by John Welch

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"If you build it, they will come" No, this isn't about baseball, but folks at the 2001 San Antonio Marathon of the Americas on Nov. 11 found out that if you offer more prize money, runners will come out and make it a challenging affair.

An increase in prize money from $1,000 to $1,500 for first place in the mens and womens divisions caused Russians Sergey Karasev (pictured, #12) and Albina Gallyamova of Austin to put their best feet forward. For Karasev, two previous fourth place finishes was enough to cause him to pick up the gauntlet against area runners.

Following some pecking order changes through six miles, Karasev and Agustin Hernandez (pictured, #14) of Dallas decided to make it a race for two. Hernandez, who was actually acting as rabbit for younger brother Alfredo, seized the opportunity to attempt an overall win. And it worked through 19 miles, too. But the Russian proved to be more than a worthy adversary, and Hernandez had to settle for second place in 2:33:31, with the Russian getting the gold in 2:28:10.

Gallyamova, who said before the race that she would win regardless of anyone else's pace, found a worthy detractor in Liza Hunter- Galvan of San Antonio. Hunter-Galvan, who was a distance standout for UTSA, quickly sped to the front of the women's pack with Gallyamova in tow.

But running too fast too soon took the steam out of Hunter- Galvan, and she was forced to settle for second place in 2:56:33. Gallyamova cruised to the line unscathed in 2:50:17.

"I didn't think about anything else but winning (today), and I thought the weather was great," said Gallyamova, who was a coach in Russia before becoming a full-time runner in the U.S. "I was pleased with my win."

Mike Franko (15:15) and Katherine Newberry (16:59) were the respective mens and womens winners of the Mayor's 5K Fitness Challenge, which drew over 400 competitors.