Photo: Liliya "Camel Toe" ShobukhovaChicago, IL - Liliya Shobukhova hit the trifecta.
She became the first runner to win a third straight Chicago Marathon title.
She lowered her personal best, which was the national record.
And she got both legs up on a place in Russia’s Olympic team at the 2012 Olympics.
Running alone for nearly the entire second half of the race, the 33-year-old from Beloretsk in the Ural Mountains became the second fastest woman in history with a time of 2 hours, 18 minutes, 20 seconds.
Shobukhova’s time was slower only than three by Paula Radcliffe, including a 2:17:18 at Chicago in 2002. Radcliffe’s best is 2:15:25 at London in 2003.
Russian officials will pick its two fastest women from Sept. 1, 2011 to Jan. 1, 2012 as Olympic team members, reserving a third spot. It is unlikely anyone can top Shobukhova, whose previous best was 2:20:15.
“To be in the history of the Chicago Marathon is something special,” she said
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