Photo above courtesy of ASI Photo: Josh Cox set a new American 50K record with a finish on the track.

Over eight years after setting a marathon personal best of 2:13:55 in Chicago, American Josh Cox set a new USA Track & Field men's record for 50 kilometers. With an official time of 2:47:17, Cox bettered the previous 50K record by over four minutes set in 2002 by Alex Tilson.

"My legs felt fine, but I was having a hard time keeping fluids down," said Cox. "It was tough out there, but the crowd support really helped, especially once I got going around the track. I was training such that even though it was an off day, I still got the American record."

Cox overcame two bathroom breaks and an upset stomach, which plagued him over the first 20 miles of the race. His marathon split of 2:20:32 was his best time in the last two years and good for ninth place overall. His final lap on the track was clocked at 71 seconds.

"Marathon is still my sport and 2012 is my goal," added Cox, referring to the Olympic Games in London. "These types of efforts will hopefully help my marathon running. I'd love to come back again and try to lower my time."

"The logistics at the finish line worked out perfectly," said Tracy Sundlun, Vice-President of the Competitor Group's Elite Racing division. "Josh Cox has taken the ultra out of the woods and put it into the mainstream, much like what Frank Shorter did with the marathon. Josh is a great representative of the sport and is showing us where it could go in the future."

"Josh Cox is leading the pack as more American distance runners try to push themselves to greater things," said Katie McGregor (Team USA Minnesota, second place 2008 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Virginia Beach, tenth at 2008 ING New York City Marathon.)

USATF's Athlete of the Week program has honored Josh Cox for his 50K American men's record. He was named on January 20 as USATF Athlete of the Week; the honor recognizes outstanding American performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week; selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon

Moses Kigen (25) of Kenya won the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon men's title in his marathon debut. Kigen narrowly won the race in 2:10:36 with Ethiopian Tekeste Kebede placing second. The performance was the second-best time in the six year history of the event.

"It feels great to win in my first marathon," said Kigan. "The course is fantastic, flat and very fast. The running conditions were perfect. I'm going to come back for the course record next year."

Nearly the entire men's field jockeyed for position over the first few miles of the race. A lead pack of seven runners then began to click off sub-5:00 miles. After the 10 mile mark, mile splits were 4:51, 4:53 and 4:44, with a half marathon split of 1:05:09. At the 25K mark, Kigan, Kebde, and fourth place finisher Keteme Nigusse of Ethiopia pulled away.

It was a three man race until the water station at mile 22, when Nigusse fell back. Kigan and Kebede ran side-by-side until the final few meters. Kigen, who also finished third overall at the 2008 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in San Jose, received $20,000 for his first place effort. Defending Champion Michael Aish of New Zealand finished sixth overall.

In the women's marathon, Olena Shurkhno of the Ukraine cruised to victory in 2:31:22, and Salomie Getnet of Ethiopia placed second (2:33:03). In addition to six European marathon titles, Shurkhno has previously won the 2007 Country Music Marathon and placed second in 2008. Two time-defending champion Adanech Zekiros of Ethiopia dropped out with an injury before mile 19.

After leading five miles over the first half of the race, local Arizona resident Sally Meyerhoff finished in fifth place setting a new personal record of 2:35:52. Meyerhoff won additional prize money as the first American woman, Arizona resident and Maricopa County finisher.

"The conditions and the course were beautiful," said Meyerhoff, who qualified for the Olympic Trails in Arizona last year. "The crowd support was great and it was really exciting to lead the race at the halfway point."

Albuquerque resident Kris Houghton and Nickey Archer of the United Kingdom won their respective half marathons. "It felt great to win, but I was hoping to go a little faster," said Houghton, who finished with a time of 1:08:22. "I was out in the front all alone, and a cramp in my hamstring also slowed me down a little."

A record field turned out for the first race in the 2009 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series. Annually the largest combined marathon and half marathon in the U.S., the sixth annual event was the largest in the history of the Rock 'n' Roll series. Conditions on the flat Arizona course were almost ideal for marathon running, dawning sunny and pleasant (48 degrees) with little wind.

About The P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona
As one of the nation's premiere running events, the seventh annual P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon is set for January 17, 2010. Both the Marathon & 1/2 Marathon offer fast, flat and scenic courses that start in downtown Phoenix, run through Scottsdale and finish at Arizona State University in Tempe. Seventy live bands and 40 local high school cheer squads are staged approximately every mile along the 13.1-mile and 26.2-mile courses. The event concludes with an evening concert in Tempe. All participants receive a free concert ticket with their race entry.

Top Finishers in 2009 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon

Men
1	Moses   Kigen   Kenya  	        2:10:36
2	Tekeste Kebede 	Ethiopia 	2:10:36
3	Tesfaye Bekele 	Ethiopia 	2:14:17
4	Keteme 	Nigusse Ethiopia 	2:14:26
5	Fred 	Mogaka 	Kenya 	        2:14:52
6	Mike 	Aish 	New Zealand 	2:15:43
7	Pavel Andreyev  Russia 	        2:18:07
8	Nick 	Stanko 	USA	        2:19:37
9	Josh 	Cox 	USA	        2:20:29
10	Tamrat 	Ayalew 	Ethiopia 	2:21:35


Women				
1	Olena Shurkhno  Ukraine  	2:31:22
2	Salomie Getnet 	Ethiopia 	2:33:03
3	Asnakech Mengistu Ethiopia 	2:33:32
4	Meseret Legesse Ethiopia 	2:35:34
5	Sally Meyerhoff USA		2:35:52
6	Jacquline Nyetipei 	        2:43:53
7	Katie 	Koski 		        2:47:20
8	Cheryl 	Murphy 	Canada 	        2:48:09
9	Jenna Wrieden   USA	        2:50:45
10	Erin Ward 	USA	        2:51:04

Photo above of the marathon start, courtesy of ASI Photo.
See the event Web site for complete Searchable Results.