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For two hours, the women's portion of the was shaping up for a dynamic finish between two runners.

But Ilona Baranova decided not to cooperate, pulling away from Worknesh Tola to win Saturday's race in 2 hours, 38 minutes, 4 seconds. Tola, who was considered the favorite, crossed the finish line at the Gateway in 2:42.

"I felt good. First place is good," said the 34-year-old Ukrainian, who ran at a pace of 6:02 per mile.

Carol Cabanillas of Salt Lake City finished fourth at 2:57:50. The 25-year-old earned $3,000.

Mandy Hosford, a Salt Lake City resident, came in fifth at 3:10:36. Pleasant Grove's Tara Lewis (seventh), South Jordan's Danielle Winegar (ninth) and Jevonne McDonald of Provo (10th) also finished in the top 10.

It didn't take long for the top women to create separation from the field. Within minutes of the 6:39 a.m. start for the elite competitors, a group of four runners - which included Delillah Osiago of

Kenya and a 43-year-old man, Eric Albrecht of Sunnyvale, Calif. - stayed within close distance of one another.

They ran in a pack until the 13-mile mark, at which time Osiago and Albrecht fell behind. For the next seven miles, Baranova and Tola, who is from Ethiopia, battled it out.

As the race approached Granite High, no more than two paces divided the two runners. Baranova never flinched, gradually opening a lead that proved unbeatable.

At 2700 South and 500 East, west of Nibley Park golf course, she led by no more than 200 yards. Five minutes later, Baranova glanced over shoulder to locate the competition.

The good news was her two-hour shadow had faded badly. From Liberty Park on, the race no longer was in doubt.

"It was hot," said Baranova. "I had to drink a lot of water."

For her efforts, Baranova won $12,000. The prize for second place was $8,000.

After the race, Tola spent several minutes in the medical tent getting a massage. The warm morning and hilly parts of the course affected the 25-year-old.

"It's OK," she said.

Osiago, who earned $5,000, won the Dubai Marathon earlier this year. She dropped off Saturday after becoming sick.

Unbeknownst to them, the top three women were setting the pace for Albrecht. He met his goal of finishing first in the over age 40 men's division.

Staying with the women allowed him to get off to one of his best starts.

"Those women are strong," he said. "They ran a little bit slower because, I think, they were worried about the heat and the hills. They're not going for time, they're going for the win."

The warm conditions forced Albrecht to drink two full water bottles, which is substantially more than he usually consumes. He slowed briefly for water at the seventh and 14th miles.

The two leading women also took advantage of several water opportunities along the course.

By winning the Master's time at 2:43:29, Albrecht made $500 and expected to cover expenses. He fell behind the top three women 15.5 miles into the race but managed to overtake Osiago by two minutes.