Pippig Pushes Herself To Repeat While German Wins 3rd In Row, Jones Forced Out At Boston

Weakened by an upset stomach and menstrual cramps, two-time defending champion Uta Pippig kept falling farther and farther behind in Monday’s 100th Boston Marathon.

She almost dropped out after 4 miles and even after 24 it seemed as if maybe she should have. But Pippig, a heavy favorite to capture a third straight title, overcame a 30-second deficit with 2.2 miles to go and won the women’s title by 1 minute, 25 seconds.

“I felt not nice,” the 30-year-old German said. “I was thinking several times to drop out because it hurt so much. But in the end, I’m OK because I won.”

Spokane’s Kim Jones was not as fortunate. Among the leaders through the first half, Jones dropped out just past the 17-mile mark.

Moses Tanui pulled away from three-time defending champion Cosmas Ndeti at the end of Heartbreak Hill and led a 1-2-3 sweep of Kenyan men, who captured seven of the top eight spots. He finished in 2:09:16, 10 seconds ahead of Ezekiel Bitok. Ndeti was third in 2:09:51.

“We feel that was the start of the race,” said Tanui, who cramped on the 187-foot hill between the 20th and 21st mile last year and placed second to Ndeti by a minute.

They call the climb Heartbreak Hill because it can spoil the dreams of pretenders who think the course’s worst is behind them. But Ndeti refused to be heartbroken.

“I’m not disappointed. Losing is not a big shock,” he said after failing in his effort for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Boston Marathon crown. “I can still say I am the best because I hold the course record and I won here three times in a row.”

This was the sixth straight year a Kenyan man has won in Boston. Kenya used this race for its Olympic trials. Tanui said he would skip the marathon at Atlanta in favor of the 10,000-meter run.

Pippig, who blew kisses to the crowd in her first two victories, hammed for the cameras with a mile to go before the finish in Copley Square. She was timed in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 12 seconds, short of her course record of 2:21:45 set in 1994.

Tegla Loroupe of Kenya was second among the women in 2:28:37, followed by Nobuko Fujimura of Japan in 2:29:24.

A 61-year-old Swedish man, among the record field of 38,706 runners, died of an apparent heart attack after finishing the 26.2-mile race.

Kevin Collins of Cicero, N.Y., was the top U.S. finisher, in 31st with an unofficial time of 2:18:54. Sharon Stubler of Minnetonka, Minn., also finished 31st, timed unofficially at 2:42:34 to lead U.S. women.

Jean Driscoll of Champaign, Ill., won an unprecedented seventh consecutive wheelchair race, and Heinz Frei of Switzerland took the men’s wheelchair division.

Driscoll finished well ahead of her closest pursuer with a time of 1:52:56. Only Clarence DeMar, who won seven non-consecutive men’s races, has captured as many titles here.