Boileau and Ivanova Shine in L.A. Marathon : Heat Makes Race a Battle of Attrition

Is it possible that a race may be declared victorious in Sunday’s fourth annual Los Angeles Marathon? That a course of deceptively undulating hills would prevail over the fittest runners? That bright sunshine would conquer even those athletes from the warmest regions of the world?

Believe it. As runners began to peel off over the course of the race’s 26 miles 385 yards, it became clear that this marathon would be a race of attrition. It is always the way in these matters, but Sunday was a day for chance and caprice, for natural elements to triumph over plans of men and women.

Unplanned--and nearly overlooked--was Art Boileau’s methodical overtaking of the fallen leaders. The Canadian, who had won this race in 1987, was running comfortably in 10th while chaos was befalling those who chose to set a fast pace on a day when the sun beat down unobstructed.

The temperature at the 9 a.m. start was 63 degrees, not bad, but also not likely to hold. It did not and it was tough going for the 18,861 entrants. A fine sunny day burst out, sending temperatures up to the mid-70s, about 20 degrees above a marathoner’s comfort zone.

Boileau’s conservative first half of the race proved to be the day’s brilliant tactic. His winning time was 2 hours 13 minutes 1 second, well off his personal best of 2:11:15 and further still from the course record of 2:10:19.

Likewise, the women’s winner, Zoya Ivanova of the Soviet Union, couldn’t gain her personal best from her winning time of 2:34:42, but she was thrilled to be around to try. She beat world champion Rosa Mota of Portugal, who ran 2:35:27. Mota was slowed by a combination of leg pain and pounding heat.

So were they all.

Gidamis Shahanga of Tanzania, who led for most of the race, stopped at 26 miles, then slowly began to run again as Boileau, who had conserved his energy, surged past both second-place Pedro Ortiz of Colombia and Shahanga.

Shahanga had forged a 42-second lead early in the race, setting what other runners judged was, and what proved to be, a suicidal pace. Behind him were Mark Plaatjes, formerly of South Africa, and Ortiz. They were running as a pair. Behind them was a pack strung out and cautious.

“I was kind of concerned,” Boileau said. “The front-runners were going out fast, and I was thinking of keeping hydrated.”

That concern for getting and keeping fluids was foremost on runners’ minds. According to medical officials, more than 200 runners were treated after the race for dehydration.

Shahanga took water every mile while running easy and strong. He surged at 11 miles, gaining what was his longest lead. Plaatjes, Ortiz and last year’s winner, Martin Mondragon, settled in behind.

Where was Boileau, who seemed not a factor until the last mile?

“I was running pretty conservative,” Boileau, 31, said. “I was in 10th place with (Taisuka) Kodama (of Japan). We were helping each other. I was just nailing the guys who would fall behind.”

Turned out Boileau nailed everyone as the pace and the heat took its toll. Orlando Pizzolato of Italy, one of the race favorites, dropped out at 17 miles, a victim of the heat. Patricia Owens, Pizzolato’s agent, said he felt dizzy and weak. In addition, the Italian federation is requiring Pizzolato to run a marathon next month at the World Cup in Milan.

Among the women, the situation was the same. Mota, who says she doesn’t usually mind heat, nevertheless ran amid a pack of male runners, who provided a wall of shade for the 5-foot-1 Portuguese runner. Ivanova went solo; running at first behind them, then slightly in front of Mota, but never side by side.

Their race was seemingly decided at the halfway point, because Mota had settled for a slow pace. “I was not . . . running well by the half marathon,” she said. “I didn’t feel very good in the legs.”

Mota has an on-again, off-again injury involving her sciatic nerve. It was on-again Sunday. Mota considered dropping out, too, but she had done that, for her first time ever, in her last marathon, and she needed to finish for her confidence and as someone well-paid to run here.

“The course is difficult,” Mota said. “People don’t think so, but there are many, many hills.”

Ivanova began to put distance between herself and Mota, and Mota didn’t respond. “I try to catch Zoya,” Mota said. “I just can’t catch. It was a bad day for me.”

For others, too. After Pizzolato, the next to drop out was Plaatjes, who was third here last year. His luck in this race has been uneven. Last year, running for the first time since turning in his South African passport, he was passed for second place in the final yards. This year Plaatjes, who has run 2:08:58, was primed to win.

Events seemed to favor him. As he pulled into second ahead of Ortiz, far ahead Shahanga was laboring. It seemed that Plaatjes, who appeared to be running with authority, would soon overtake the struggling Tanzanian.

Suddenly, at 18 1/2 miles, Plaatjes dropped out. He had no explanation for the blood blisters that formed on the balls of his feet.

“If I’m not healthy, I can rationalize it,” he said. “But I feel like a dog.”

Plaatjes was aware of a problem between 11 or 12 miles. “I thought it would go away,” he said.

In the next mile, the pain grew worse. Meanwhile, Ortiz pulled away. Plaatjes caught the Colombian at 17 miles. The 17th mile was a duel and Plaatjes finally surged ahead, running smack into a hill at the 18th mile. There, the pain was so great that Plaatjes decided to stop, only the third time he has ever dropped out of a race.

Blisters seemed a common problem Sunday--race officials said 115 people were treated for foot ailments, mostly blisters.

Plaatjes veered off the course and stood still, wearing a stunned expression. He was not alone in his pain. A television camera crew was there.

“A TV guy said, ‘Geez, you’re not even breathing hard,’ ” Plaatjes said. “Of course I wasn’t tired. I hadn’t even started racing yet.”

His race was over, but back on the course the racing had hardly begun. Ortiz sped ahead to catch the flagging Shahanga. Boileau was coming from behind, unseen but all-seeing.

“I knew I had a little more gas in the tank,” he said. “Running from behind you can tell if people (Shahanga) are wobbling. Once we saw Shahanga grab his leg, I was kind of settling for second place.”

Shahanga was overcome by the heat, and after stopping briefly he started again, but at a shuffle pace. “The heat just got to me,” he said. “I tried very hard. I tried to move.”

Boileau didn’t have to settle for second. He overtook both Ortiz and Shahanga in the 26th mile. Ernest Tjela of Lesotho was third in 2:14:30 and Shahanga was fourth in 2:15:32.

Boileau and Ivanova each won $26,385 and an automobile. None of the various performance bonuses were claimed on a day that produced slow times.

Ivanova was asked if she would be allowed to keep her money and the car, since it is common in East Bloc nations that the federation takes a healthy cut of prize money.

“I hope I will be able to get the car,” Ivanova, 37, said through an interpreter. “It is a long way from here to the Soviet Union. And even farther to my republic, Kasakhstan.”

Boileau almost didn’t run here, as he hadn’t last year. His San Francisco-based agent disagreed before last year’s race with marathon president Bill Burke as to Boileau’s worth. There was some wrangling this year, but Burke said he wanted Boileau in the race.

Second-place finisher Ortiz said he felt unwanted, too. Despite his 10th-place finish here last year, Ortiz was not among the invited runners.

According to Ortiz’s manager, Luis Felipe Possa, Ortiz was not considered an elite athlete and did not receive either transportation or a hotel room. Possa said the Colombian community in Los Angeles pitched in to pay his air fare. He said Ortiz slept at the home of a friend.

“I hope they can ask me back, now,” Ortiz said.