Cherono of Kenya wins Los Angeles Marathon

LOS ANGELES, Mar 19 (Reuters) Kenya's Benson Cherono won the 21st annual Los Angeles Marathon today, crossing the finish line in just over 2 hours and 8 seconds.

Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia was the women's winner in the 41.9-km race with a time of 2 hours, 25 minutes, 10 seconds -- a new course record.

About 25,000 runners participated in the marathon, with an estimated 2 million people cheering them on. Each winner received 35,000 dollars.

Grigoryeva edged out Cherono by about 30 seconds in separate marathon event dubbed the 100,000 dollars ''Banco Popular Challenge.'' Elite women in this gender competition got a 16-minute, 46-second head start, and the first runner to cross the finish line, male or female, was the winner.

Last year's female marathon winner, Russian Lyubov Denisova, finished third. Last year's men's winner, Mark Saina of Kenya, failed to finish in the top 12.

REUTERS VJ RAI0220