Marathoner Has Guts To Win Trials Despite Upset Stomach

At the 24-mile mark of Saturday’s Olympic marathon trials, Bob Kempainen took a 20-yard lead over Mark Coogan and Keith Brantly.

Then he took ill. His stomach upset from a sports drink, Kempainen threw up once, then twice. The second time, he slowed and began to wobble. For a moment it appeared that the unthinkable might happen. That 2 miles from the finish, Kempainen would have to abandon the race and any chance of qualifying for the Summer Games in Atlanta.

Remarkably, he willed himself to continue. Kempainen, 29, of Minnetonka, Minn., has maintained his equilibrium the past five years as both a medical student and a world-class marathoner, and that composure was strikingly evident. He vomited four more times before the finish, but never stopped running. The sicker he got, the faster he got.

After 2 final, determined miles of 5 minutes, 6 seconds and 4:59, Kempainen crossed the finish line in 2:12:45 to win the trials and $100,000.

“This guy is the toughest human being on the face of the earth,” said Brantly, who finished third in 2:13:22. “I would have started crying and stopped.”

At 25 miles, drained and unable to respond to Kempainen’s surges, Coogan and Brantly slapped hands, as much in relief as exhilaration. Coogan, 29, of Boulder, Colo., finished second in 2:13:05, a week after his wife, Gwyn, finished a heartbreaking fourth in the women’s marathon.

Brantly, 33, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., finally earned his Olympic credentials after finishing fourth in two previous Olympic trials, once at 5,000 meters and once in the marathon.

Spokane runners Stan Holman and Chris Morlan finished 56th and 65th, respectively. Holman ran a 2:27:03; Morlan finished in 2:28:59.

Holman, whose best marathon time was 2:19:54, and Morlan (2:20:40) had been seeded 75th and 97th, respectively, based on their qualifying times.

Former Washington State University steeplechaser John Hill finished in 2:32:37, good for 75th place.

Paul Zimmerman of Beaverton, Ore., broke from the start with a 4:49 first mile and his lead increased to more than a minute before a pack of 17 runners finally reeled him in after 15 miles.

Many favorites dropped out, including Mark Plaatjes (inflamed pubic bone), Arturo Barrios (torn calf muscle) and Steve Spence (leg cramps). Zimmerman, too, finally left at 20 miles because of exhaustion.