Rachid Ait-Bensalem, who is a world class half marathon runner, showed his inexperience at the marathon distance when he run waving to the spectators for long parts of the course.
He was just over three minutes ahead of the chasing group at 35 kilometres. Two kilometres later he had to walk for a moment and then jogged on slowly.
At 39 kilometres Anders Szalkai passed Rachid Ait-Bensalem. Szalkai has finished among the top ten in Stockholm Marathon each year since 1993, but never been able to win Sweden´s most important road race.
This year, supported by enthusiastic spectators, he won the race in 2:18:17.
- I thought Rachid was too far ahead and was concentrating on finishing in second place. When a got information at 37 kilometres that he was getting tired I realised I could win, said Szalkai, who run a personal best of 2.12:43 in Austin Marathon earlier this year.
Kenyan Ester Kiplagat run a personal best of 2:29:55 when she won the women´s division. She run with last years Stockholm Marathon-winner Marie Söderström-Lundberg from Sweden for the first half of the course and then pulled away.
Söderström-Lundberg finished second in 2:31:38, also a personal best. Only Grete Waitz, who won this race 1988, has run faster in Stockholm. Waitz course record is 2:28:24.
13 806 runners from 56 countries entered the 2001 Stockholm Marathon. 10 467 started the race and 10 123 finished. Despite a hail storm during the race only 344 dropped out. Temperature during the race: 17 degrees. 10 123 finishers is the highest number for Stockholm Marathon since 1988 when 10 858 finished the race.
The 2002 Stockholm marathon will be on Saturday June 8.
