Svetlana Zakharova knows the marathon is won or lost over the entire 26.2 miles. You can move too early, you can move too late or you can make your move at just the right time.

The well-seasoned Zakharova has gotten it right twice this year, winning the Boston Marathon in April and The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in October.

Both times, the Russian national record-holder let others steal the early thunder before striking like lightning late in the race and bolting to victory.

On a glorious Oct. 12 morning, best suited for a postcard, but not bad for a good marathon run, Zakrahova waited until Romania's Constantina Tomescu-Dita has fired her last salvo, and then ran past her on the 25th mile to win Chicago in 2:23:07. It had been a test of will and fortitude from start to finish as Tomescu-Dita went out to a large lead, lost it once briefly to Russian Albina Ivanova, regained it, and then finally succumbed to the relentless greatness of Zakharova, who went by her, legs and arms churning, on the 25th mile.

"It was a difficult race for me," Zakrahova said through her interpeter. "I didn't really pay attention when Dita had a lead of more than a minute. I had my own strategy. I am always coming from behind."

So although her time wasn't close to the 2:21:31 she posted as a Russian record here last year while placing fourth, Zakharova was very satisfied. The truth is she didn't even decide to run Chicago until running a less-than-stellar ninth-place 2:26:53 on Aug. 31 at the World Championships in Paris. That came four months after she won at Boston with a 2:25:20.

"Overall, I feel like it was a very successful year for me," Zakharova said. "I trained very hard for the World Championships, but didn't run my best there, and I'm glad I decided to run Chicago."

Tomescu-Dita took her own rough road to Chicago, also running the World Championships Marathon (DNF) and the World Half-Marathon Championships in Portugal one week before Chicago.

Still, after a mile in Chicago, the Romanian was out to a lead that got bigger with every mile, eventually stretching it to almost 90 seconds over a strong pack of chasers that included Zakharova, Ivanova, Latvian Jelena Prokopchuka and Mexican Madai Perez-Carillo.

Finally, near Mile 16, Ivanova, a 2:33 marathoner, took chase. She surged with very rapid leg turnover and started cutting into the lead. Tomescu-Dita went through Mile 21 in 1:54:11, but moments later, Ivanova came up from behind and blazed by, seemingly in control.

Not this time. Finding reserve energy deep down, Tomescu-Dita counter-attacked and was back in the lead, dropping the spent Ivanova for good. Now, the real race was on. The other Russian was coming!

Sure enough, right near 24.5 miles, Zakharova pulled up and blasted past her noble rival and stepped it up toward the finish. "Svetlana is very strong, and when I saw her near me, I didn't want to give up," said Tomescu-Dita, who wound up a strong second in a personal best 2:23:35. "I'm very happy I got the PR (by nine seconds)."

Prokopchuka moved past fading Ivanova for third in 2:24:53. "I knew at 10 kilometers, I was running for place, not time," she said.

Zakharova made $110,000 for the day, Toemscu-Dita $62,500 and Prokopchuka $45,000.

Top American was South African transplant Colleen DeReuck, who ran a solid 2:28:01, setting herself up for next year's Olympic Trials.