Harvey Finds Her Way To Triumph in the 10K

Runners competing in Iraq head downhill fast. Capt. Ben Friedrick won the men's race; Cpl. Amy Lane took the women's event. (By Gunnery Sgt. Chad Mcmeen For The Washington Post)

Alisa Harvey won the women's 10-kilometer Marine Corps run yesterday after the race's leader mistakenly ran off the course during the last 600 meters.

Meredith Lambert led Harvey by "30 to 40 seconds" near the end of the race, Harvey said, but Lambert and about 10 men took a wrong turn up a ramp on the left side of Route 110 before the Marine Corps War Memorial.

Harvey started to follow but realized her mistake after 200 meters and returned to the course to finish in 38 minutes 34 seconds. Lambert, who Harvey estimated ran 400 meters before turning back to the course, finished second in 38:47.

Lambert "just kept running, following the crowd ahead, not really paying attention," Harvey said. "Then all of a sudden I realize I am not going the right way and turn back. I feel bad because that could have cost her the race."

Rick Nealis, Marine Corps Marathon race director, said that he was still gathering information about how the wrong turn occurred.

"I believe, at this point, [Harvey] is the winner and will remain the winner until I sort it out," Nealis said. In a road race "it's the responsibility of the runner to know the course."

Harvey, 41, of Manassas, said that cones were used to block the wrong ramp after the mishap.

A similar incident occurred in the men's wheelchair marathon, but Todd Philpott maintained his lead and won the race.

Philpott, who was operating a handcrank, was led off course by police motorcyclists who were escorting him.

"I think there must have been some confusion because they followed each other and I climbed up a tremendous hill," Philpott, 48, said. "After climbing a mile, he said, 'I'm very, very sorry. We're a couple of miles off course, so we'll have to go back.' "

Philpott, a native Australian who now lives in New York City, was also slowed when the chain on his handcrank came off its spokes. Still, he defended his championship by finishing in 1:37.32, more than a half hour ahead of the second-place finisher.

"Everything pretty much went bad for me, but I still won by a couple of miles," Philpott said. "I'm pretty pleased overall."

Overseas Champions

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Capt. Ben Friedrick won the Marine Corps Marathon Forward at al-Asad air base in Iraq with a time of 3:06.03. Cpl. Amy Lane was the first female finisher in 3:33.54. Friedrick is stationed in al-Asad and Lane is stationed in Fallujah. All 101 members of the military who finished the MCM Forward are considered finishers of the race here.

Christine Haas, of Newtown, Pa., was thrilled to finish the race here with a faster time than her brother, Marine Sgt. Chuck Trainer, did in Iraq. Haas crossed the finish line in 4:06.12, while Trainer finished in 4:56.37.

A Feel for Running

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Tina Ament finished the Marine Corps Marathon in 4:52.10 -- an impressive feat considering she couldn't see the course.

Ament, 44, of Alexandria, has been blind since birth and is only able to see light and shadow. She runs by holding onto a Dyna-Band with another runner close by holding the other end. She ran yesterday with Team in Training, a group that helps raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. . . .

Dean Karnazes, who was recently profiled in The Post for his quest to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days, finished in 3:37.27. He was slightly hindered by a skinned right leg he suffered in a recent fall in Atlanta.

Special correspondent Rachel Zavala contributed to this report.