Micah Kogo
FALMOUTH, Mass. – Aug. 11, 2013 – Kenyan runners Micah Kogo and Joyce Chepkirui won the 41st New Balance Falmouth Road Race here with perfect conditions for running on Sunday, Aug. 11.
On a beautiful morning, under blue skies and low humidity, more than 11,000 runners gathered in Woods Hole. The whole field sang “Happy Birthday” to race founder Tommy Leonard, who turns 80 this week. There was a special appearance by Jeff Bauman, Boston Marathon bombing victim, who was the official race starter.
In a tightly contested battle from the start, the elite men, lead by Ben Bruce of Arizona, went through the first mile in a 4 minutes, 35 seeconds. Bruce would lead the pack until the four-mile mark, when Kogo and True started to close the gap. The men kept a steady pace through the five and six mile marks. It was a nail-biter to the finish, with Kogo defeating Ben True, from Hanover, NH, a late addition to the field, by a mere two seconds.
Kogo finished with a time of 32:10 and True finished with a time of 32:12. Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai came in third place with a time of 32:20 followed by fourth place finisher, American Olympian Abdi Abdirahman. Bruce took fifth place with a time of 32:44 and Shadrack Biwott of Oregon took sixth place with a time of 33:15.
For the first time ever, the New Balance Falmouth Road Race held a designated elite women’s start. From the beginning, Kenyan Joyce Chepkirui set the pace with a 5:13 first mile and was an early front-runner—never giving up the lead. She completed the race with an impressive finish of 36:43.
Great Britain’s Gemma Steel overtook Kenyan Linet Masai after the 6-mile mark and nipped her by one second at the line with a time of 37:06. Taking fourth place was Diane Nukuri Johnson, of Burundi, with a time of 37:16. Netherlands native, Adrienne Herzog, took fifth with a time of 37:21.
In her Falmouth debut, American and Dartmouth graduate Alexi Pappas placed sixth overall and was the first American woman with a time of 37:32. Boston University graduate, Connecticut resident and first time Falmouth runner, Katie Matthews finished seventh overall and took second place for the American women.
Defending Masters champion, Kevin Castille recorded his second Falmouth victory with a time of 34:01 and Chris Magill finished second with a time of 37:58. In the women’s Masters race, Kara Haas, of Chelmsford, claimed first place with a 43:06 time and local resident Anne Preisig of Falmouth was runner-up clocking 45:16.
41st New Balance Falmouth Road Race
Falmouth, Mass., Sunday, Aug. 22.
MEN
1 Micah Kogo Kenya 32:10 $10.000
2 Ben True Hanover, NH 32:12 $12.500**
3 Emmanuel Mutai Kenya 32:20 $5,000
4 Abdi Abdirahman Tucson, AZ 32:28 $6.500**
5 Ben Bruce Flagstaff, AZ 32:44 $4.000**
6 Shadrack Biwott Eugene, OR 33:15 $1,000**
7 Harbert Okuti Uganda 81 33:18
8 Zachary Hine Boulder, CO 33:18 $500**
9 Timothy Ritchie Brighton, MA 33:23
10 Dino Sefir Kemal Ethiopia 33:44
WOMEN
1 Joyce Chepkirui Kenya 36:43 $10.000
2 Gemma Steel Great Britain 37:06 $7,500
3 Linet Masai Kenya 58 37:06 $5,000
4 Diane Nukuri Johnson Burundi 37:16 $3.500
5 Adrienne Herzog Netherlands 37:21 $2.000
6 Alexi Pappas Eugene, OR 37:32 $5,000**
7 KAtie Matthews Rocky Hill, CT 37:50 $3.000**
8 JAne Murage Kenya 37:58
9 Frances Koons Bryn Mawr, PA 38:07
10 Delilah DiCrescenzo New York, NY 38:22
Speak Your Mind