Heart
of America Marathon
Labor Day 
Columbia, Missouri
Weather conditions were much better than last year's heat bath, some 20 degrees cooler, 100% cloud cover throughout, a fairly gentle rain from 1 1/2 hours on, but there was high humidity and that may explain why times were slower than last year in many instances. The conditions were tough.
With a mere 35 miles a week training, Steve Stonecipher¬Fisher completed his third HOA and got his third victory, this one going with his 2:35:32 of 1980 and a 2:33:38 in 1988. S-F is the fourth 3-time winner (Tim Hendricks has
five wins, Jon Herbert and Frank Curotto three each), but no one has HOA wins eleven years apart. S-F wanted a relaxed 2:45. At halfway that was his pace, being accompanied by Dru Dixon who was here for the first time since his 83 2:46:34. This was not Dixon's day; by 15 miles S-F was on his own. His idea was to ease it on in to the finish, his last half being some 6 1/2 minutes slower than the first.
S-F wasn't able to relax too much, however, because Dmitry Voldman was coming on with a rush having made a decision to go out slowly and finish fast in contrast to last year when he led for 25 miles with nothing left to respond to David Dobkowski's closing effort. This time Voldman was 1:30:26
for the first half (1:21:24 last year) and 1:24:52 (1:33:16
in '90) over the second. At 21 miles he was a whopping 7:05 behind S-F, 4:10 at 24 and only 1:09 at the 7th and Broadway finish.
David Dobkowski, last years winner, ran wtih Voldman for the first 17 miles or so but was unable to duplicate his closing rush of '90, finishing some six minutes behind his winning time of '90 despite the better weather conditions.
Bob Dolphin ran his first marathon here ten years ago. He ran HOA this year - his 100th marathon (including several ultras) . His time this year was over a minute faster than ten years ago, but, consider he ran an amazing 3:09:31 in '88 at age 59!
David Vent had run 76 marathons prior to Labor Day weekend. He is now up to 79. On Saturday he ran the Port Huron, MI Marathon, on Sunday the Tupelo, MS Marathon, then HOA on Monday.
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