NEW YORK -- In one of the biggest winning margins in race history, Abdelkhader El Mouaziz broke away just past the 12-mile mark and easily won the New York City Marathon Sunday, becoming the first Moroccan champion.
El Mouaziz, the seventh-place finisher at the Sydney Olympics, was timed in an unofficial 2 hours, 10 minutes, 9 seconds, 2:20 in front of the runner-up and ending Kenya's three-year victory reign.
El Mouaziz, 31, first moved among the world's elite marathoners by finishing second in the 1998 London Marathon in 2:08:07. He came back the following year and won London at 2:07:57, only two seconds off the course record, a mark he would have beaten if he had not slowed near the finish and waved to the crowd.
He ran London a third time in April and was the runner-up again in 2:07:33, his personal best.
This was his third attempt at winning the New York City Marathon. He placed fourth in 1997 at 2:10:04 and seventh last year at 2:10:28.
This time, El Mouaziz stayed with the pacesetters through the first 10 miles. Then, when they slowed, El Mouaziz and 1996 Olympic champion Josia Thugwane took command. The two-man race quickly turned into a one-man show.
At the halfway point -- 13.1 miles -- El Mouaziz was leading in 1:03:07, ahead of the course record of 2:08:01 set by Tanzania's Juma Ikangaa in 1989, and far in front of Thugwane. It was one of the earliest breaks in the race's history.
After that, El Mouaziz extended his lead to nearly 1:30 through 19 miles, before his pace slowed. He ran each of the next two miles in 5:10, the slowest in the race.
El Mouaziz continued to struggle, with miles of 5:19 between 22 and 23; 5:30 between 23 and 24; and 5:26 between 24 and 25. But no one made a serious challenge, and he wound up winning handily.
Kenya's Japhet Kosgei, undefeated in four previous marathons, finished second unofficially at 2:12:29 .
El Mouaziz received $65,000 for winning the 25th marathon through the city's five boroughs, plus a $10,000 time bonus, a new car and a new scooter.<
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