Conditions Come Together for Fast, Competitive Detroit Free Press/Mazda International Marathon Presented by M-CARE

19 October 1997

    DETROIT, Oct. 19 -- Perfect running conditions and a high
caliber field of elite runners produced a fast and competitive race at today's
Detroit Free Press/Mazda International Marathon Presented by M-CARE.
    The 2,570 runners, walkers and wheelers enjoyed temperatures ranging from
the mid-40s at the start to high 50s at the finish.  A course change between
miles 21 and 24 gave runners several long straight-aways along the flat, fast
course.
    The top three runners all finished under 2:20.  Brad Hudson, 31, from
Boulder, CO won the race with a time of 2:15:50, Jerod Neas, 26, from
Princeton, NJ finished with a 2:16:21 and Bernard Kitur, 27, a student from
Kenya living in Boulder, CO, finished third in 2:17:39.  This was Kitur's
first marathon.
    The three ran in a close pack the entire race starting with steady
5:30/6:00 minute miles and picking up the pace in the latter part of the race.
They exchanged the lead several times until the last half mile, when Hudson
pulled away with a strong kick for the finish.
    From the start of the race through mile 18, Henno Haava, 24, led the race
going out fast with a 5:00/5:30-per-mile pace.  The three, led by Kitur,
gradually caught and passed Haava approaching the 20 mile mark.  From miles
20-23, Kitur, Neas and Hudson ran together until Neas and Hudson pulled ahead.
Coming into mile 24, Neas led until the last half mile when Hudson made his
move and went unchallenged.
    "This course is fantastic and the weather was great," said Hudson.  "I
didn't feel like I was running a 2:15 pace."
    In the women's field, Lyubov Klochko, 38, a Ukrainian runner living in
Albuquerque, NM, won with a time of 2:39:59.  Despite recent knee surgery,
last year's winner, Cindy Keeler, 39, of Lake Worth, FL finished second with a
2:43:47, and Kim Goff, 36, of Greenville, RI finished in 2:46:27.
    Klochko commanded a solid lead from the start, ran a steady pace
throughout and was at 1:18 at the half marathon mark.  Behind Klochko, an
intense battle for third came down to the last half mile, with Goff sprinting
past Darlene Mota, 33, of Lynwood, WA, who finished fourth.  Both Klochko and
Hudson won $3,000 and a 1998 Mazda 626 LX 24-month car lease.
    Doug Kurtis, 45, of Northville, MI won the masters race with a 2:27:28 and
placed 9th overall.
    "I felt great, very comfortable and relaxed," said Kurtis.  A six-time
winner of the Detroit Free Press Marathon, Kurtis plans on retiring after this
year.
    Marina Jones, 45, of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA won the womens masters
with a 2:53:02, beating her winning time last year by three minutes.  Jones
also placed ninth in the overall womens standings.
    In the wheelchair division, Don Dowling, 40, of St. Louis, MO won with a
1:42:42.  Tracy Miller, 34, of Mukliteo, WA won the female wheelchair overall
with a 2:31:02.
    The male and female winners in the Race Walker division were Gary Morgan,
37, of Clarkston, MI, with a 3:54:32 and Julie Hecksel, 35, from Livonia, MI
with a 4:32:35.
    The top runner from Michigan was Paul Aufdemberge, 32, of Novi, who placed
seventh with a 2:25:39.  Kathy Rink, 31, of Bloomfield Hills was the top
female runner from Michigan with a seventh place finish of 2:50:49.  The top
Canadian finisher was Martin Denonville, 45, of Windsor with a 2:45:09 and the
top female Canadian finisher was Leslie Carson, 33, of Cambridge with a
2:49:50.

SOURCE  Detroit Free Press/Mazda International Marathon