American Wins Philly Marathon

For the first time since 2000, an American-born male won the Philadelphia Marathon Sunday. John Crews, 25, finished the 26.2-mile Philly Marathon route in 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 15 seconds, reports NowPublic.com.

This is the second major marathon victory by an American runner this month. On Nov. 1, Meb Keflezighi won the New York Marathon.

Jutta Merilainen was the first woman to finish the 2009 Philly marathon with a time of 2:46.44. Pennsylvania native Doreen McCoubrie finished second with a time of 2:49.09.

Runners enjoyed beautiful weather and cool temperatures in the 40s and low 50s for the marathon that kicked off at 7 a.m. About 20,000 runners participated. An additional 8,000 runners were registered for the half-marathon and more than 2,000 ran the 8K.

Runners started off at 21st Street and the Ben Franklin Parkway and made their way down to Old City. Crowds were out in full force to cheer on the runners.

The event serves as a qualifying race for entry into the Boston Marathon for participants whose times meet age group bracketed standards.

Check out the latest Philadelphia Marathon 2009 Photos on Flickr here.

Photo courtesy of Tony the Misfit via Flickr.