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Men's Team USA Edges Kenya at Bolder Boulder International
Challenge . Mexico Wins Women's Team Title By Mike Sandrock,
Running USA wire
BOULDER, Colo. - Meb Keflezighi played "point guard"
Monday at the 7th Bolder Boulder International Team Challenge
in helping the United States score a narrow 19-21 win over
defending champion Kenya. It was the first U.S. men's team
title at the Bolder Boulder and broke the Kenyans' streak
of four team titles in a row. In fact, until today's race,
the Kenyan men had never been beaten at this competition when
fielding a complete finishing team (incomplete team in 1999).
It was the first U.S. men's victory of any kind by the American
men since Herb Lindsay took the 1984 Bolder crown. Kenya went
1-6-14 with Paul Koech, 2001 winner James Koskei and 2004
Bay to Breakers champ Benjamin Maiyo scoring, while U.S. finishers
and Olympians Keflezighi, Abdi Abdirahman and Alan Culpepper
placed 2-8-9.
"It is all about team," said Keflezighi, a member
of Team Running USA. "The Kenyans are great, but we ran
tough today."
On a sunny, gusty day, Koech took the individual crown by
easing away from Keflezighi of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. in the
final 400 meters to finish in 29 minutes, 19 seconds, while
the UCLA grad clocked 29:30.
The men's team championship was not decided until the final
stretch as Maiyo was passed by three men - Ecuador's Franklin
Tenorio and Silvio Guerra and Mexico's Francisco Bautista
- to help secure the U.S. win. Roughly 800 meters earlier
Abdirahman had passed Maiyo, who was coming off a win at the
Bay to Breakers 12K in San Francisco.
The three U.S. runners split a prize of $45,000, which includes
$30,000 in U.S. Olympic training funds.
"Making the day even better was that the U.S. win came
on Memorial Day," said Abdirahman. His younger brother,
Ayanle, recently returned from a tour with the U.S. Army in
Iraq. "This is special for me because it honors my brother
and all those who have fought in wars for freedom," said
Abdirahman, a Tucson resident. "I am not serving in the
Army, but I can serve my country another way."
In the women's race, Madai Perez of Mexico won in 34:24 in
defeating Kenya's Gladys Asiba and leading Mexico to its first
women's team title. A 1-4-13 finish gave Mexico 18 points,
10 up on Poland. Team USA - comprising Nicole Hunt (24th place),
Katie Blackett (25th) and Nikole Johns (26th) - finished last
with 75 points.
Frank Shorter, who ran the citizens' race and then did TV
commentary, said "This was not a Kenyan 'B' team,"
and another observer called the U.S. victory "a quality
win," using a collegiate basketball term.
It was an appropriate analogy, as Keflezighi kept an eye
on the team standings as the race unfolded and shouted out
encouragement to his teammates as they passed each other on
the  criterium
course going up and down Folsom Street.
As he made a turn with two laps to go, Keflezighi pointed
to Maiyo and yelled to teammate Culpepper, "That one
is yours."
Culpepper responded with a thumbs up signal and within a
half lap passed Maiyo.
"This was just awesome," said race director Cliff
Bosley. "The finish could not have been better."
In the individual race, Koech won $3000 and a split of the
$10,000 second place team prize.
It was the slowest winning time since 1994, as runners were
affected by a strong wind. That turned the Team Challenge
into a tactical race that Koech did not want to turn into
a Folsom Field sprint as it did last year, when he was outkicked
on the stadium floor and ended up second.
All the top contenders packed together in the early going
Monday, content to let Mexican Gabino Apolonia take an early
lead through the first two miles.
"With that wind I did not want to go ahead," said
Koech, who has three of the top 15 10,000 meter track times
in history.
Culpepper, who lives in nearby Lafayette and was an NCAA
champion at the University of Colorado, ran a smart race.
After a first mile of 4:44 for the main pack of runners, Culpepper
dropped back going around one of the turns and ran an even-paced
race the rest of the way. The 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials
champion said foot problems had limited his training and his
ability to accelerate after slowing for the turns.
"When Meb pointed, I gave the thumbs up because I knew
I was going to catch Maiyo," Culpepper said. "But
I still couldn't tell if we were going to finish first or
second. I was not feeling that great today."
Culpepper and Keflezighi both have been battling injuries
that limited their training the past few weeks. Both said
the team competition was the deciding factor in their entering
the Bolder Boulder.
