Marathon runners hit streets of Philly

The Philadelphia Marathon ended at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art yesterday. This was especially fitting since the steps, which became famous in the movie Rocky, have come to symbolize the heart and grit of the blue-collar city. A similar emotion carried the runners, estimated at 3,500, through the 26.2-mile course which started at the museum and continued through City Hall, Independence Mall, South Street, the University, Boat House Row and back again to the museum's famous steps. Engineering senior John Blouin, who is a member of Penn's cross country team, participated in the marathon -- his first ever. Blouin said his goal was to finish with a time of less than three hours, 10 minutes, which would have qualified the Massachusetts native for the Boston Marathon. Blouin accomplished his goal easily -- his time was 2:48 -- but he conceded that the end was tough, both physically and mentally. After 23 miles, he dropped from a 6.3 to a seven-minute-per-mile pace. "At no time did I think I wouldn't finish," Blouin said. "But it was a struggle to lift my legs the last couple of miles. It was a battle to finish." Blouin said the cheering crowd along the last quarter mile lifted him at the end of the race. This spirit seemed to carry many runners down the final stretch as the pain of the effort turned into a feeling of euphoria. "The last quarter mile, I was able to forget about everything else and bring it in sort of hard," Blouin said. "Basically it was a relief and almost surprise that the end of this long ordeal was at hand." Rob Ryan, a resident of New York City, finished fifth overall in the men's race with a time of 2:29, and likewise ran in order to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Ryan conceded that the talent in this race was nothing like he saw in Kenya during his time in the Peace Corps in 1991. Kenya is famous for producing world-class marathon runners. "Those guys were fast," Ryan said. "I went training in the morning and high school kids would run past me like I was standing still." Although the top runners in the race were not as fast as those in the New York or Boston marathons, fast times were recorded yesterday, assisted by a flat course and cool weather. The winner for the men was Mark Andrew of Chapel Hill, N.C., who ran the course in 2:20:15. For the women, Jeanne Peterson took the prize with a time of 2:39:44. Peterson, who is from Massapequa, N.Y., beat her closest competitor -- her twin sister, Karen -- by nearly six minutes. But not everyone had such a positive experience in the race. Matthew Sullivan, making the trip from his home in Delaware, said this marathon would be his last. "I'm saying that because I'm hurting now," Sullivan said. "Of course, I say that after each marathon. I'll see if I hold to it. It's nice to finish, but I'm not going to be walking the same for the next week."

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