Roxborough Man Nearly Wins Philadelphia Marathon

A Roxborough man nearly won it all in the Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday morning, maintaining a lead through 20 miles and falling into second place only in the final stage of the race.

On a blustery late fall morning, Abraham Kiprop Rutto, 32, came flying through Main Street Manayunk and the 30 kilometer mark at 1:38:10.

Eventual winner Teklu Deneke, 32, of Flagstaff, was right on his heels, however. Deneke would pull away along the leaf strewn and windy banks of West River Drive to win in 2:17:43.

Rutto held on to second place, crossing the tape in front of the Art Museum in 2:17:59. That’s a cool 5:15 per mile.

Over 9,000 runners finished the marathon on Sunday.