Latvian runner finishes fifth in N.Y. marathon

Latvia's Jeļena Prokopčuka took fifth place among women runners in the ING New York City Marathon, according to official results. She finished the Nov. 7 race in a time of 2:26:51, almost four minutes behind winner Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain. This was the first time the 28-year-old Prokopčuka participated in the New York marathon. Her personal best, 2:24:01, came in the 2003 London marathon. In the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Prokopčuka finished seventh overall in the women’s 10,000-meter race. More than 30,000 runners participated in the New York marathon.