"[Samuelson] didn't affect my race," Kristiansen said. "I was in better shape than her."

It was Kristiansen's 12th victory in 20 marathons and her second at Boston. She won her first Boston title in 1986.

Marguerite Buist of New Zealand finished second among the women in 2:29:04 and Kim Jones of Spokane, Wash.--the fifth-place finisher in last year's U.S. Olympic Trials--was third in 2:29:34.

While the women's race was no contest, the men's race was a tough, searing duel.

After the early pretenders were dismissed, it came down to a battle between the tireless, unflappable Mekonnen and the hard-working Ikangaa.

They were ahead of the field by the 18-mile point and ran together for about the next six-and-a-half miles, exchanging the lead occasionally, although Ikangaa was in front most of the time.

Mekonnen--winner of five of his six previous marathons since 1986--made the decisive break and raced away to victory, as Ikangaa, lacking a strong finishing kick, fell back.

A year ago, Ikangaa was outkicked by Hussein in the final five to 10 meters and lost by one second, the closest finish in Boston history.

"He is a good runner, but he has no good finish," Mekonnen said of Ikangaa.

"This a great victory, coming after the two in Rotterdam and Milan," he added. "It helped a lot during the race. It gave me a good impression. That's why I won today."

Mekonnen, whose previous victories came in the 1986 Montreal, Addis Ababa and Rotterdam marathons and the 1988 Beijing and Tokyo marathons, called the undulating Boston course difficult.

"Too many uphills and downhills," he said.

Hussein, another non-finisher in the Olympics, said he was happy with finishing in the top five because of his Olympic failure.