Ethiopia's Negussie shakes off Kenyans in convincing style
Hailu Negussie had a role in this macadam movie last year, and he'd heard about how others turned out. A lonely Ethiopian hemmed in by a bunch of high-stepping Kenyans for 20 miles -- and no laurel wreath at the end. Not this time. With a bold move on a warm and breezy afternoon, the man from Showa ran away from his rivals at Heartbreak Hill yesterday to become the first man from his country to win the Boston Marathon since Abebe Mekonnen in 1989.
"I am so happy to win this race after so many years,'' proclaimed the 25-year-old Negussie, who finished 36 seconds ahead of Kenya's Wilson Onsare in a tactically shrewd 2 hours 11 minutes 45 seconds, the slowest winning time here since Toshihiko Seko's 2:11:50 in 1987. "For Ethiopia, it is a big win.''
Since Mekonnen's victory, the Ethiopians had claimed the Olympic and world titles (both by Gezahegne Abera) but hadn't managed another win in Boston, where Kenya had taken 13 of the last 14 men's crowns. Once the leaders went into the Newton hills yesterday, it seemed likely that it would be the Kenyans' day again.
Five of them were up front with Negussie: defending champion Timothy Cherigat, 2003 victor Robert Kipkoech
Cheruiyot, Benson Cherono, Benjamin Kipchumba, and Onsare. If he let them play games with him, Negussie figured he'd be odd man out, just as he was last year when he ended up fifth in his Boston debut after sitting second midway through. "I was worried about that because it happened last year," he said. So Negussie made his move right where the late Johnny Kelley had his heart broken by Tarzan Brown in 1936 and left his rivals for roadkill, turning the final couple of miles through Brookline and Boston into a springtime frolic and had his countrymen turning handsprings in Addis Ababa.
"I am sure the folks back home are very happy," said Negussie, who won marathons at Hofu, Japan, in 2001 and 2002 and at Xiamen, China, in 2003. "When I get back, there will be a lot of celebration."
It was a heady day for the home side, too, as Alan Culpepper finished fourth behind Cherono in 2:13:39, the best American finish since Dave Gordon placed fourth in 1987. Peter Gilmore and Ryan Shay came in 10th and 11th, producing the best US showing since 1993.
"This is right up there with the Olympics for me," said the 32-year-old Culpepper, who was 12th in Athens last summer. "This is very special."
Culpepper, running only his fourth 26-miler and his first here, played it smart amid deceptive conditions, with a modest headwind making the 70-degree temperature seem cooler. Kenya's Stephen Kiogora and Morocco's Khalid El Boumlili, who led from Framingham into Wellesley Hills, were both casualties, with Kiogora dropping out before the Newton hills and El Boumlili somewhere in the middle.
Those two had been nearly half a minute ahead of the 20-man pack going through Natick, but when their pursuers caught them coming out of Wellesley, they did it in a hurry.
"Last year's champion [Cherigat] went to the front and everyone responded," said Culpepper, who was one of the chasers.
Coming through Hell's Alley, where the race changes gears going up over Route 128 after Newton Lower Falls, the pack began loosening. By the time they'd made the firehouse turn at Commonwealth Avenue and headed for the hills, the contenders were down to six. If they wanted to shake their Ethiopian companion, the Kenyans should have done it earlier.
"They held back the pace," said Negussie. "If they had gone faster, they could have won the race."
Approaching Heartbreak Hill around 20 miles, Negussie had plenty of gas left in the tank. When he hit the accelerator, he blew the race open. A 4:29 mile coming off the hill shook everybody except for Cheruiyot, and Negussie's 4:47 for the ensuing Haunted Mile by the cemetery interred him, too.
By the time he got to Coolidge Corner, Negussie was on cruise control.
"I knew I was going to win," he said.
No man from his homeland had had that feeling here in 16 years. Five years ago, Abera lost to Kenya's Elijah Lagat in a photo finish. This time, Negussie wanted nobody else within camera range. This was his own movie.
"Day and night I was dreaming of winning the Boston Marathon," said Ethiopia's latest hero. "And I did what I was dreaming of." 