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)
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2 responses so far ↓
1 Peruanista // Oct 14, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Baltimore is only 1 hour away from DC. I wish I knew Maria Portilla was going to run there, to come and meet her in person. I admire her very much. Felicidades!
2 Barb // Oct 15, 2008 at 9:41 am
Too bad, Peruanista, that you missed the opportunity to meet Portilla. I confess that I didn’t know anything about her running in the marathon until after the fact, when my blog kept getting hits from people doing Google searches for “Maria Portilla” and “Peruvian woman runner.”
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