Three Champs Repeat In Boston Appropriately Named Son Good Luck As Ndeti Captures His Third Straight Crown

Same faces, slower paces. This year’s Boston Marathon was a virtual repeat of last year’s race.

Cosmas Ndeti won the men’s race for the third straight year, Uta Pippig won the women’s race for the second straight year, and even the winner of the women’s wheelchair race was a repeat - for the sixth straight year.

It was the first time in Boston Marathon history that the defending champions repeated. And like last year, Pippig and Ndeti were invited to join President Clinton for a run at the White House.

About the only thing different from last year’s race was the absence of the traditional Patriot’s Day game at Fenway Park. The Red Sox didn’t play this year because the baseball strike delayed the start of the season.

Ndeti ran away from Kenyan countryman Moses Tanui over the final 2 miles to become only the third man - and first foreigner - to win three consecutive times.

He covered the course in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 22 seconds - more than 2 minutes slower than his record time last year. But he beat Tanui by a full minute and celebrated his triple-triumph by raising three fingers to the crowd.

“Last year’s race was tougher,” said Ndeti, 3 seconds ahead of Andres Espinosa of Mexico in 1994. “This year was not so tough.”

He plans to be back next year, too, “and I’m going to win again.”

Ndeti’s victory came on the birthday of his 2-year-old son, Gideon Boston, whose middle name was added after his father won the race in 1993. Ndeti wanted to bring his son to Boston this year, but the youngster was unable to get a visa.

“He’s his good-luck charm,” Ndeti’s agent, Mark Wetmore, said before the race.

Pippig pulled away from Elana Meyer of South Africa over the closing 3 miles to win in 2:25:11, about 3 1/2 minutes more than the course-record she set last year.

“She showed that she’s the best marathoner in the world,” Meyer said.

The 29-year-old German said she had foot problems throughout the race, but didn’t use that as an excuse for her slower time.

“Come on, it’s not a big deal,” she said.

Jean Driscoll, 28, of Champaign, Ill., won the women’s wheelchair race for the sixth straight year. The winning time was 1:40:42, more than 6 minutes slower than last year and the first time in six years she failed to set a world record.

Franz Nietlispach, a 37-year-old from Rheinfelden, Switzerland, won the men’s wheelchair race in 1:25:59. He had finished second, third, fourth and eighth in previous wheelchair events at Boston.

Ndeti, who joined Clarence DeMar (1922-24) and Bill Rodgers (1978-80) as the only men to win three straight Boston Marathons, declined to reveal his successful strategy for the race.

“I have my own training methods in Kenya for this race, but I don’t want to let my secrets out.”

Ndeti said he realized victory was his at the 15.5-mile mark.

“I felt strong and I knew I was going to win,” he said.

Ndeti stayed with a big pack early behind pacesetter Barnabas Rotich of Kenya before moving into the lead at the 18-mile mark. He yielded it briefly to Kim JaeRyong of South Korea at 20 miles, but regained it quickly and widened his margin the final 6 miles.

In the women’s race, Meyer lost valuable ground to Pippig when she twice had difficulty grabbing her water bottle in late stops.

One reason the times were faster in 1994 was the presence of a 19 mph tailwind. There was no tailwind Monday but, as it was a year ago, the temperature was in the high 40s with little humidity.

Each champion earned $75,000 from the record purse of $500,000.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: FINISH LINE The top five men’s and women’s finishers at Monday’s Boston Marathon

Men 1. Cosmas Ndeti, Kenya, 2:09:22 2. Moses Tanui, Kenya, 2:10:22. 3. Luiz Antonio Dos Santos, Brazil, 2:11:02. 4. Lameck Aguta, Kenya, 2:11:03. 5. Paul Yego, Kenya, 2:11:13.

Women 1. Uta Pippig, Germany, 2:25:11. 2. Elana Meyer, South Africa, 2:26:51. 3. Madina Biktagirova, Belarus, 2:29:00. 4. Franziska Moser, Switzerland, 2:29:35. 5. Yvonne Danson, Britain, 2:30:53.