Meseret Defar added to her record collection in California. © www.photorun.net
For a second time this year, Ethiopian Meseret Defar has broken a world record. The 23-year-old ran two miles in 9:10.47 at Sunday’s Adidas Track Classic in Carson City, California. The old mark of 9:11.97 minutes was set by American Regina Jacobs eight years ago.
Preparations in Carson didn’t go as planned for. She had stomach problems after breakfast and was vomiting until shortly before the race. “I knew that I was in good shape for the record. But I was then scared because I felt so bad,” said Defar.
Meseret Defar has already set four world records in her career: She took the 5K road mark in Carlsbad last year in 14:46. Last June, she ran 5,000m in New York in 14:24.53. This winter, the reigning 5,000m Olympic champion set a world record at the indoor meeting in Stuttgart, Germany, clocking 8:23.72 for 3,000m. Her record on Sunday was the third she’s set in the U.S.
KIMbia’s Kiplagat and Korir Win Crazy Bay to Breakers
KIMbia’s Edna Kiplagat and John Korir followed their victories at early May’s Bloomsday Run by winning another massive 12K on the West Coast, this time taking the titles at the Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco. Bay to Breakers is probably the world’s largest road race, although no one can be sure, because so many people run it unofficially.
Although the race is known mostly for its celebratory air, with many participants running in costume or nude, the races up front are top-quality. This year, the elite women were given a headstart of 4:40, which is the difference between the men’s and women’s course records. The first to reach the finish line—man or woman—would get a $25,000 bonus. Korir could see Kiplagat in the sixth mile, but couldn’t close the gap in the remaining mile and a half, and Kiplagat won the bonus. Kiplagat clocked 38:55, and Korir ran 34:44.
Jo Pavey and Micah Kogo Win 10K in Manchester
Jo Pavey took a step forward on her way to a successful road running career with a win in Sunday’s Manchester 10K. The Brit ran 31:47, while the men’s race was won by Kenyan Micah Kogo in a fast 27:21.
In the men’s race the goal was the five-year-old world record of Haile Gebrselassie, who ran 27:02 in Doha, Qatar. But a slow first kilometer put an early end to these record hopes. “It would have been nice to attack Haile’s world record, but with so many good runners in the field it was more a tactical race. We watched each other,” said Kogo, who took the lead after the 5K mark (13:49). Between kilometers seven and eight he increased the pace once more and got rid of his last reamaining rival, Zersenay Tadesse (Eritrea). The world road running champion from 2006 came in second with 27:24.
It already was the second world-class time at 10K this year for Kogo, who is just 20 years old. In Brunssum (Netherlands) he ran 27:07 on April 1. Last September he won the 10,000m in Brussels’ Golden League event, clocking 26:35.63, the fastest time of the year.
The reigning European cross country champion Mo Farah (Great Britain) came in third in 28:07. Kenyan Patrick Makau Musyoki (28:42), who had won a series of road races in Germany this spring, finished fifth on Sunday.
A close women’s race was decided when Pavey managed to get away from Hungarian Aniko Kalovics with 400 meters to go. “I believed in my track speed and gave everything I had left. The last 200 meters were tough. It was as if I was starting to go the wrong direction,” said Pavey, who finished just one second ahead of Kalovics. Third place was taken by Rita Jeptoo (Kenya/31:50), the Boston Marathon champion of 2006. With Jelena Prokopcuka (Latvia/31:55) taking fourth place, another high-profile marathon runner finished among the top five.
Ritzenhein Defeats Mottram in New York
Dathan Ritzenhein won the Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park on Saturday with a new course record of 28:08. The American, who had hoped to break 28:00, improved the 10-year-old mark of Kenyan Paul Koech by two seconds and confirmed the strong development of American distance runners in the past years. Ritzenhein, 24, beat last year’s winner Craig Mottram (Australia/28:25). Ethiopian Demesse Tefera finished third in 28:31.
Olympic Champion Baldini third in Tuscany
Olympic marathon champion Stefano Baldini (Italy) was beaten by a second in a 10K road race in Arezzo in Tuscany. Baldini, who already won this race three times, ran 29:52 on this tough course for third place. He was given the same time as second placed Solomon Rotich. Another Kenyan was the winner, Natashon Kipngetich. He crossed the line in 29:51. The men had to run 12 laps through the city center, each of which included a hill of 250 meters. The women ran a 5K race with six laps. Vincenza Sicari (Italy) won in 16:23. She was ahead of Moroccan Fatna Maraoui (16:44) and fellow Italian Gloria Marconi (16:56).
Olympic Champion Noguchi Back in Shape
Reigning Olympic marathon champion Mizuki Noguchi is back in shape. The Japanese took the Sendai Half Marathon in 68:54. Noguchi had to withdraw from the London Marathon in April due to injury after having withdrawn from the Berlin Marathon in September last year for the same reason. In Sendai, Noguchi finished one and a half minutes ahead of Romanian Constantina Tomescu-Dita (70:24). Japan’s Yuko Machida was third in 72:30. Noguchi intends to run her next marathon in Tokyo in November in order to qualify for the Olympic Games in 2008. She had never planned to compete at the World Championships in Osaka in September.
U.S. Marathon Team Named for Osaka World Championships
USA Track and Field named its marathon squad for the 2007 IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan. 2005 and 2006 national champion Mbarak Hussein, who has a personal best of 2:08:10, qualified with his victory at the U.S. championships last October at the Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis running 2:13:52. His training partner and runner-up, Simon Sawe, will join the team as well. Sawe has a personal best of 2:13:33. American 25K record holder Fernando Cabada qualified with his debut performance and a personal best of 2:12:27, which he ran in Fukuoka in 2006. Mike Morgan and Kyle O’Brien were also added to the team.
The women’s squad is led by Mary Akor. She already competed for the U.S. in the marathon at the World Championships in Helsinki 2005. Akor was the runner-up in Minneapolis last October with a personal best of 2:33:50. Zoila Gomez finished fourth in Minneapolis with a personal best of 2:35:26 and was also named. Ann Alyanak has a PB of 2:38:55 and joins the team together with Kristin Price (2:38:57). Both were named after finishing second and third at the U.S. championships, which were included in the Boston Marathon in April. Samia Akbar confirmed her place on the women’s team with her debut performance of 2:34:14 at the 2006 ING New York City Marathon.
