Two African runners won the 2010 New York City Marathon Sunday, marathon officials announced.
Runners Edna Kiplagat of Kenya and Gebre Gebremarian of Ethiopia were the first female and male finishers to cover the 26.2-mile course that cuts through New York City's five boroughs.
Having just won first prize in the 2010 Los Angeles marathon, Kiplagat was the first woman to finish the race with a time of 2 hours, 28 minutes and 20 seconds.
Gebremarian, the fastest man in the race, crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 8 minutes and 14 second.
Much of the celebrity limelight in the usually star-studded race was focused on a man whose fame derived from his sprints inside the gloomy pit of a Chilean mine.
Edison Pena, otherwise known as "the runner" by fellow miners who spent 69 days trapped with him in a gold and copper mine, set out to cover the course along with thousands of other runners.
With appearances on David Letterman, where he showed his devotion for Elvis Presley amid rioting applause, Pena attracted attention from nearly every press outlet and every street fan.
Despite his limited command of the English language, he showed he knew most of the words to Elvis classics.
A triathlete, Pena was invited by the NYC Marathon after stories spread about his daily runs in the mine to keep himself fit.
"When I ran, I thought I was going to beat destiny," he said. "I told the mine, 'I'm goint to outrun you. I'm going to run till you're tired and bored of me.'"
The 12th miner to be rescued, he also became known for singing Elvis songs during his confinement.
Star-gazing part of the experience of watching some 45,000 runners in the marathon. Actress Katie Holmes, rapper entrepreneur P-Diddy, rocker Alanis Morissette, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and TV chef Bobby Flay have all competed in the marathon.
The NYC Marathon is one of the most popular marathons in the world, drawing more than 100,000 applicants annually.
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