Kempainen Overtaken

Rolando Vera of Ecuador overtook American Bob Kempainen after 22 miles and went on to a 19-second victory in the rain-soaked Los Angeles Marathon.

Vera leaped to break the tape at the finish in front of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Winning his first major marathon, Vera was timed in 2 hours, 11 minutes, 39 seconds.

Nadia Prasad, a 27-year-old mother of two representing the small French territory of New Caledonia, led all the way in winning the women’s title in a personal best 2:29:50.

Kempainen, the American marathon record holder from Minnetonka, Minn., was second in 2:11:59.