Mokono wins Grandma's; Akor tops women's field again

Lamech Mokono won the men’s race and Mary Akor defended her women’s title in the 32nd Grandma’s Marathon this morning in Duluth.

Mokono, who runs with the AmeriKenyan Running Club in Santa Fe, N.M., outran fellow Kenyan David Tuwei to the finish to win his first Grandma’s title in an unofficial time of 2 hours, 13 minutes, 39 seconds.

Benson Cheruiyot of Kenya finished third.

Akor, of Hawthorne, Calif., finished first among women in an unofficial 2:38:52, more than 3 minutes slower than her 2007 winning time.

Kenyan Mathew Chesang, who runs out of Olathe, Kan., won the men’s Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon in 1:04:48, breaking away from Fernando Cabada in the final three-quarters of a mile to win in his first attempt in the race.

Liza Hunter-Galvan, a New Zealand native who lives in Helotes, Texas, won the women’s half-marathon in 1:13:29.

The men’s wheelchair winner was Krige Schabort of South Africa, a three-time winner who set a course record in 2005. He finished in 1:29:39.

Defending champion Amanda McGrory of Champaign, Ill., won the women’s wheelchair race in 1:49.56.

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