For 23 miles, Ambesse Tolossa stayed closer to rival Jimmy Muindi than Muindi's own shadow, just waiting for the five-time Honolulu Marathon champion to stage one of his legendary breakaways.

It never came.

In the pivotal moment of a strange but stirring contest, Muindi succumbed to a stomach ailment, vomiting several times as he attempted to free himself of Tolossa's relentless crowding.

That left Tolossa, who employed a similar tactic of staying close to Muindi then sprinting to the finish en route to his first Honolulu Marathon title last year, all alone for the final three miles.

Alone to soak in the raucous applause of back-of-the-pack runners still heading toward the half-way point.

Alone to receive the continued blessings of heavy clouds that soaked the course, reduced the finishers area at Kapi'olani Park into a muddy bog, and wreaked havoc on the race's timing technology.

And alone to ponder the legacy he hopes to carve for himself as one of a lineage of distinguished runners embraced by a race that helped usher African runners into the marathon spotlight.

Tolossa, 30, of Ethiopia, finished in a relatively pedestrian time of 2 hours, 17 minutes and 26 seconds, nearly 3 1/2 minutes over his winning time last year.

Muindi, who was unable to keep down fluids for the last 12 miles, held on to finish second at 2:18:53, followed by fellow Kenyans Eric Mzioki (2:21:32) and Boniface Mbuvi Muema (2:22:59).

"I'm very happy," Tolossa said through an interpreter. "From now on Hawai'i is my home."

Honolulu Marathon Association president Jim Barahal attributed the relatively slow finishing times to tactical moves on the part of the runners. And no one ran a better tactical race that Tolossa, who Barahal hopes will establish himself as the next great Honolulu Marathon champion.

"Ambesse is obviously a great runner," Barahal said. "In Honolulu, it's important to have repeat champions. We pride ourselves on treating them well and having them come back year after year. It develops a great tradition and it gives the community a runner they can identify with. I'd love to see him win six or seven times."

The temperature at the start was 72 degrees with 89 percent humidity. Minutes before the starting gun, the field was drenched by a heavy shower. The rain continued intermittently throughout the day.

Tolossa and five Kenyans — Muindi, Muema, Mzioki, Lawrence Kiptoo Saina and Joseph Mutiso — broke away almost immediately.

Mzioki dropped back after the second mile and Mutiso after mile four, but the rest of the pack stayed close and maintained a near-record pace of sub-five-minute miles through the first five miles, despite the runners having to dodge large puddles along the way.

"I expected that even though we started faster, it would be hard to keep up (that pace)," Tolossa said.

The pace slowed as the leaders climbed Diamond Head Road and made their way toward Kalaniana'ole Highway.

Conditions on the highway were almost ideal — cool, clear and windless — but the pace remained relatively conservative.

With Muema serving as a pace-setter, the Kenyans kept Tolossa boxed in much of the way. Tolossa, in keeping with his game plan, stayed close on Muindi's heels.

In last year's race, Muindi elbowed Tolossa in retaliation for Tolossa repeatedly making contact with him throughout the race. Yesterday, Tolossa stayed as close as possible without making contact.

By Mile 15, Saina had dropped back and Tolossa drafted behind Muindi and Muema.

Tolossa and Muindi represented a contrast in racing styles. Ethiopian runners, known for their strong sprinting ability, typically let their competition do the work of leading the pack for most of the race, then attempt to outsprint them at the end.

Like many other Kenyan runners, Muindi likes to stay at or near the front of the pack, then try to break his opponents with an aggressive surge before the final 10 kilometers.

Race observers and his own competitors expected Muindi to make a move to distance himself somewhere between the 18-and 21-mile marks, a strategy that had proved successful five times before.

"I expected it because he did it last year," Tolossa said. "I knew that after 30 or 35 kilometers he'd start to go faster."

But, unbeknownst to his fellow competitors, Muindi was battling a stomach ailment that made it impossible to launch one of those feared breakaways.

"I was very much struggling," Muindi said. "My stomach was terrible, terrible, terrible. I don't know if it was something I ate. Anytime I tried to make a move to get a better time or make a break, I started to vomit. If I slowed down, it was OK."

In fact, Muindi said his stomach was so volatile that he stopped drinking water after the 14-mile mark.

"I wasn't drinking," he said. "I was just pouring it on myself."

Tolossa had his own problems. At around the 20-mile mark, his right quadriceps began to cramp. He also formed large blisters on both feet from his soaked shoes.

Muema fell back just before Mile 21, leaving Muindi and Tolossa to battle alone through the final five miles. At times, it seemed as if Tolossa was unwilling to let Muindi run behind him, even as Muindi's pace slowed.

Then, just after Mile 23, as the two runners made the long, difficult climb up Kahala Avenue, Muindi vomited four times in quick, agonizing succession. Although Muindi continued running, Tolossa seized his opportunity and opened a 20-second lead before the next mile marker.

At that point, the race was effectively over.

"He's a very challenging athlete and a very good athlete," Tolossa said of Muindi. "I'm very happy to win against him again."

With the win, Tolossa pockets the first-place prize of $40,000. Muindi earned $16,000.

Like rival prize fighters, the two runners are already making plans for a rematch next year.

"I'm very happy to be a winner again this year and I'm going to work hard and try to come every year.

Said Muindi: "I will be back next year, God willing."

The win helps to redeem a difficult and disappointing year for Tolossa, whose best finish in 2007 was a third place at the lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon in Japan.

Muindi also had a rough year. He was forced to pull out of both the Rotterdam and Chicago Marathons because of extreme weather conditions.

"This year was terrible for me," he said.

Muindi said yesterday's loss was particularly disappointing.

"This time around, my shape was far better than other years," Muindi said. "My plan was to win my sixth title and improve on my record. But my stomach just wouldn't allow me."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.