," said Dick. Their first - and 999th - was in Westfield . . . Though Kara Goucher won't be knocking elbows with world record-holder Paula Radcliffe and Catherine Ndereba, as she did in New York last autumn, she believes she'll have all she can handle in today's women's race with the likes of defending champion Dire Tune and former victor Lidiya Grigoryeva. "I think this race will be just as hard as New York," said Goucher, who finished third there in her marathon debut. "There are some really fast women who know this course and know all the tricks to throw at me. It'll be the hardest race of my life, for sure, but I'm ready for it." Though she's never raced here, Goucher came for training runs in February and March and has covered every section of the course several times.

Though she said she was tempted to run today to mark the 30th anniversary of her first victory here, Joan Benoit Samuelson opted instead for yesterday morning's BAA 5K race in the Back Bay. After running in last year's Olympic Trials here and setting a US age-group record, Samuelson said she wouldn't run a competitive marathon again. "But I didn't say what constitutes a competitive marathon," she said with a smile.

Her 1979 triumph was a thunderclap. Samuelson, who was a Bowdoin student, won by more than three minutes on a course she'd never seen, setting an American record of 2:35:15.

"I didn't know what I was capable of," she recalled. "I just ran. When I asked someone where the hills were, he looked at me like I was deranged. He said, you just passed them."

The 51-year-old Samuelson, who still runs two dozen races a year at varying distances, said she'd still like to run a fast mile. "You have to keep the challenge out there," she said. "That intrigues me."

At the conclusion of the BAA 5K, in what had to be considered an upset, Brookline senior Ryan Hardiman took the boys' scholastic mile in 4:37.3. Newton's Daniel Hamilton (4:38.0) finished second. Boston runners Omar Abdi and Ahmed Ali were expected to battle for the title. Abdi will attend the University of Arkansas in the fall on a full scholarship. "The time was kind of insignificant," said Hardiman. "It was just a race for place. The crowds definitely helped. I was like, 'This is going to be fun.' I've been looking forward to it all week." Margo Gillis of Newton took the girls' title in 5:10.6, followed by fellow Newton runner Carolyn Ranti in 5:14.1. The high school invitational miles featured runners from the eight cities and towns along the Marathon course.

Shira Springer of the Globe staff contributed to this report. John Powers can be reached at jpowers@globe.com.