LA Marathon: Nataliya Lehonkova wins women's race wire-to-wire

SANTA MONICA

Nataliya Lehonkova did not appear at first to be content to lead the entire 31st aual Skechers Performance L.A. Marathon, but the 33-year-old ruer from Ukraine managed to somehow lead the entire Stadium-to-the-Sea route to win in a personal best time of 2:30:42 on Sunday moing.

Ethopians Serkalem Abhri and Simegn Abnet were content to let Lehonkova lead. Lehonkova, who won her fifth marathon, pulled away from second-place finisher Abhri at the 19th mile when the Ethiopian developed a slight stitch. Lehonkova built a 10-second lead in less than a mile and pulled away for the 1 minute, 42-second victory. Abhri ran a 2:32:24.

Abnet dropped out in the 17th mile and Julia Budniak, a Pole living in L.A., finished third, 14:02 behind the wier.

Lehonkova, Abhri and Abnet, also from Ethiopia, broke away within the first mile of the six-women elite field. The wiers finished in a slight fog in Santa Monica.

• See photos

• Live blog from the race

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