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Eastern Michigan University Athletics

Jordan Desilets
EMU Athletics/Randy Mascharka

Former EMU Track Star Wins Detroit Free Press Marathon

Story Courtesy of The Detroit Free Press/George Sipple

Story Courtesy of The Detroit Free Press/George Sipple

Two former Eastern Michigan track stars were out in front of the field with less than 4 miles to go in the Detroit Free Press Marathon today. One wanted to stop and the other did.

Jordan Desilets, who won the NCAA Division I 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2004, ran an unofficial time of 2:28:30 to win in his first attempt ever at running a marathon.

Desilets, 29, of Pinckney was running his first marathon and won in the slowest time ever for a men's winner in the event's history. “About 23 miles I wanted to stop I was really tired,” Desilets said. “This is just awesome.”

Boaz Cheboiywo, the NCAA I 10,000-meters outdoor champion in 2002, signed up two days before the race hoping to take a shot at the course record, after he fell 12 miles into the Chicago Marathon and did not finish.

Cheboiywo, 32, of Ypsilanti began cramping up 10 miles into the Free Press Marathon. He had hoped to reach the halfway mark in 66 minutes, but was two minutes behind that pace. Cheboiywo had such a big deal that he stopped at Mile 16 and got into a pace vehicle with the intention of quitting. The car was stopped for a couple minutes with no sign of any other marathon runners behind.

Desilets passed Cheboiywo for the lead after Mile 22.

"When he came by me I was already walking," Cheboiywo said. "I wanted to stop completely. "I gave myself three or four chances to come back. My legs were not ready."Cheboiywo eventually stopped at an aid station and did not finish.

For an accomplished runner like Cheboiywo, there was no point in walking to the finish. "I didn't just want to run 2:20," he said. "I wanted to run a good time."

Desilets said he expected Cheboiywo to win and was just hoping for a top 10 finish while training to run a 6 minute per mile pace.

How does this compare to the steeplechase he ran in college?

“Actually there are some similarities to it,” he said. “You gotta go out slow. It feels easy in the beginning and if you're not smart about it you're going to blow up at the end."

Jason Lakritz, 23, of New Windsor, N.Y. was second with an unofficial time of 2:36.26. Brian Goodwin of Dearborn Heights was third (2:36:02), followed by Donald McLaughlin, 34, of Rochester Hills (2:38:09).

Eric Green, 42, of Pontiac was fifth with an unofficial time of 2:38:55. Green helped pace Desilets for the first 16 miles before eventually telling him he was strong enough to go faster. Green and Desilets hooked up as Facebook buddies before the race.

“He got online and said he was going to do run his first one and he didn't know how to run it,” Green said of Desilets. “I said, well I'm going at a 6-minute pace, I'll be glad to pace you through it.”
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