Kenyan Cheruiyot wins third Boston Marathon

Defending champion Robert Cheruiyot won his third Boston Marathon yesterday and fellow Kenyans were second and third, while Russian Lidiya Grigoryeva won the women's race in stormy weather.

Cheruiyot, facing gale-force winds and sideways rain at the start of the race, pulled ahead in the latter stages, followed closely by last year's Beijing Marathon winner James Kwambai and New York Marathon runner-up Stephen Kiogora.

"The weather was not so good, so the race was tough," Cheruiyot said after winning the $100,000 prize.

It was the 15th time in the last 17 years that a Kenyan has won the world's oldest annually contested marathon but it was also the slowest race since 1977 as runners faced cold headwinds gusting up to 50 miles per hour (80 kph).

Cheruiyot, 28, finished the 111th edition in an official time of two hours, 14 minutes and 13 seconds.

The rain tapered after about 30 minutes but a cold headwind hampered the nearly 23,870 runners.

Kwambai finished second in 2:14:33 and Kiogora third in 2:14:47. Kenyan James Koskei finished in fourth place and Ethiopian Teferi Wodajo in fifth.

In the women's field, Grigoryeva overtook 2006 runner-up Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia in the final 10 minutes, hoisting a Russian flag above her head after crossing the finish. Madai Perez of Mexico finished third.

"The weather conditions made a difference," said Grigoryeva. "At around 35 km I understood I had the power to win. The hilly course was easier than expected."

Defending champion Rita Jeptoo of Kenya came fourth, while US Olympic bronze medallist Deena Kastor finished fifth.