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THOMAS SIMONETTIKevin Brinegar passes the injured favorite late then cruises to a win as the weather keeps times slow.
CLEARWATER - The first half of Sunday's Gulf Beaches Marathon was a breeze. Problem was, runners faced a stiff wind on the second part.
"There were two races," said Ian Payne of Tierra Verde, last year's winner who finished third in 2:53:24. "Going out - and coming back. The whole way back, it was a fight against the wind."
The men's winner is no stranger to adverse conditions. Kevin Brinegar, 35, of Fairbanks, Alaska, finished in 2:38:55, 11:03 faster than second-place David Forsee, 35, of Indianapolis, for his second marathon title.
Tierra Verde's Lisa Valentine, 43, won her fourth consecutive women's title, finishing in 2:58:57. That was seven seconds slower than last year but 22:02 faster than second-place Ashley McCowen, 28, of Carrboro, N.C. Donna Smyers, 47, of Montpelier, Vt., was third at 3:28:53.
The race began at 6:35 a.m. at Coachman Park. Runners headed west toward the beaches. From there, a south wind helped them cruise to Indian Shores. The course then turned north to the finish line at Coachman Park.
Payne, who has run in the Gulf Beaches Marathon five times, said Sunday's conditions were the most difficult.
"It was just a struggle," he said.
Brinegar said he didn't expect to win. Not with Efren Haile of Ethiopia in the field.
But 20 miles in, Haile, who had built a nine-minute lead, dropped back with what race officials called muscle spasms in his legs and did not finish.
Brinegar said that at about the 23rd mile, he realized Haile was done and he had the lead.
"I was surprised," said Brinegar, who moved into second at about Mile 5. "He went out really fast. I just wanted to run somewhere in the 2:50:00 range."
Brinegar said his primary concern was qualifying for the Boston Marathon.
"That's the first time I've ever passed someone in the final 5 miles," said Brinegar, who finished about seven minutes slower than his personal best but better than the 3:15 Boston standard. "But it's not like I hunted him down."
Valentine said the weather didn't bother her.
"It looks worse than it really was," she said. "Overall, the weather was to my liking. I didn't come in expecting to win this every year. But it sure is fun."