TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More! - TheFinalSprint.com is the Premier Destination for Track & Field, Marathon, Cross Country, Olympic and Road Racing Enthusiasts.

TFS to Expand Writing Staff and Internship Program

Whether you are a seasoned veteran, an aspiring journalist, or even just a knowledgeable fan looking for a profitable hobby, we want to hear from you! Click here to apply today!

Rotich, Doheney Win Maui Marathon Titles

Posted September 16th, 2007 at 4:43 AM by Martha Jones

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Jacob Rotich may hold a Kenyan passport and drive on 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 on Sunday morning.

Rotich covered the mostly oceanfront, scenic point-to-point course in 2 hours, 29 minutes and 22 seconds, while 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 four-peat; the first to win the 37-year-old event four consecutive times. 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,” said Rotich, who lives near Austin, Texas. The Maui Marathon is the only marathon Rotich has ever run. “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 participants who participated in the full and half-marathons. 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 Midoori Funabashi of Japan 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, in 1:14:38 and 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 (40+): Paul Hopwood, Makawao, HI, 2:58:48 $750

WOMEN
1) Julie Doheney, Kailua, HI, 3:18:39 $1500
2) Midoori Funabashi, Japan, 3:21:11, $750
3) Fumiko Irokawa, Japan, 3:21:55, $500

1st Masters (40+): Elizabeth Edmonds, Haiku, HI, 3:28:16, $750

Via: Running USA News Wire
Written by: Patrice Malloy