Kelly Keane was alone when she passed the 23-mile marker at Sunday's HP Houston Marathon.

The Woodlands resident was the only runner around when the group of Elvis impersonators serenaded her less than four miles from the finish line.

And when a spectator yelled "Woman power" on Allen Parkway at mile 25, Keane knew the encouragement was meant for her — she was the only female marathoner within 200 meters of the young fan.

But by the time Keane crossed the finish line in a personal-best 2 hours, 32 minutes, 27 seconds and claimed her first marathon victory, the 32-year-old had all of Houston along for the ride. And as she triumphantly snapped the winner's tape and gave way to the smile that had tickled her mouth all along the 26.2-mile course, Keane realized she was no longer alone.

"It's amazing, just amazing," Keane said as she buried her head in a family member's chest just past the finish line. "To win in your hometown is just a wonderful feeling."

Confident all the way
That feeling most likely will return when Keane cashes the $10,000 check she will receive for being Sunday's top female finisher — one she felt was hers the minute she embarked on the 2 1/2 -hour run.

Early on, Keane and Poland native Wioletta Kryza were leading a pack of four women that included Peru's Maria Portilla and first-time marathoner Kay Ulrich of New Zealand.

Keane and Kryza quickly broke away from the rest of the women and by the seventh mile had settled in to a steady pace. Greece's Ioannis Mairs and Keane's coach, Greg McMillan, joined the pair as the only four runners a mile behind the men's marathon leaders and ahead of the rest of the female participants.

"She was running so incredibly well out there," said McMillan, who ran alongside Keane until dropping out of the race at mile 18. "It really helped her to have (Kryza) with her the whole time. That competition was great.

"I was there sort of trash-talking her. Telling her I was going to beat her. But by the time we hit the 18th mile, I just couldn't keep her pace. She was doing so well."

A personal record
That pace, which was nearly a 5:30 mile and blew through mile 12 in 4:55, was enough for Keane to beat her personal record of 2:36:24 by four minutes. And two miles later, after Keane said goodbye to her coach, she quickened her pace and left Kryza behind.

"The goal was to take off at around the 22-mile mark and go as hard as I could," Keane said. "But I got out a little early. But I was running really well and was ready to start moving. And when I did, I just went hard and fast."

What Keane didn't know was that Kryza, who had traded leads with Keane throughout the first 20 miles, had a tight hamstring when she started the race, and it worsened with every mile she covered.

So by the time Keane made her move midway through the 21st mile and lengthened her lead over her closest competitor by a minute with four miles left, Kryza was in no condition to try to catch her.

"I could feel it getting tighter and tighter throughout the race," said Kryza, who was aiming for at least a 2:34 finish to qualify for the Poland national team but officially clocked a 2:35:25. "I could tell she was so fast and was feeling really good. She was just itching to get out in front. So when she made that move, I knew she was going all the way."

And as Keane pumped her muscular arms and stretched her long, slender legs over the pavement, it was clear she preferred to be alone. If alone meant her first marathon win, that's where she wanted to be. If alone meant she wouldn't look up or smile until the finish line was in view, then alone might as well have been runner's heaven.

Alone was where she found the satisfaction she had only dreamed of when preparing for her past two marathons, only to suffer an injury less than three weeks before both races. But it was with the masses who greeted her at the finish line that Keane found her joy.

"All along the way, I kept hearing 'Go Houston' ", Keane said. "It was extremely exciting to know that I was in position to win this race. It is phenomenal to be here and experience this at home."