Beijing Olympic Games

Updated: 2008-03-03 From: Xinhuanet

LOS ANGELES, March 2 (Xinhua) — Laban Moiben of Kenya won the men’s division of the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday with an unofficial time of 2:13:50, while Tatiana Aryasova, a Russian running her first marathon since giving birth to a child, won the women’s title.

More than 25,000 runners took part in the 23rd annual Los Angeles Marathon. Some hoped to take away a 120,000 dollars grand prize; others hoped just to finish.

Wheelchair racers, bike riders, walkers, joggers and more serious runners enjoyed more than 26 miles of streets closed to traffic.

Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge hailed the marathon as the “legacy” of the 1984 Olympic Games and said it was groundbreaking that this year’s route went through East Los Angeles and deep into Boyle Heights.

“Now Los Angeles has become the world, and all its diversity is participating in the marathon,” LaBonge said. “It’s a great civic event, not just an athletic event.”