Kenyans Sweep; Khannouchi Frustrated at Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon San Jose
Posted October 15th, 2007 at 4:06 PM by Martha Jones
Section: News & Results, Marathons
Kenyans McDonald Ondara and Magdalene Makunzi won the second annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon San Jose on Sunday. Ondara, 23, covered the 13.1-mile course in 1 hour, 1 minute, 11 seconds. Makunzi, 24, broke the tape in 1:09:58.
The men’s race culminated in a sprint to the finish as Ondara, who led the majority of the race, beat the 27-year-old Tanzanian John Yuda by just seconds.
“I was sort of afraid of him,” said Ondara of his closest competitor Yuda. “It was very hard to predict,” Ondara added about planning his final kick.
Yuda managed a smile as he clutched his ribs after the finish from an apparent side stitch.
“It was a good race,” Yuda said. “The course was quick.”
After mile three, the men’s lead pack began to thin out, gradually dropping American Khalid Khannouchi. The four-time Chicago Marathon champion was clearly frustrated with his 1:05:04 finish time.
“It was a great day for the race,” Khannouchi said. “But, this is not what I expected. I thought I would run 1:03:00.”
Despite his criticism of today’s performance, Khannouchi, 35, who used the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon as a tune-up for next month’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men’s Marathon in New York City, remained optimistic about his preparation for the November 3 race.
“It’s in me,” Khannouchi said. “I will have to go home and work on my speed. I’m running against time now.”
Makunzi dominated the women’s race, finishing more than a minute faster than second place Megumi Oshima from Japan.
“After five kilometers I pushed,” said Makunzi. “I looked behind and they had dropped back. I was thinking of a time of 68:00, but I am happy with today.” Makunzi’s finishing time was a personal best by seven seconds.
Former San Francisco 49er Roger Craig and two-time World Cup champion Brandi Chastain both completed the half-marathon in 1:40:36 and 1:43:33 respectively. The two Bay Area all-stars began the race together and laughed as they exchanged stories from the course at the finish line.
“This race was great because it was home,” said Chastain, 39, a native of San Jose. “The last race (half-marathon) I ran was 14 years ago, and I’m proud and excited to say that I ran faster today than I did then.”
Both Craig and Chastain said they plan to return to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon next year.
J.T. Service, who will also compete in the Olympic Trials with Khannouchi, was the top San Jose finisher for the second year in a row in a time of 1:07:28. Dina Rosenthal was the first female finisher from San Jose. Both earned $500 for their efforts.
The top San Francisco Bay Area finishers, also earning $500, were Scott Bauhs, 21 (1:03:04) from Danville and Michelle Gallagher, 21, (1:16:37) from San Mateo.
In the masters division (age 40 and over), Francis Wanderi, 41, from Santa Clara won on the men’s side, earning $500. The first woman was L.J. Egbert, 42, from Phoenix, Ariz., also taking home $500.
Via: Elite Racing
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Tags: Brandi Chastain, ca, California, elite racing, half marathon, J.T. Service, John Yuda, Khalid Khannouchi, L.J. Egbert, Magdalene Makunzi, mcdonald ondara, Megumi Oshima, Michelle Gallagher, Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon, Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon San Jose, roger craig, San Fran, San Francisco bay area, san jose, Scott Bauhs
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