BOSTON -- A Russian woman captured her first Boston Marathon laurel wreath Monday, as elite women's runner Lidiya Grigoryeva, 33, snagged the win with an unofficial time of 2:29:18 and Kenyan runner Robert K. Cheruiyot claimed his third Boston victory, with an unofficial time of 2:14:12.

Grigoryeva was followed by race favorite Jelena Prokopcuka, of Latvia, who led the elite women's pack for much of the race but came in second. Finishing in third place in the women's division was Madai Perez, of Mexico.

In the men's elite division, James Kwambai, also of Kenya, took second place, followed by Kenyan Stephen Kiogora in third place.

Cheruiyot's win meant that Kenya claimed its 15th men's title in the last 17 years, also sweeping the top four spots on the men's side. Cheruiyot won in 2:07:14 last year, setting a course record.

Japan's Masazumi Soejima and Wakako Tsuchida captured the trophies in the Boston Marathon men's and women's wheelchair divisions.

Soejima, 36, stole the crown from defending men's wheelchair champion Ernst Van Dyk, who was trying for record-tying seventh consecutive win.

Soejima crossed the finish line near Boston's Copley Square with an unofficial time of 1:29:16. Wakako Tsuchida, 32, claimed the women's wheelchair division with an unofficial time of just over 1:43:29. Both are two-time winners of the Honolulu Marathon.

Two Kenyan men took the early lead in the men's elite runners division, Josephat Ongeri and Jared Nyamboki at the head of the pack for much of the race, followed by Hosea Kiprop Rotich, also of Kenya. American runner Casey J. Moulton was at No. 5. behind Yutaka Watanabe of Japan. Through the first 90 minutes of the race, the men's pack was dominated by a group of about 18 runners, no single male dominating.

The women's elite group, which took off at 9:35 a.m., went through the first mile in 5 minutes and 32 seconds, with New York Marathon champion Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia leading a small pack.

Prokopcuka and Kenyans Rita Jeptoo and Alice Chelangat traded spots for first, second and third positions through the early portion of the course. American favorite Deena Kastor was in fifth place behind Perez through much of that stretch, but by Wellesley, Kastor had dropped far behind and by Newton, Prokopcuka, Jeptoo and Perez were in the three top spots for women's elite runners.

After 2 hours and 13 minutes, as the female runners approached Kenmore Square, Prokopcuka, Perez and Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia were the top three women runners, far ahead of the rest of the pack, outdistancing defending champ Jeptoo, who was no longer a contender.

Runners Slog Through Rainy, Windy Weather

Despite a fierce nor'easter that pounded Massachusetts and all of New England, the 111th running of the Boston Marathon got under way in stiff winds and pelting rain early Monday at the Hopkinton, Mass., town green. By the end of the race, temperatures were in the lower 50s, better than forecasters had predicted, but a stiff wind picked up near the end as racers turned on to Beacon Street for the homestretch.

Race officials said the storm kept many racers away, with 2,449 runners of a total of 23,903 registered failing to pick up their bib numbers before registration closed Sunday. But thousands of others lined up at the race start in Hopkinton for what promised to be a 26.2-mile slog through high winds and cold rain to Boston's Back Bay finish line. Meteorologists had forecast strong winds in the runners' faces all day.

The men and women's wheelchair divisions took off at 9:25 a.m., and the elite men hit the pavement at 10 a.m. The rest of the pack followed at 10:30 a.m. The race normally takes about a little more than two hours for the elite men's winner to complete.

Defending champions Cheruiyot and Jeptoo were race favorites, as was Prokopcuka. Last year, Cheruiyot broke the course record in 2 hours, 7 minutes, 14 seconds to win Kenya's 14th men's title in 16 years.

The top American woman running, Deena Kastor, was also hoping for a win in 2007 but finished with a time of 2:35:09. Despite a disappointing finish, Kastor earned the U.S. title and a bonus of $25,000. She is the defending London Marathon champion and had the chance to be the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon since Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach.

Marathon winners receive $100,000 first prize and an olive wreath.