Michelle Simonaitis was about to concede victory when suddenly on her right, with little more than a mile to go in the race, was Cheryl Harper. And Harper was about to accept victory when suddenly, at about the same point, she hit something she hadn't expected - the wall.
With spring still in her step and noticeable excitement in her voice at the finish, Simonaitis said she was "surprised and excited" at winning the women's marathon in the Deseret News/Granite Furniture event. Harper collapsed and was carried to a cot where she was wrapped in blankets, fed liquids and attentively watched over by trainers and medics.It was not the finish observers were expecting, especially since Harper looked strong, was running well and led by as much as a quarter of a mile with less than four of the 26.2 miles to go.
"She was so far ahead I felt there was no was I was going to catch her. I was ready to concede the race to her. Suddenly at mile 25, there she was. I was shocked when I passed her," Simonaitis said.
At mile 25, Harper became dehydrated and "hit the wall." It was all she could do to keep moving her legs. As she approached the finish her arms weren't working and her legs were wobbly and slow to respond. She collapsed a few feet from the finish and was immediately rushed to the medical emergency area.
Simonaitis - whose husband, Dennis, placed second in the men's marathon - finished with a time of two hours, 51.59 seconds. The time was about seven minutes off the record pace but nearly 10 minutes faster than last year's time. Harper's time was 2:54.06.
Simonaitis is from Murray; Harper is from Sandy.
Holly Critser of Lehi, last year's winner, was third in 2:54.29.
Harper immediately took the lead after the 5 a.m. start and steadily widened the gap between her and Simonaitis. At mile 22, she had more than a quarter-mile lead. At this point, consensus was, she would be the winner.
"I ran the race I wanted. I ran at the pace I wanted and was right on target at the half-way point. I felt good and was running without any trouble. I don't feel I picked up the pace or anything, I just stayed constant. I didn't change my strategy at all," Simonaitis said as she reviewed the race.
This was her 22nd marathon. In 1995, she finished third in the Deseret News run and in 1993 was the winner of the St. George Marathon.
For Critser, the finish - although not a repeat of last year - was a moral victory.
"I won last year, but I was embarrassed by the time, which was around 3:01. It was slow. I feel better, now. I ran a good race and had a much better time. I owe it to good training and good coaching," she said at the finish area.
Both Simonaitis and Critser said conditions for the race were good. The cool temperatures at the start, along with the humidity left from the rains on Wednesday, made running more comfortable.