Train delays marathon leaders

In the final stages of the Des Moines marathon, Kenyan Simon Sawe was stopped in his tracks.

In the final stages of the Des Moines marathon, Kenyan Simon Sawe was stopped in his tracks.

It happened just after the 24 mile-mark of the 26.2 mile race, Sunday in Iowa.

Sawe was leading, when he noticed a train was crossing on the course. He thought briefly about trying to beat the train across the tracks, but made the safe call to wait it out.

Unfortunately, as Sawe grinded to a halt, and stood waiting, his 10 second lead over David Tuwei evaporated. In fact, even the third-place runner, Geoffrey Birgen had nearly caught the two leaders by the time the train finally cleared the tracks about 40-50 seconds later.

Sawe ended up winning the race in a sprint over the final 400m, in a time of 2:24:50, but the train crossing may have cost him the course record.

The Iowa Interstate Railroad has taken responsibilty for the mishap, after admitting they mistakenly had scheduled a train during the race.

Trains impact races more than you might think, according to Creigh Kelly, Des Moines race announcer.

Marathons in Portland, Ore., and Akron, Ohio, have been interrupted by trains, he said. The Midnight Madness race in Ames, Iowa, also has been stopped by a train.

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