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Category: Track and field

Americans Run Well, But Kenyan Runs Away With Marathon

Brian Sell's blood-soaked shoes Sunday showed just how hard a marathon can be. Blisters formed and popped as he wearily dragged his way through 26.6 miles of pain.

But as we look back on all the impressive athletic achievements at these Beijing Olympics, I know one that'll get lost in the shuffle.

What Kenya's Samuel Wanjiru did today was pretty amazing. In 80- to 85-degree heat, the 21-year-old ran away from most of the field in the men's marathon, setting an Olympic record in 2:06:32. That's a time you'd expect to see in London or Paris, perhaps. But not Beijing. A 4:49 pace? This young runner will own the world record soon enough, I think.

"I'm blown away," said Dathan Ritzenhein, the Rockford native was ninth in 2:11:59, best among the Americans. He wasn't the only one, though. They all were on this day.