Russian Runners sweep the Sovereign Bank Cape Cod Marathon; Khokhlov takes men's title, Kolpakova edges Bychkova for the women's crown

Khokhlov and Kolpakova's victories highlighted the 27th running of the Cape Cod Marathon, which drew over 1200 marathon entrants and 180 teams for the simultaneous Dunkin' Donuts Relay.

Khokhlov, 33, of Khabarovsk in far eastern Russia, won the men's race in 2:25:36. Kevin Gray, 26, of Walpole, Mass., finished second in 2:35:49, while Jeff Day, 34, of Berea, OH took third in 2:36:55. Gray ran much of the race with three-time consecutive winner and defending champion and the 2004 fourth-place finisher Eric Beauchesne, 34, of Chelmsford, Mass. The master's division for runners 40 and over was won by sixth-place finisher Chris Spinney of Lynn, MA in 2:38:56.

Through an interpreter, Khokhlov expressed satisfaction with his race. Khokhlov last glanced back at the receding field at about the six mile mark and never looked behind afterward. He said there was “no problem” at all; in fact, he didn't have to think too much as it was easy running; he could just relax watch the seaside pass by and enjoy the beautiful views along the course. Khokhlov ran a personal best of 2:17:20 just three weeks ago in a marathon in Denmark.

Elvira Kolpakova, 32, of Perm, Russia, and Marina Bychkova, 28, of Ivanova, Russia, ran together, breaking to the head of the field just after the starting cannon and leading the entire race to finish in 2:52:32 for Kolpakova and 2:52:33 for Bychkova. Through an interpreter, the pair said the race went as planned, and although they didn't find the course difficult, they did find it a bit windy in spots. Both are 100K elite runners; Bychkova finished second-place in the World 100K Championships held in the Netherlands in September.

Third-place woman and the women's master's division winner in 2:58:42 was former two-time CCM champion (1996, 1997), Mary-Lynn Currier, 40, of Unionville, CT. The CCM was her sixth marathon of the year; she finished second in the Hartford Marathon three weeks ago. Currier passed fourth-place finisher, and the 1998 CCM champion, Susannah Landreth, 36 of Newburyport, Mass. in the final mile. Landreth, who finished in 2:59:18, said what many of the leading finishers expressed about the course, “Hilly!”

In the simultaneous Dunkin' Donuts Relay, the Quarterdeck Racing Team of East Falmouth, Mass., won the men's race in a time of 2:24:20. The women's winning relay team was GBTC Margaret Bradley Fish of Cambridge, Mass. finishing in 2:48:33, while the mixed relay champion was Panaccione Road Rulers of Dedham, Mass., which clocked a time of 2:41:59.

See the attached list of the top male and female finishers.

Top finishers, Sovereign Bank Cape Cod Marathon
Sunday, Oct. 31, 2004
Falmouth, Mass.

Men overall
1.  Aleksey Khokhlov, Khabarovsk, Russia		2:25:36
2.  Kevin Gray, Walpole, Mass.				2:35:49
3.  Jeff Day, Berea, OH					2:36:55
4.  Eric Beauchesne, Chelmsford, Mass. 			2:37:35
5.  Jim Emord, Wethersfield, CT				2:38:05
6.  Chris Spinney, Lynn, Mass. 				2:38:56
7.  Mark Reeder, Brighton, Mass. 			2:38:59
8.  Janda Ricci-Munn, Rockport, Mass.			2:39:11
9.  Tom Doody, Pelham, NH				2:39:25
10. Paul Hammond, Lexington, Mass. 			2:39:43

Women overall
1.  Elvira Kolpakova, Perm, Russia			2:52:32
2.  Marina Bychkova, Ivanovo, Russia			2:52:33
3.  Mary-Lynn Currier, Unionville, CT			2:58:42
4.  Susannah Landreth, Newburyport, Mass. 		2:59:18
5.  Delwyn B. Williamson, Boston, Mass. 		3:04:33
6.  Julie Garvin, North Andover, Mass. 			3:05:29
7.  Maureen Burns, Hampden, Mass. 			3:06:16
8.  Nancy Corsaro, Methuen, Mass. 			3:09:16
9.  Naomi I. Hasegawa, Cambridge, Mass. 		3:10:43
10. Coreen Lowney, Wilmington, Mass. 			3:11:53

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