Kenya was in front in the team competition much of the way.
Maiyo was running strong and was among the leaders passing
three miles in 14:19. However, he soon began dropping back
as Keflezighi took the lead and began pushing the pace.
"I felt bad and was tired," a distraught Maiyo
said after finishing, sitting on some Folsom Field bleachers.
"I think it was the weather, plus I've had a hard week
training in Boulder."
Only Koech was able to hang with Keflezighi, and the two
passed four miles together in 18:55 before battling the final
three kilometers of the race. Koech took a slight lead heading
south on Folsom back towards Folsom Field when Keflezighi
slowed to take water, and on the uphill past the statue of
Frank Shorter just before the six mile mark he increased his
lead.
"(Pro race coordinator) Rich (Castro) brings in so many
good runners that this is a race of champions," said
Koech. "I am happy to win because we had heard so many
good things about the Americans. We had bugs in our stomachs
because we knew the U.S. team was ready. After I took the
lead, when no one was shouting 'USA' behind me, I knew I was
OK."
Added Culpepper, "I knew my condition was not the best,
and I was thinking, 'how can I support my teammates?' Every
spot mattered."
Abdirahman echoed Culpepper, saying " I said to myself,
'OK, I'll hold on. When I saw Meb in the front and the three
Kenyans in front of me, I knew I could not let them down.
Alan and I ran well, and Meb ran great."
Peter Tanui, manager for Team Kenya, was not disappointed
with his team's loss, saying it is healthy for the sport of
road racing. "It is good for the United States to win,
and I hope that it does not stop here. I hope they continue
to make the Kenyans work hard, and that in the years to come
that they are good in the World Championships and the Olympics
... But next year in the Bolder Boulder, we will do things
a little differently."
There was a mishap with the four skydivers who jumped into
Folsom Field during the annual Memorial Day celebration. Gusting
winds made it difficult for the skydivers to control their
landing, and one hit one of the roughly 45,000 Bolder Boulder
finishers/spectators in the west stands, and another landed
in a tree. The spectator was taken to Boulder Community Hospital
and her condition was not known Monday night.
MEN
Men Individual
1. Paul Koech, Kenya, 29:19, $3000
2. Meb Keflezighi, USA, 29:30, $5500 (includes $3500 Olympic
training funds)
3. Tekeste Kebede, Ethiopia, 29:43, $1500
4. Jonathan Wyatt, New Zealand, 29:46, $1000
5. Gudisa Shentama, Ethiopia, 29:47, $800
6. James Koskei, Kenya, 29:56, $700
7. William Naranjo, Colombia, 30:01, $600
8. Abdi Abdirahman, USA, 30:10, $1000 (includes $500 OTF)
9. Alan Culpepper, USA, 30:14, $800 (includes $400 OTF)
10. Michael Aish, New Zealand, 30:24, $300
11. Franklin Tenorio, Ecuador, 30:32
12. Silvio Guerra, Ecuador, 30:32
13. Francisco Bautista, Mexico, 30:34
14. Benjamin Maiyo, Kenya, 30:36
15. Kim Gillard, Australia, 30:56
16. Gabino Apolonia, Mexico, 31:00
17. Javier Guarin, Colombia, 31:03
18. John Henwood, New Zealand, 31:04
19. Abraham Assefa, Ethiopia, 31:06
20. Julian Berrio, Colombia, 31:13
21. Pedro Mora, Venezuela, 31:20
22. Cesar Gualotuna, Ecuador, 31:31
23. You Youngjin, Korea, 31:32
24. Brett Cartwright, Australia, 31:38
25. Ji Youngjun, Korea, 31:42
26. Jose Augusto Acierno, Mexico, 31:58
27. Martin Dent, Australia, 31:58
28. Andi Jones, Great Britain, 32:06
29. Javier Gomez, Costa Rica, 32:14
30. Jason Ward, Great Britain, 32:18
31. Andrew Norman, Great Britain, 32:23
32. Larryn Sanchez, Venezuela, 32:28
33. Eric Quiroz, Costa Rica, 33:29
34. Jefrey Perez, Costa Rica, 33:43
35. Yoo Sunghoe, Korea, 33:45
36. Freddy Alvarado, Venezuela, 33:54
Visit the race website at: http://www.bolderboulder.com
source Running USA wire
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