There were about 18,000 runners in the Philadelphia Marathon, but two Ukrainians outran them all on a frigid Sunday. Andriy Toptun won in 2 hours, 19 minutes, 58 seconds over the 26.2-mile course, while Vera Ovcharuk clocked in at 2:44.03 in her marathon debut."I had to run alone and it was cold, so the time is not too bad," Toptun said through an interpreter.The Philly Marathon, founded in 1954, awards $3,500 to the first-place finishers.
[American runner Fred] Kieser lost sight of Toptun early in the race."I thought I might have a chance at the eight-mile mark, but he just had too much left in the tank," said Kieser, who coaches a high school girls cross country team.
Even if I had a remote shot to win that kind of money in a marathon, I still don't think I'd venture into 30-degree weather for such a grueling race... which is why I give these long-distance runners, like FanHouse's very own This Suit Is Not Black, so much credit for having that kind of will.
Men's Results:
1. Andriy Toptun, 27, 2:19:58 (Ukraine)
2. Fred Kieser, 37, 2:22.45 (Cleveland)
Women's Results:
1. Vera Ovcharuk, 27, 2:44.03 (Ukraine)
2. Abby Dean, 37, 2:48.52 (Philadelphia)
Those expecting to see or participate in the very first Pasadena Marathon today will have to turn right back around. The marathon 
I ran the New York City Marathon on Sunday, surprising no one more than myself. It wasn't something I imagined I'd ever do. It wasn't something I even had any inclination of doing for most of my life. But it's something I've never been happier to have done. 
