Rotich, Doheney Claim Titles at the 37th Maui Marathon
By Patrice Malloy
Posted Monday, 17 September, 2007
KAANAPALI, Maui, Hawaii (September 16, 2007) – Jacob Rotich may hold a Kenyan passport and drive with a Texas license but the 28-year-old never looked more at home as he ran along Maui’s coastal Honoapiilani Highway on his way to his fourth consecutive victory at the Maui Marathon, held September 16, 2007.
Rotich covered the mostly oceanfront course in 2 hours, 29 minutes and 22 seconds. Julie Doheney of Hawaii won the women’s division in 3:18:39.
Rotich and countryman Jonah Maiyo led the field for the first nine miles before Rotich decided to pick up the pace and wrap up his 2007 win. Leighton Katsuda of Wailuku, Maui, placed second in 2:33:55. Maiyo, who was competing in his debut marathon, finished third in 2:38:03.
| | Maui gets nicer and nicer |
Nobody in the history of the 37-year-old marathon has ever won the event four consecutive times. Additionally, the Maui Marathon is the only 26.2-miler Rotich has ever run. “Maui gets nicer and nicer,” said Rotich, who lives near Austin Texas.
“I am strongly thinking about coming back next year.”
Light cloud cover, slight trade winds and cooler than expected temperatures were well-received by many of the 2,300 runners and walkers who participated in the full and half marathons. the scenic point-to-point course. The day's temperatures ranged from 70s at the 5:30am start in Kahului to the low to mid- 80s at the finish in the Kaanaplai Beach Resort.
In the women’s division Julie Doheney of Kailua, Hawaii won her first-ever Maui Marathon with Midori Funabashi of Japan placing second in 3:21:11 and Fumiko Irokawa of Japan was third in 3:21:55.
The fourth annual Maui Half Marathon was won by Blake Boldon, an assistant track coach at Iowa State, finishing in 1:14:38. Dawn Epperson placed first in the women’s division in 1:23:27.
The events benefited the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, the Arthritis Foundation's Joints in Motion program and over 11 local charities. Major sponsors include: the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Maui Visitors Bureau, Kaanapali Beach Resort Association and The Westin Maui Resort & Spa.
37th Maui Marathon
Kaanapali, Maui, HI, Sunday, September 16, 2007
MEN
1) Jacob Rotich, Kenya, 2:29:22, $1500
2) Leighton Katsuda, Wailuku, HI, 2:33:55, $1500*
3) Jonah Maiyo, Kenya, 2:38:03, $500
*Includes $750 for 2nd male and $750 for 1st Maui resident prize
1st Masters: Paul Hopwood, Makawao, HI, 2:58:48 $750
WOMEN
1) Julie Doheney, Kailua, HI, 3:18:39 $1500
2) Midori Funabashi, Japan, 3:21:11, $750
3) Fumiko Irokawa, Japan, 3:21:55, $500
1st Masters: Elizabeth Edmonds, Haiku, HI, 3:28:16, $750
Complete results at: www.MauiMarathon.com
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