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Great news for fans of María Portilla, the Andean-born marathon runner who represented Peru in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games.

Maria Portilla (center) runs in the Baltimore Marathon / photo by Kristine Buls/Examiner

Portilla won the Baltimore Women's Marathon this past Saturday, October 11, with a time just shy of the Peruvian national record. The Baltimore Examiner reports:

Maria Portilla of Peru won the women’s marathon in 2:36:32 — just short of the Peruvian world record of 3:35:19, which she set at the Beijing Olympics this summer. “After the half-mile point, I started to push hard,” Portilla said, adding she began to pull away around the 20-mile mark. Portilla, 35, finished second in the 2006 Baltimore Marathon (2:36:23) and fifth last year (2:39:55). “I was waiting a long time,” Portilla, who also earned $18,000, said with a laugh. “I’m so happy.” Caroline Chepkorir placed second in 2:41:48. The event drew a record 17,500-plus competitors who competed in the marathon, half-marathon, 5K and team relay marathon.

I'm so pleased that Portilla achieved this victory. And the money is a sweet bonus -- especially for an athlete who rose from circumstances so underprivileged, she ran her first races barefoot because she couldn't afford running shoes. (Click here for a roundup of Peru's Olympians, including several paragraphs on Portilla.) Congratulations, Maria! Related story: Maria Portilla: "I Am Thrilled to Have Given My All in Beijing" (An American in Lima, Aug. 19, 2008)