TCM History: 2006 Champions and Their Races

Here's the fourth installment in our series, produced with partner the Competitive Image, remembering recent Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon champions and the races they won.

Below, the 2006 Twin Cities Marathon champions:

'06 men's champ Mbarak Hussein: The 41-year-old Hussein became only the third man to win back-to-back TCM titles when he defended his TCM, USA Open, and USA Masters titles in 2006 in 2:13:52. In a race that Team USA Minnesota's Jason Lehmkuhle led in the early-going, Hussein waited until the 11th mile to join the lead pack and only pulled away from runner-up Simon Sawe -- his Sunday long-run partner in New Mexico -- after the 25-mile mark.

'06 women's champ Marla Runyan: Two-time U.S. Olympian Marla Runyan -- who got her start in the sport as a legally-blind para-Olympic heptathlete --won the 2006 TCM leading from wire-to-wire. Runyan passed 10K in 34:54 and the half-way mark in 1:14:19 en route to her 2:32:15 win. The victory came just 13 months after the Sydney Olympic 1500 meter finalist had given birth to her daughter Anna Lee.

Find full results of the 2006 race HERE.

My Running USA Wire story from the race is HERE.

Photos by Paul Phillips, Competitive Image.