John Mutai of Kenya could be forgiven if he expresses a desire never again to see the wall that straddles the Phoenix Park along the Conyngham Road, as he saw victory in the 98FM-sponsored Dublin Marathon snatched from his grasp yesterday for the second successive year.

But while the sympathy of onlookers rested with Mutai, the honours went to his fellow countryman Joshua Kipkemboi, who improved on his third placing of last year to finish in a personal best time of two hours 15 minutes 56 seconds, some 59 seconds ahead of the luckless Mutai.

Kathryn Davis That the eventual finish time should have been as fast as that was remarkable on a cool day with the wind not welcomed by those athletes more used to racing and training in warmer climes, but it also owed much to the courage of Steve Kartalia from Baltimore, USA.

Kartalia was just hoping to improve on his best of two hours 18 minutes from a few years ago. "But I just found myself out in front as the pace was so slow and I just decided to keep going," he remarked after finishing in ninth place in two hours 21 minutes 14 seconds. With no one prepared to move the pace along and that following an opening mile of a more than sedate five minutes 45 seconds, a very slow time indeed looked on the cards. But that was before Kartalia decided to take significant action. By the threemile mark he had a 20-yard lead that was growing by the step, with the six Kenyans in the field, rather surprisingly, content to sit back in the group of 20 athletes that also included Tommy Maher and Pauric McKinney, the main Irish hopefuls

The incline up Foster Avenue saw Kartalia bounce along easily as he continued to put daylight between himself and his pursuers with the gap opening to as much as 45 seconds approaching 10 miles.

As the athletes travelled back into the city through St Stephen's Green, Mutai and Kipkemboi decided to take a more active interest in proceedings and set about cutting down the gap to manageable proportions. The effort of the two Kenyans had the desired effect on the chasing group and it rapidly disintegrated, with Tommy Maher fading back to 11th place, but while he later recovered he was never in a position to mount a serious challenge. Up front, Mutai - wearing a distinctive pair of red gloves - led the charge to catch Kartalia with Kipkemboi just a stride behind and looking decidedly uncomfortable.

The relentless drive by Mutai saw himself and Kipkemboi overhaul Kartalia at Leonard's Corner and the destiny of the race looked headed for the Rift Valley once again - barring a major collapse - with most observers putting their money on the smooth striding Mutai.

Around the leafy southside suburban estates of Terenure and Templeogue, Mutai continued to lead, tracked relentlessly by Kipkemboi as the challenge of Kartalia dissipated. Further back, Wilson Cheruiyot, one of the favourites for the race in his first marathon, appeared to be gathering himself for an assault on the lead but it turned out to be a false alarm. Approaching the 18-mile mark Mutai dispensed with the gloves before he gained a vital few yards on this compatriot and headed out for home. As the tape loomed ever closer, so the gap to his pursuers grew and Mutai threw in several miles below the five-minute mark, the fastest of the race just to indicate the seriousness of his intentions.

But on the canal, at the mythical wall of the 20-mile mark, suddenly serious questions marks about Mutai's ability to last the distance began to appear. Whereas before his arms were swinging easily and loosely, now they were being thrown about in a frantic manner. And whereas when he had Kipkemboi for company he was running on the centre of the road, now he was hugging the kerb, a sure sign of an athlete in distress - and so it proved dramatically.

Down towards the Liffey and along the Conyngham Road with the gap all of 100 metres but dramatically approaching the 24-mile mark, the drive suddenly left Mutai's legs and he staggered momentarily before gathering himself. But the damage was done and shortly after a incline so slight as to be almost unnoticed, Kipkemboi surged in front without a thought or sideward glance at the hapless Mutai.

"I thought that Mutai was too far ahead of me. I was aiming for second but then he came back. When I passed him I knew that he was tired," a delighted Kipkemboi said shortly after crossing the finish line.

Wilson Cheruiyot took third place ahead of Joseph Cheruiyot, no relation, with the English pair, Malcolm Price and Ray Plant finishing fifth and sixth. Maher recovered from his early problems to get up to fourth at the 25-mile mark but an attack of cramp saw him hobble home in eighth position.

If the men's race was in doubt up to the final miles there was never going to be any other winner than Carol Galea of Malta in the women's race.

The 35-five-year old, who holds the Maltese records from all distances from 800 metres to marathon, was a class apart and led through the 10 miles in 59 minutes 45 seconds before finishing in two hours 39 minutes 33 seconds. Leslie Turner of England took second with Sweden's Ingela Gahne delighted with her time of 2:52:38 for third. Olive Nolan was the first placed Irish athlete in fifth place.

In the wheelchair section, Patrice Dockery reduced her own recently set Irish record when recording 2:14:19 for third place overall behing Dean Kavanagh of Cheshire.

Men: 1, J Kipkemboi (Kenya) 2.15.56; 2, J Mutai (Kenya) 2.16.55; 3, W Cheruiyot (Kenya) 2.18.07; 4, J Cheruiyot (Kenya) 2.20.14; 5, M Price (England) 2.20.14; 6, R Plant (England) 2.20.23; 7, J Kaino (Kenya) 2.20.26; 8 T Maher (Dunshaughlin) 2.20.38; 9, S Kartalia (USA) 2.21.14; 10, U Olsson (Sweden) 2.23.00.

Women: 1, C Galea (Malta) 2.39.33; 2, L Turner (England) 2.46.34; 3, I Gahne (Sweden) 2.53.38; 4, H Grimshaw (England) 2.54.23; 5, O Nolan (Dublin) 2.55.00; 6, A Mellowdew (England) 2.55.21. 7, A Kearney (Clonliffe) 2.57.25; 8, M Robe (USA) 3.01.38; 9, J M Thomen (Kerry) 3.05.12; 10, B Bellows (USA) 3.07.01