Ethiopia’s Teyba Erkesso wins women’s race in Boston Marathon

Ethiopian Erkesso runs off with Boston women’s win

BOSTON — The up-and-down course of the Boston Marathon ended just in time for Ethiopia’s Teyba Erkesso.

She held off a charge from Russian Tatyana Pushkareva on Monday to win the women’s race in 2 hours, 26 minutes, 11 seconds. Erkesso beat Pushkareva by three seconds in the third-closest women’s finish in race history.

Erkesso grabbed the lead after 12 miles, when Pushkareva wasn’t even among the top 10 women. But by mile 21, Pushkareva had narrowed the gap to about a minute. With six-tenths of a mile to go, Pushkareva was just 15 seconds behind, but she ran out of room.

Pushkareva said the late surge was part of her strategy and she had no doubt she made her move at the right time.

“In today’s race, I did everything that I could,” she said through a translator. “I would not change anything.”

Last year’s champion, Salina Kosgei of Kenya, finished third in 2 hours, 28 minutes and 35 seconds. Kosgei’s win last year, by one second, was the closest in Boston. In 2008, Ethiopia’s Dire Tune won by two seconds.

Erkesso was the fifth Ethiopian woman to win in Boston. This was her fifth marathon and third in the last six months after switching from cross-country. Before Boston, she already had two marathon victories, both in Houston.

Erkesso acknowledged she doesn’t have a great finishing kick, so she pushed hard to build a lead. She began to break away at mile 15, and led by nearly 70 seconds three miles later. But Pushkareva soon began closing.

“My plan … for today’s race was stay a little bit back and run faster in the second half, and as even as possible,” Pushkareva said.

Pushkareva looked strong as she pushed ahead, running easily and smiling for the TV cameras. Erkesso, meanwhile, began holding her stomach with about four miles to go. She said through a translator the pain might have been caused by something she drank during the race.

But as Pushkareva bore down, Erkesso rallied, even after losing a little ground near the finish when directions from a race volunteer appeared to confuse her. Erkesso was never comfortable with the lead, even when it was sizable and especially when Pushkareva was tracking her down.

“I (didn’t) accept winning until the last minute,” Erkesso said.

CORRECTS to Kenya in 6th graf.