LOS ANGELES -- Mark Saina beat fellow Kenyan Ben Maiyo in the closing stretch to win the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday.
Saina earned a $75,000 bonus for his winning time of 2 hours, 9 minutes 35 seconds as part of "The Challenge," a battle-of-the-sexes format started last year that allows the women to start ahead of the men.
Saina and Russian Lyubov Denisova, who set a course record for the women, both received $25,000 and a new car for winning the men's and women's divisions. Denisova won in 2:26:10.
Maiyo, running in his first marathon, passed Denisova shortly before the 40-kilometer (25-mile) marker. But Saina pursued him and surged ahead in the final moments. Maiyo finished in 2:09:44.
"I never expected to sprint away from him," Saina said. "I try to go with the pain, but it was real hard."
The women were given a 15:50 head start as a way to keep the top men and women close at the finish line. The time differential last year was 20:30. The advantage was shortened to compensate for a stronger field of female runners.
Factoring in the time differential, the men finished 44 seconds ahead of the women.
Denisova, who was unhappy with the shrunken time differential, overtook the women leaders in the 19th mile, while the men slowly chipped away. Laban Kipkemboi, Maiyo and Saina were the first men to catch the women. Kipkemboi was third in 2:10:50.
Zivile Balciunaite of Lithuania placed second in the women's race in 2:28:09, while Hellen Kimutai of Kenya finished third in 2:28:35.
In the wheelchair division, Australian Kurt Fearnley held off six-time Los Angeles Marathon champion Saul Mendoza in a thrilling sprint to the finish. Fearnley finished third last year.
Greeted by cool temperatures under partly cloudy skies, thousands of runners packed the streets and were urged on at the start of the race by Muhammad Ali, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Mayor James Hahn.
Other stars took part in the festivities. Actor Scott Bakula of TV's Star Trek: Enterprise ran, finishing in 4:10:24, and a dressed-down Halle Berry was on the sideline cheering passing runners..
