Patrick Ivuti took one look at the skies and knew what his race plan would be:

Push.

Under very wet but relatively windless conditions yesterday, Ivuti and designated pacesetter Samuel Mwangi-Gichohi led a pack of elite runners at a record-pace through the first half of the race. Ivuti, 30, pulled away for good at Mile 17, battling rain and fatigue alone for the last nine miles to finish in 2 hours, 14 minutes, 35 seconds.

"I was thinking it might be warm and sunny," Ivuti said. "But the conditions were there and I just did what I was able to do."

Of the 23,230 entrants in the Honolulu Marathon, 20,302 started the race, and 20,058 made it to the finish line.

The last official finisher was Fujio Kaneko of Japan, who completed the 26.2-mile course in 15:04:11.

Ivuti's victory capped a huge day for Kenyan runners, who captured the top five spots in yesterday's race.

Stephen Njoroge-Kinyanjui finished second in 2:17:41, followed by Pius Muasa-Mutuku (2:17:51), Joseph Mutiso-Wambua (2:19:38) and defending champion and course record holder Jimmy Muindi (2:21:43).

Kenyan runners have now won 18 Honolulu Marathons since Ibrahim Hussein made his first appearance in 1985.

Pending results of a mandatory drug test, Ivuti will earn $40,000 for the win and an additional $2,000 for finishing under 2:15:00.

The Kenyan contingent got a boost from special guest Maya Soetoro-Ng, sister of President-elect Barack Obama — Obama's father was born in Kogelo, Kenya — then set out into the dark morning to re-stake their claim as the most dominant nation in Honolulu Marathon history.

Ivuti already had it in his mind that he might have to start fast to try and drop his competition before the grueling, 2.5-mile climb up Diamond Head Road near the end of the race. His resolve grew all the firmer when the first drops of rain began to fall less than five minutes into the race.

"When the rain was coming down, that's when I was trying to push," he said. "It was not easy. Sometimes I tried to take water but I felt like vomiting.

"I've never run in such conditions as this," he said. "Most of the time, I do not push, but today's demanded that I push."

Led by Mwangi-Gichohi, a lead pack that ran nine-deep recorded splits of 5:09, 5:03, 5:08, 5:00 and 4:59 through the first five miles.

Australian runner Andrew Letherby, who would finish just out of the money in sixth, fell back and the pack accelerated at a 4:46 pace through the next mile, much to the delight of a surprisingly large and vocal Waikiki crowd, eventually hitting the 10K mark in 31:09.

Ethiopian Hailu Negussie, winner of the 2005 Boston Marathon, dropped back in the seventh mile; by Mile 9, after a quick and punishing climb up Diamond Head Road, the pack was down to Ivuti, Mwangi-Gichohi, Njoroge-Kinyanjui, Muasa-Mutuku, Mutiso-Wambua, Laban Moiben, and Muindi, Ivuti's brother-in-law, who kept his distance to the far left.

Pelted by rain as they made the turn off of Kilauea Avenue onto Kalaniana'ole Highway, the lead runners posted inconsistent splits ranging from 5:01 to 5:10. Moiben eventually fell back after Mile 12.

The pack reached the half-marathon point in 1:06:06, about average for the race, but impressive yesterday given the difficult conditions, which included several long, deep puddles in Waikiki and along Kalaniana'ole.

That's when Ivuti and his pacesetter made their move, breaking from the pack with a steady, gradual surge that delivered them from Mile 13 to Mile 14 in 4:55.

Njoroge-Kinyanjui gave chase, remaining about 30 yards back, while the others fell behind.

Ivuti and Mwangi-Gichohi increased their sizable lead over the next two miles, before Mwangi-Gichohi finally began to tire.

"I was trying to push, push, push, but after 25 kilometers the pacemaker was not able to push," Ivuti said. "I was trying to tell him just try to reach 30K but he was not able. I tried to get him to push me at that pace until 30K, but it was difficult for him."

After posting a 4:57 time between Mile 15 and Mile 16, Mwangi-Gichohi fell away, leaving Ivuti roughly a quarter-mile ahead of Njoroge-Kinyanjui.

Ivuti maintained a 5:01 to 5:04 pace for the next three miles, but by the time he exited the highway at Mile 22, he had slowed considerably.

"I think the race was not bad, but the first half-marathon was not easy," Ivuti said. "I tried to push because I wanted to recover the time at the end, because I knew the end would not be easy."

And indeed it wasn't. As Ivuti struggled up the long, difficult road to the Diamond Head lookouts, his fight-or-flight posture began to loosen and his smooth, effortless gait showed noticeable signs of strain.

Still, with no competitor within reasonable distance to challenge him, Ivuti remained in firm control of the race.

Just past the lookout, Ivuti allowed himself a rare glimpse in the rearview.

"Most of the time I don't look behind, but at 40K I looked back and I didn't see anybody," he said. "I was saying 'Let me try and see to the last inch' because anything can happen."

Ivuti ran close to the cone border between him and congested stream of back-of-the-pack runners still heading toward the highway as he descended Diamond Head Road and veered into Kapi'olani Park to the raucous applause of thousands of onlookers.

With yesterday's victory, Ivuti now has two major marathon championships to his name. He won the tightly contested 2007 Chicago Marathon but was unable to defend his title this year due to injury. That cancellation ultimately allowed him to enter the Honolulu race.

"I'm very happy to be in Honolulu because I could not enter in Chicago and this was a very good group that entered here," he said. "Maybe I will come again next year."