Monday, January 26, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

LAS VEGAS MARATHON: Herd's easy victory a record-setter

In first 26.2-mile finish, runner wins by biggest margin

By ROYCE FEOUR
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Kevin Herd, above, of South Jordan, Utah, crosses the finish line to win the Las Vegas Marathon by a 14-minute margin Sunday. Photo by Ralph Fountain. Kari Anne Bertrand, below, of Gilroy, Calif., was the women's winner. Photo by Ralph Fountain.

It's hard enough to win a 26.2-mile race, especially running the last eight miles into a strong headwind, but that merely made Kevin Herd's accomplishment all the more amazing Sunday.

In the 38th Las Vegas Marathon, Herd of South Jordan, Utah, won by the widest margin in event history.

Herd, a former distance runner at the University of Iowa but a marathon novice, won in 2 hours, 28 minutes and 13 seconds, 14:01 ahead of runner-up Phil Kochik of Seattle. It was only Herd's second marathon, having failed to finish in his first attempt seven weeks ago in Tucson, Ariz., where he took ill after 20 miles.

The women's marathon was won by Dr. Kari Anne Bertrand of Gilroy, Calif., in 2:45:46.

Herd, 32, led or was near the lead throughout the race, though he got some mixed signals late in the race when several spectators yelled things like, "Good job, you're in second place."

Actually, Herd was well ahead of the pack, but he was running behind a marathon relay participant who was completing his final 6.2-mile leg.

"That was a little disconcerting," Herd said. "The relay guys were distracting."

Race director Al Boka said Herd's victory margin was "without a doubt" the largest ever in the Las Vegas event. Herd, who grew up in Denver, only recently resumed his running career after taking a seven-year break.

Herd took the lead for good at the two-mile mark. The runners enjoyed a slight tailwind for the first 18 miles, but ran into a headwind for the final eight.

"The first 18 miles I felt great," Herd said of his 5:30 per-mile pace. "The wind forced me to slow down."

He estimated the wind gusts approached 35 miles per hour, and said he felt he could have finished three or four minutes faster in calmer conditions.

Chuck Moeser of Sterling, Va., placed in 2:44:51.

In the women's race, the 33-year-old Bertrand finished 1 minute, 54 seconds ahead of Kathryn Kasischke of San Diego. Ellen Hart of Denver took third at 2:49:28.

Bertrand, a obstetrician/gynecologist who ran for Georgetown, took the lead near the 18-mile mark and credited a male runner for blocking the wind between the 19th and 20th miles.

"That was a blessing," the New York native said. "I wish he would have stayed longer. I asked him if he could stick around."

It was Bertrand's first marathon victory, her fourth finish and fifth attempt. Her previous best time was a 2:47:45, good for 18th in the 2000 New York Marathon.

Jason Warick of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, won the men's half-marathon in 1:07:31, followed by Christopher Magill of Albion, R.I., in 1:07:48, and Jerome Ross of Anchorage, Alaska, in 1:07:51.

Pennsylvania runners finished 1-2-3 in the women's half-marathon with Kate Fonshell of Ardmore winning in 1:14:23, Andrea Niggemeier of Philadelphia was second in 1:17:08, and Kim Harrity of Haverford third in 1:17:25.