After 26 miles and 385 yards, the difference between first and second place in the ING Miami Marathon came down to a single step.

“Maybe an eyelash,’’ race director David Scott said.

Samuel Kipkosgei Malakwen of Kenya caught Teferi Bacha Regasa of Ethiopia on Sunday as the two approached the victory tape. The Kenyan lunged forward to win the grueling journey by a quarter of a second — the closest finish in the ING Miami Marathon’s 10-year history.

Malakwen’s result: 2 hours 16 minutes 54.58 seconds.

Regasa’s: 2:16:54.83.

“I was timing his steps,’’ said Malakwen, 33. “I said to myself, ‘By the time we reach the finish line we will be tied. If I have to fall on my face to win, let it be.’ ’’

But the 5-8, 123-pound Kenyan kept his poise — and balance — though he didn’t realize he had won until he heard his name over the loudspeaker.

“I felt a pang in my heart when the victor passed me,’’ Regasa, 25, said through an interpreter. “I thought I had clinched the win when I began to sprint, but I realized a little too late how quickly the Kenyan had run past me.’’

The results always round up to the closest second, so both are recorded as finishing in 2:16:55. Malakwen earned $2,000 to Regasa’s $1,000. The two ran together the entire second half of the race, Regasa mostly drafting off Malakwen.

Moroccan Benazzouz Slimani, 35, who lives in Padova, Italy, and won the 2009 ING Miami Marathon, finished third in 2:19:48.

The women’s race was not nearly as exciting, with Raquel Maraviglia of Argentina winning in 2:41:39 — far ahead of runner-up Wioletta Kryza of Poland (2:45:32) and 2011 ING champ Alena Vinitskaya of Belarus (2:45:48).

“I thought the course was nice and flat, but there were too many bridges,’’ said Maraviglia, a 34-year-old mother of two who smiled, but nonetheless said through an interpreter that she was “grumpy” because of sciatic pain.

The event reached its registration capacity of 25,000, including runners from 79 countries and every state. About 19,000 of those entered the half marathon, which had the same start in 6:15 a.m. darkness outside AmericanAirlines Arena. The scenic course snaked through Miami, Miami Beach, Coconut Grove, down Bayshore Drive, over the Rickenbacker Causeway’s William Powell Bridge and back toward the finish at Bayfront Park.

For a tropical marathon, the race had a rare advantage Sunday: barely any sunshine. The thick cloud covering, however, and temperatures in the low 70s, were accompanied by humidity that hovered at 85 percent at the start and lowered as the race progressed.

Raindrops didn’t scatter until most competitors crossed the finish.

Making plans

“The humidity was very nice,’’ said Malakwen, who lives in Eldoret, Kenya, and is the father of 7-year-old Linus, and daughters Doris, 5, and Jasmine, 3. He said his father died of cancer, and his mother is a farmer of corn, wheat and beans in the Rift Valley.

“I will use my money to pay my children’s school fees and give to the community to help the poor people,’’ said Malakwen, who won the Twin Cities Marathon in Minnesota in October.

The Kenyan admitted he thought he had lost the race with 100 meters to go.

“I was exhausted,’’ Malakwen said. “He went in front of me and starting sprinting away. In my mind I said, ‘Let him go. I give up.’ But that’s when I saw the finish line. Then, I thought, ‘No, not now!’ ’’

Said Regasa: “I have absolutely no grudges. I gave it my best. Yes, it was neck and neck. But God willing I finished second, which is respectable. … I’ve always had a positive attitude, always been optimistic. I’ve never been depressed, even after the worst race I’ve done.’’

One racer who radiated with exuberance was hand cycle winner Jacqui Kapinowski, 49, of Tequesta. Kapinowski, a bronze medalist in curling at the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics, won her third ING Miami Marathon in 1:39:10.

The mother of two grown sons, Kapinowski ran 17 marathons before bacterial meningitis progressively destroyed her central nervous system and left her paralyzed. She has raced 44 marathons from a wheelchair.

“This is super fantastic!’’ Kapinowski said, embracing her husband Harry. “I love the course. I love the people. I love everything about this marathon. It’s just such a great feeling to push as hard as you can and see what you can do.

“There are no limits.’’