It was windy, cold at times and more of a downhill run than he's used to, but it didn't stop Jonathan Ndambuki from setting a new course record for the 2004 Deseret Morning News/KJZZ-TV marathon.

Part of the reason for the new record stems from the fact the course was changed and some of the uphill grind was eliminated at the start. And part was a result of a good run by the Kenyan.

Ndambuki won the 26.2-mile race for the second year in a row. His time was two hours, 16 minutes, 7.8 seconds. His winning time for last year's race was 2:24:49.

The previous course record, set by Demetrio Cabanillas back in 1982, was 2:16:57.

Based in Farmington, N.M., the 27-year-old Ndambuki was part of a strong contingent of Kenyan distance runners entered this year.

Countrymen Mike Korir, now living in Dublin, Ohio, was second and Paul Bor was third. Korir's time was 2:16:57.6. Bor's was 2:22:20.3.

Corbin Talley of Farmington came in fourth. His time was 2:23:19.4. Alexander Pachev of Provo was fifth and Kevin Herd of South Jordan was sixth.

The time for Ndambuki was not his best. A fact sheet shows his personal best at 2:10.58. And, had it not been so windy, he may well have been able to lower his overall best time.

High winds, many times gusting into the faces of oncoming runners, made it difficult at times to run.

Ndambuki said aside from the wind he had no troubles on the course. "But it was windy and it bothered me a lot," he said at the finish.

Korir said it was so windy, "We couldn't run so fast. It slowed me down. No, I've never run in a wind like this one."

All three men said they liked the layout of the new course, and listed this race as one of their favorites because of the scenery and the applause of the people along the parade route.

The three ran together for a while, then at Mile 21, Korir broke away. At that point he felt his legs begin to tire. At Mile 23, Ndambuki caught and passed his friend and running mate.

"I could not keep up. I fell behind," Korir said.

Ndambuki said he was feeling some pains in his side toward the end of the race, but they weren't troublesome enough to slow him down.

Prior to winning the event last year, he'd raced in the Deseret Morning News' 10K twice. He was sixth in 1998 and fifth the following year.

Bob Wood, race director, and his staff modified the course this year. It started at the top of Big Mountain, wandered down through Emigration Canyon, then finished at Liberty Park. Runners spent part of the race on the route of the Days of '47 Parade.

The Deseret Morning News Marathon is one of the more difficult distance races because of the altitude and the downhill grind racers face. This event has a 3,200-foot vertical drop from start to finish.

First place in the men's race paid $1,847.

Men's marathon

1. Jonathan Ndambuki, 2:16:07

2. Mike Korir, 2:16:57

3. Paul Bor, 2:22:20

4. Corbin Talley, 2:23:19

5. Alexander Pachev, 2:25:30

6. Peter Vail, 2:32:22

7. Kevin Herd, 2:35:55

8. Robert Wolfe, 2:42:17

9. Bill Cobler, 2:42:49

10. Aj Migonis, 2:43:32

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E-mail: grass@desnews.com