Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai set a new record on Monday in the 2011 Boston Marathon, running the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton, Mass., to Copley Square in 2:03:02. And he did it almost by accident, if you ask him.
"I was not having ideas about the course record. I knew I could run well because I'd trained hard and I was confident, but the record was not on my mind."
Mutai, who held off fellow Kenyan Moses Mosop down the stretch, credited his record day to his history with cross country running and the10,000-meter race distance, and Monday's fourth-place finisher, Ryan Hall, about whom Mutai said, "He pushed us all the time."
Hall's time of 2:04:55 was the all-time fastest marathon time by a U.S. runner.
It should be noted that although Mutai's time is the fastest recorded marathon time, it won't actually count as a new world record because of the hilliness of the Boston course -- it is mostly downhill -- as well as Monday's wind conditions. Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie holds the marathon WR with a 2:03:59 run at Berlin in 2008.
For his efforts, Mutai still receives $225,000 in total bonus money.