Loken Repeats as More Marathon Champion
Pozdnyakova and Bedard set pending world records
March 26, 2006— As she strode towards the blue and white banner marking the finish line, Susan Loken’s smile was bright enough to illuminate Central Park on this chilly, overcast morning. After all, the 42-year-old single mother of three from Phoenix, Arizona, had plenty to smile about: she was en route to defending her title in the 2006 More Marathon.
The event, now in its third year, once again celebrated women of all ages—particularly those over 40. Nearly 3,400 women finished the race, which featured a full marathon for individuals over 40 and a half-marathon for two-woman teams; one team member had to be 40 or older.
A contingent of running greats, including Grete Waitz, Kathrine Switzer, Anne Marie Lauck, and Lynn Jennings, watched from the sidelines as Loken, the reigning USA Marathon masters champion, zipped to a comfortable wire-to-wire victory in 2:50:01. In just her third year of competitive running, Loken has already run a 2:41:31 marathon this year and is next aiming to dip under 2:39, the “A” qualifying standard for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.
“I used to run as an excuse to get out of the house, for a bit of a mental break. And now I’m in the best shape of my life,” said Loken, who won $2,000 and a trip to Hawaii for her efforts. “This goes to show that women over 40 can be healthy and vibrant.”
And fast. Although Loken’s time did not threaten her own course record (2:45:35, set in last year’s race), she still led a trio of women under the three-hour mark over the challenging five-loop course. Doreen McCoubrie, 44, of Malvern, Pennsylvania, finished second in 2:52:31, while local star Stephanie Hodge, 40, running for the New York Harriers, was third in 2:57:33.
In the hotly contested team half-marathon, a pair hailing from Ohio took home top honors. Ann Alyanak, the 27-year-old head cross country coach at the University of Dayton, joined forces with 1995 USA Marathon champion Debbi Kilpatrick-Morris, 42, to win in a combined time of 2:36:03.
“The course was great for me, because I love the rolling hills,” said Alyanak, who ran a half-marathon personal best of 1:16:25. “This is such a great event. I was just so inspired to see all of those women out there over 40.”
One of those women, Tatyana Pozdnyakova, of Gainesville, Florida, proved to be one of the greatest inspirations of the day. Just last week, the 51-year-old dynamo ran 2:35:46 in the City of Los Angeles Marathon. And on Saturday, she won the masters division at the Azalea Trail Run 10K in Mobile, Alabama, in an impressive 34:44.
Today, the lithe Ukrainian native fought off heavy legs to power past Alyanak at the 11-mile mark. She was the first to cross the half-marathon finish line in 1:16:07, lifting her Warren Street team to a second-place finish (partner Victoria Ganushina, 26, finished eighth in 1:21:10). The time is a pending world record for women age 50-54.
Another pending world record was set by 72-year-old Ginette Bedard of Howard Beach, New York. Bedard ran 3:46:03 in the marathon, bettering her own record for women 70-74 set at the ING New York City Marathon 2005 (3:46:34).
“I felt good, but I was a little tried,” said Pozdnyakova, who hopped on a plane to New York from Mobile Saturday night to make this morning’s race. “It was very hard, but I enjoyed it.”
Pozdnyakova’s dominance among a group of younger runners—including Alyanak and third-place individual Stephanie Bylander, 22, from Alamosa, Colorado (1:17:54) — seemed fitting in an event that celebrates women over 40.
“We are out there showing people that being over 40 is an opportunity, it’s a door that opens in your life,” said Peggy Northrop, editor in chief of More Magazine, the race’s co-sponsor. “This is the best time our lives.”
Complete Results: Marathon | Half-Marathon
2006 More Marathon winner Susan Loken, 42, took top honors for the second year in a row. Her winning time was 2:50:01.
Tatyana Pozdnyakova, 51, was the winner of the half-marathon, finishing in a pending age-group world record time of 1:16:07.
Ann Alyanak (right), the 27-year-old head cross country coach at the University of Dayton, joined forces with 1995 USA Marathon champion Debbi Kilpatrick-Morris, 42, to win the team half-marathon in a combined time of 2:36:03.
USA Distance Project Journals
Special Features
NYRR Blogs Beijing
NYRR Pro Racing Interviews
ING New York City Marathon
Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile
NYRR Team Championships
NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE
NYRR New York Mini 10K
Healthy Kidney 10K
More Magazine Marathon + Half-Marathon
USA Men's 8K Championship and Women's Invitational 8K
Race Story - Women
Race Photos - Women
Race Photos- Men
Race Video
Athlete Bios - Women
