CROSS COUNTRY Sauk women win Region IV

“I think we all know that’s what’s going to happen when we come to Talladega,” said Jeff Gordon, who first ran out of gas and then wrecked – all in a five-lap span.

Jamie McMurray was the surprise winner, snapping an 86-race winless streak by leading 32 late laps and holding on in a race that ended under caution. Jimmie Johnson, meanwhile, ended up sixth, likely wrapping up his NASCAR-record fourth-consecutive championship because of all the late action.

“I made the comment ... it’s just going to be luck,” McMurray said, “whoever can get in the right row and make the moves.”

That’s how it usually works at Talladega, where horsepower-sapping restrictor plates slow the speeds and force drivers to use aggressive maneuvers to plow their way through tight packs of traffic.

But after Carl Edwards’ airborne April crash into the frontstretch fence, NASCAR has felt the pressure to cut down on the dangerous bumping and blocking that usually triggers the multi-car accidents known as “the Big One.” Officials warned at the start of the weekend that they didn’t want to see drivers shoving each other around the speedway, and proved it by parking Michael Waltrip during a Friday practice when he didn’t back off Johnson’s rear bumper.

NASCAR president Mike Helton ramped it up another notch Sunday in a stern pre-race lecture that banned all bumping in the corners. He was peppered with questions from the drivers, but held firm and warned that a victory could be stripped if it was gained through bump-drafting.

In response, the 43-car field spent much of Sunday in a single-file parade lap that almost looked to be a conscious thumbing of the nose at NASCAR.

They did when it counted, and as always, it got dicey when the racing picked up with about 20 laps remaining.

Ryan Newman’s harrowing crash with five laps to go left him upside down in the grass, and NASCAR needed a stoppage of almost 13 minutes to cut him from the car. Outspoken in the wake of Edwards’ April crash, he was none too pleased to have spent almost 15 minutes trapped inside his car.

His crash set up two-lap sprint to the finish, and that was halted when championship contender Mark Martin went flipping across the track in his own spectacular crash.

The race ended under caution, with McMurray in Victory Lane.

RUNNING

American wins NYC Marathon

NEW YORK – That day in Central Park two years ago was shaping up as a triumphant symbol of the resurgence in American distance running Meb Keflezighi helped inspire.

He left with an aching hip and, far worse, an aching heart.

Keflezighi was back Sunday, wiping away tears after the New York City Marathon — for his historic victory for his country, for his recovery from an injury he once feared might end his career.

And for Ryan Shay, his friend who collapsed and died at the U.S. Olympic trials in New York in 2007.

The 34-year-old Keflezighi became the first American man since 1982 to win the NYC Marathon, the latest twist in the story of a family that fled war to thrive in a new home.

“It can’t get any better,” Keflezighi said.

Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia was the women’s winner, capping a stunning comeback of her own on a day when a record field of nearly 44,000 started the 40th edition of this race. Two-time defending champion Paula Radcliffe fell back to fourth, hobbled by tendinitis behind her left knee.

Keflezighi won silver at the 2004 Olympics, the first American man to medal since 1976. Sunday’s race proved how much depth the U.S. now boasts: With the event doubling as the national championship, six Americans finished in the top 10 for the first time since ‘79.

NFL

Two women accuse Cable of violence

NEW YORK – The former wife of Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable and a recent girlfriend claim Cable has a history of violent behavior toward women, and asked that he seek help for his anger.

Sandy Cable and Marie Lutz said in seperate interviews on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” that the first-year head coach physically abused them at various times during their relationships.

Cable’s attorney, Donald Yee, said in a statement Sunday that ESPN refused to provide details about the story when the network asked for comment. Yee also questioned the network’s motives after waiting until Friday to contact the coach.

“In our view, ESPN has quite purposefully chosen not to provide a fair and balanced story,” Yee said. “To us, this represents ambush journalism and utterly fails to meet the standards and practices of responsible journalists.”

Cable acknowledged striking Sandy Cable with an open hand in a statement released to The Associated Press. Cable said the altercation happened more than 20 years ago and was the only time he’s ever touched a woman inappropriately.

Lutz told ESPN that she remembers Cable hitting her “three, four times,” and said that she visited his house in January and found another woman there. Lutz said she demanded to meet the woman and that Cable grabbed her by the arm and eventually pushed her out the door.

Cable said that Lutz had come over uninvited, and that he cooperated with an investigation by the Alameda Police Department that cleared him of any wrongdoing.