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Khalid Runs To World Record

October 24, 1999 / 2:54 PM EDT / AP

Khalid Khannouchi was all by himself as he crossed the finish line of the Chicago Marathon, his world-record time flashing above him.

It was fitting, really, since Khannouchi truly is a man alone. He's atop the running world, and with his bid for American citizenship stalled, he has no country.

"That's the moment I've dreamed of," said Khannouchi, who won the LaSalle Banks Chicago Marathon in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 42 seconds Sunday, shattering the previous world best by 23 seconds.

"I've been working hard, believing in myself," he said. "When I got to the finish line, I was so excited, so happy."

Khannouchi trailed two-time Boston Marathon winner Moses Tanui of Kenya by 33 seconds at the 21-mile mark, but he caught Tanui by the 25th mile and easily outdistanced him, winning by 34 seconds. As he crossed the finish line, Khannouchi burst into tears and was wrapped in a bear hug by his wife, Sandra, who also is his coach and agent.

Khannouchi won a Volkswagen Beetle and $165,000, including a $100,000 bonus for breaking Ronaldo da Costa's previous world record of 2:06:05 set in 1998 at Berlin. Tanui finished in 2:06:16.

Defending champion Joyce Chepchumba of Kenya fell just before the halfway point, but managed to edge countrywoman Margaret Okayo by a second in the closest women's finish at Chicago. Chepchumba finished in 2:25:59 while Okayo, running in her first marathon, clocke 2:26:00.

The biggest disappointments were da Costa, who dropped out at the 15th mile with lower back pain, and Catherina McKiernan, the world's No. 1 distance runner last year. McKiernan, who'd won the previous three marathons she entered, had stomach cramps throughout the race and finished 12th in 2:35:30.

The only disappointment for Khannouchi was that he didn't set the record as an American. Born in Morocco, Khannouchi moved to the United States in 1993 when he didn't get the support he felt he deserved from the Moroccan running federation.

Embraced by Americans, he applied for citizenship so he could run for the United States in the Sydney Olympics next year.

Khannouchi asked for expedited citizenship, but his request was denied in June.

"I'm always positive we have chances," he said. "We're working hard and we're not going to give up. But if I don't have a chance to run in the Olympics as an American, I won't run. I'd prefer to wait another four years or maybe for the world championships. I want to give something back to the sport in the United States."

"I'm still Moroccan, I still have Moroccan blood. But the federation, I don't want to deal with them anymore. They put me down the time that I needed them, and it's not worth it to go back to them."

Without Khannouchi, American chances at the Olympics next year are dismal. Little-known David Morris, originally of Eagle River, Alaska, finished fourth and set an American record of 2:09:2, beating the 2:09:35 Jerry Lawson ran in Chicago in 1997.

Morris, whose previous best was 2:15:25 at Pittsburgh last year, is the first American to meet the 2:14 qualifying time for Sydney.

"Hopefully Khalid can get pushed along and become an American citizen. There's our gold medal," said Todd Williams, who finished in 2;14:58.

Two American women met the 2:33 qualifying time for Sydney. Libbie Hickman of Fort Collins, Colo., finished sixth in 2:28:34. Kristy Johnson of Shephardstown, W.Va., was 10th in 2:32:34.

Khannouchi, who set a world debut best in 1997 when he won Chicago in 2:07:10, came close to repeating last year. But hampered by a stress fracture in his heel, he was passed in the final mile by Ondoro Osoro, who broke Khannouchi's debut mark with 2:06:54.

Coming into Chicago, Khannouchi had won five of his last seven races and finished second in the other two. But with a field that included da Costa, Osoro and Tanui, Khannouchi said it would have to be "his day" to win. It was.

With race-time temperatures of 36 degrees and swirling winds, Tanui hung back before making a charge to catch the leaders between the 17th and 18th miles.

He ran 4:40, 4:40 and 4:33 for miles 17, 18 and 19, opening about a 10-second lead over the rest of the group. Khannouchi tried to close at the 22-mile mark, but Tanui put on another burst of speed.

"I confused the miles," Tanui said. "I did not know which kilometer I was running. Today, when I started to make my move, I thought I was over 35 kilometers. Unfortunately, I was at about maybe 30 kilometers."

By mile 23, Khannouchi had cut five seconds off Tanui's lead and continued to close. At mile 24, Tanui's lead was down to nine seconds. Khannouchi moved ahead just before they entered a tunnel underneath McCormick Place on Chicago's lakefront, and by the time they emerged, Khannouchi had a commanding lead.

At 2:04:32, with about a quarter-mile left, Khannouchi looked over his shoulder to make sure Tanui wasn't gaining on him and raced to the finish line.

"I'm not the best, but I'm one of the best," Khannouchi said. "That's one of the things I want people to understand. I'm not going to hold the world record forever. Somebody's going to come and break it."

"But I dreamed of breaking the world record and I worked hard to get it. I'll be happy to hold it only for one hour. If somebody comes and breaks it, I'll be happy."