Kibet, Chepchumba Claim Victory at Philadelphia Distance Run
Posted September 19th, 2007 at 4:30 AM by Allyson Rosen
Section: News & Results, Marathons
Kenyan Julius Kibet earned top honors for the second time at Sunday’s 30th Philadelphia Distance Run, winning the men’s race in 1 hour, 2 minutes, 2 seconds. Pamela Chepchumba, also from Kenya, won the women’s race in 1:08:45, one of the world’s fastest half-marathon times for women (and the best in the U.S.) this year.
It took a few miles for the men’s professional field to warm up to the clear and cool morning, recording their first sub-five minute mile at mile three (4:52). The pack of 27 men weaved through Center City, before doubling back onto Benjamin Franklin Parkway, to the cheers of thousands of runners who were taking their initial steps on the course.
The pace quickened as the race progressed through miles four and five. Kibet, 25, the 2004 race champion, led the group of athletes as they began the eight-mile stretch along the Schuykill River. Tanzanian John Yuda and Kenyan Tom Nyariki joined Kibet as they pushed through mile seven in a time of 34:04.
At Falls Bridge, the athletes crossed the river and began their return towards the finish line. Now, 15 men were jockeying for position as MacDonald Ondara, 23, from Kenya, joined the leaders as they recorded the fastest split time of the day, running mile nine in 4:33.
MacDonald and Nyariki led the next mile, but Kibet, who was close behind knew he had to make a move to defend against his toughest competition, Nyariki.
“He is very strong in the finish,” Kibet said of Nyariki.
Like his 2004 win, Kibet had to fight for victory as he ran virtually neck-and-neck with Nyariki and Yuda. Fortunately for Kibet, Nyariki did not answer as Kibet looked back before his final sprint to his two-second win.
The women’s race was led early by the women’s 2004 race champion, 36-year-old Nuta Olaru from Romania. She took the entire women’s pack through mile four on a 1:10:30 half-marathon pace.
Kenyan Edna Kiplagat, 2006 race runner-up, traded places with Olaru through mile five and was joined by countrywoman Alice Timbilili at mile six. The two women pushed the pace as they passed though the 10K mark in 33:03, dropping Kenyan Angelina Mutuku and Ethiopian Ashu Kasim who finished fourth two weeks ago at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, Va.
Shortly after the women’s group passed mile eight, Chepchumba began to take control of the race alongside Timbilili. For the next three miles, the two women launched a number of attacks. The pack thinned in response to the quicker pace and Kiplagat eventually dropped away from the leaders.
Chepchumba now had to shake her challenger Timbilili.
“I tried to run faster, but she (Timbilili) was resisting,” Chepchumba said. “I started running at mile 11.”
At mile 11, they recorded the fastest mile of the race (5:11). Chepchumba began to pull away inside mile 12, breaking the tape 11 seconds ahead of Timbilili.
American Brandon Leslie, 31, from Arizona finished 22nd overall in a time of 1:05:01, ahead of the six other men who were tuning up for the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials in New York City this November.
Bryan Skelly, 25, who will run the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon this October in an attempt to qualify for the Trials was the first Philadelphia finisher in 1:07:09. Claire Duncan, 24, the assistant track coach at Germantown Friends High School was the first female Philadelphia finisher in 1:18:46.
Gideon Mutisya from Kenya topped the men’s masters division (age 40 and over) with his 1:08:34, while Doreen McCoubrie, from Malver, Pa., was first among the masters women (1:19:19).
Both the men’s and women’s races were led by Saturn SKY roadsters, the official vehicles of the 30th Philadelphia Distance Run, and the event recorded its largest participant field in race history with over 11,500 finishers.
30th Philadelphia Distance Run
Philadelphia, PA, Sunday, September 16, 2007
MEN
1) Julius Kibet (KEN), 1:02:02, $8000
2) Tom Nyariki (KEN), 1:02:04, $5000
3) John Yuda (TAN), 1:02:05, $3000
4) MacDonald Ondara (KEN), 1:02:10, $2000
5) Festus Langat (KEN), 1:02:28, $1500
6) Charles Munyeki (KEN), 1:02:28, $1250
7) Samuel Ndereba (KEN), 1:02:37, $1000
8) Linuis Maiyo (KEN), 1:02:46, $750
9) Demesse Tefera (ETH), 1:02:46, $600
10) Daniel Kipkoech (KEN), 1:02:59, $500
WOMEN
1) Pamela Chepchumba (KEN), 1:08:45, $8000
2) Alice Timbilili (KEN), 1:08:56, $5000
3) Edna Kiplagat (KEN), 1:10:11, $3000
4) Sharon Cherop (KEN), 1:10:21, $2000
5) Hiromi Ominami (JPN), 1:10:41, $1500
6) Ashu Kasim (ETH), 1:11:19, $1250
7) Angelina Mutuku (KEN), 1:11:20, $1000
8) Olga Kravtsova (BLR), 1:11:33, $750
9) Nuta Olaru (ROM), 1:11:46, $600
10) Aziza Aliyu (ETH), 1:12:45, $500
Masters MEN
1) Gideon Mutisya, 40, Kenya, 1:08:34, $1000
2) Fred Klevan, 41, Merion Station, PA, 1:11:48, $500
3) Greg Watson, 41, Media, PA, 1:12:02, $250
Masters WOMEN
1) Doreen McCoubrie, 45, Malvern, PA, 1:19:19, $1000
2) Lori Kingsley, 41, Wysox, PA, 1:22:14, $500
3) Lee DiPietro, 49, Ruxton, MD, 1:23:01, $250
Top Philadelphia Male
1) Bryan Skelly, 1:07:09, $1000
Top Philadelphia Female
1) Claire Duncan, 1:18:46, $1000
Via: Running USA News Wire
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Tags: half marathon, John Yuda, julius kibet, macdonald ondara, pa, pamela chepchumba, pennsylvania, Philadelphia, philadelphia distance run, phili, runphilly, Tom Nyariki
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