Simon Ndirangu, seen here winning in California in the spring, did just as well in Tennessee in the summer. © www.photorun.net
KIMbia’s Simon Ndirangu returned to the U.S. with a bang on Saturday night, winning the Crazy 8’s 8K, in Kingsport, Tennessee, in 22:16. Ndirangu’s time at the nighttime race was only 13 seconds off the world road best for the distance, set at Crazy 8’s in 1996 by fellow Kenyan Peter Githuka.
Early on, Ndirangu was part of a large pack chasing a $10,008 bonus for bettering Githuka’s mark. When the pace lagged in the middle of the race, Ndirangu bided his time, and then unleashed the strong late-race speed he showed earlier this year in his American debuts. His win on Saturday goes with his triumphs in early spring at the Carlsbad 5000 in California and the Dallas 8K in Texas.
Bekele Delivers Devastating Kick in England
On Sunday, at a track meet in Sheffield, England, Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele erased any doubts that he won’t be able to defend his world title at 10,000m in Osaka, Japan later this summer. Bekele not only won the 3,000m in a personal best of 7:26.69, but did so with a last kilometer of 2:23.99 that left his purported rival, Australia’s Craig Mottram, shaking his head afterward.
The pace was fast but nothing outrageous through 2,000m. When the last pacemaker stepped off at that point, Bekele and Mottram were together with a split of 5:02.7. Bekele surged immediately, running the next lap in 58 seconds. Mottram had no response. Despite the huge gap he had already built, Bekele continued motoring, also covering the next lap in 58 seconds, and then sprinting the final 200 meters to defeat Mottram by more than 8 seconds. The Australian, who had speculated often before the race that Bekele was still vulnerable after dropping out at the World Cross Country Championships in March, was a well-beaten second in 7:35.00. Chris Solinsky, a new professional runner and new member of KIMbia, ran an 11-second personal best to take third in 7:36.90.
Surprise Win for Hayley Yelling in London
Hayley Yelling, the 2004 European cross country champion, returned to the international stage with victory in the Hyde Park 10K in London. The Briton won by a clear margin in 33:23 over Nadia Ejjafini (Bahrain) in a race that attracted 11,000 participants. Yelling went clear of the Ethiopian-born runner only in the final kilometer, but still crossed the line with a 13-second advantage. Tatyana Mezentseva (Ukraine) took third in 33:51. Yelling’s sister is marathon runner Liz Yelling. In the men’s race Ismael Kirui, twice a world champion at 5,000m, came through to win. Just like Yelling, the 35-year-old went clear of the last of his rivals shortly before the finish. With a time of 29:22 he finished 6 seconds ahead of Alberto Chaica (Portugal). Third was the pre-race favorite, Said Azouzi (Morocco), who finished well back in 30:15, slowed by calf problems.
Jonathan Wyatt Wins on the Grossglockner
The New Zealander Jonathan Wyatt, for years one of the best mountain runners in the world, has won another classic title, taking the 12.6K Grossglockner race in Heiligenblut in Austria. The course featured an elevation climb of 1,514 meter. Wyatt took 1:12:22 seconds for this tour of the summits. The fastest woman was Anna Pichrtova (Czech Republic) in 1:21:25.
Bad Luck for Tahri: Steeplechase Barrier Removed too Soon
After the brilliant world record for 5,000m by Meseret Defar at the start of the Golden League series in Oslo, the next two meet in Paris and Rome failed to produce similar leading performances in the distance races. In Paris, however, there was nonetheless a memorable distance race, when the lap counter in the 3,000m steeplechase malfunctioned.
When the malfunction occurred, the bell to signal the last lap was rung too soon, and most of the runners thought it really was the final lap coming up. The Kenyan Paul Kipsie Koech celebrated as he crossed what he thought was the finish line, only to discover that there was still a lap to run. France’s Bob Tahri, a KIMbia runner, kept his head and counted correctly. In the end he won easily in 8:08.47 over Koch (8:12.73). Unfortunately, Thai’s top-class time won’t count as an official mark. Although he ran the correct number of laps, the premature ringing of the bell to signal the final lap had also set the stadium officials off on the wrong course. Because they removed at least one barrier on the last lap, the IAAF will declare all results from the Paris race null and void.
AIMS Marathon Symposium in the Town of Marathon
There will be a new feature to the Athens Marathon this year, which takes place on the first Sunday in November. Following a suggestion by the Athens Classic Marathon Organizing Committee, AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Road Races) and the IAAF (International Athletics Association), the town of Marathon and SEGAS (the Greek Athletics Association) have agreed to set up an international AIMS marathon symposium to take place annually at the showpiece of the historic start to the Athens Classic Marathon. The first symposium will take place on November 3, with the title of “The Classic Marathon: Past, Present and Future.” The aim of the new annual get-together is to promote close cooperation and exchange of ideas between common interests. The organizers will support this by their continual efforts to improve their races. The organization of an annual symposium at the birth place of the marathon also has an important symbolic significance for world peace, the Olympic Games and fair play. The symposium is intended primarily for marathon organizers. Four experts in relevant fields will be invited to speak on current topics. Among the participants will be delegates from AIMS and the IAAF, race directors, current or former well-known marathon runners, representatives from host marathon cities, science and sports institutions, as well as journalists. Further information about the symposium can be found on the AIMS Web site.
