NEW YORK -- As German Silva turned onto 59th Street at the south end of Central Park, two policemen yelled at him as if he had ignored a Do Not Enter sign.


He had.


With less than half a mile to go Sunday in the 25th New York City Marathon, Silva, running in lock-step with co-leader Benjamin Paredes, turned right when he should have gone straight. By the time Silva realized what he had done, Paredes had a 60-yard lead.


But in a comeback that put him on highlight reels instead of blooper tapes, Silva caught and passed Paredes, and won by two seconds.


Tegla Loroupe of Kenya could have made a wrong turn into New Jersey and won the women's division. Her time of two hours, 27 minutes, 37 seconds was more than two minutes faster than runner-up Madina Biktagirova of Russia, with Anne Marie Letko of Glen Gardner, New Jersey, third.


Silva's victory came in 2:11:21, relatively slow because of warm and humid conditions that medical personnel said contributed to the death of two runners because of heart attacks.


The Mexican's victory over countryman Paredes was the closest finish in race history. Former Mexican teammate and now U.S. citizen Arturo Barrios was third in 2:11:43 after leading in the 24th mile.


Silva, a brash 26-year-old, had said last week that the rest of the 27,000-plus runner field was competing for second place. "I said something, and then I had to do what I said," he said Sunday. But he made it difficult.


In only his third marathon, he ran with the lead pack that included up to 21 men all day, seldom leading, but never far from it. Silva and Paredes paced each other throughout and ran shoulder-to-shoulder into the final moments of the 26-mile, 385-yard race.