Kenyan Wins Rockville After Earlier Effort in New Jersey; Track Specialist Legesse Takes Women's Race

Downtown Rockville unveiled its brand-new downtown face, but the Twilight 8K, now in the 22nd year, just kept rolling along. Even the weather cooperated with a spectacular summer evening that aided fast times and comfortable racing conditions for all 1,915 finishers.

Daniel Too (30) from Kenya via his brother Erick's place in New Jersey, took advantage, racing to a lead by two miles and then holding off runner-up Ethiopian Abraha Asefa (24) to win in a swift 23 minutes 51 seconds. Asefa finished 13 seconds back, and just ahead of Too's second brother, Solomon, who took third in 24:09. Shamrock Marathon champion Genna Tufa (23) from Ethiopia (in photo) finished fourth in 24:13.

Both of the racing Too's had competed earlier in the day in the Teterboro (NJ) Airport 5K, where Daniel finished fourth and Solomon seventh, before heading south to Rockville on Interstate 95.

"I was not tired," said Daniel Too, who ran 2:11:10 in the Dusseldorf Marathon on May 7. "This race was better than this morning."

Erick Too, a representative for New Balance, made the four-hour drive while his brothers dozed.

Former American University standout and Patriot League 1,500 meter champion (3:46.51) Brendan Fennell (21) was the top American and fifth overall in 24:17. John Bitok (26), a Kenyan who lives in Baltimore, was sixth, and Dave Berdan (26), another Baltimorean, was the second American, seventh in 24:40. Berdan's effort was a final racing fling before his wedding next week to Amanda, who cheered him on.

Two-time defending champion Wilson Komen (29), recovering with a sore hamstring, finished 13th in 25:13.

Meskeram Legesse (20), an Ethiopian who specializes on the track at 800 and 1,500 meters, extended herself to win the women's race in 27:15; both Legesse and men's winner Too took home $350 for their efforts.

"The first mile was slow, 5:10," said Legesse, who won the National City (CA) road mile last fall in 4:39 after competing in the first ranks of the European track circuit. She passed early leader Teyba Naser, also from Ethiopia, at two miles and never looked back. Naser finished second in 27:51, holding off top American Julie Culley (25) from Baltimore who took third in 27:55.

(In photo, Culley is overhauled by Jason Driscoll (#2040) with red, white, and blue Max Lockwood filing in behind as the last sub 28:00 runner.

Legesse, who moved to the Bronx recently from Tucson, also made the four-hour drive to race in Rockville.

Notable:
Michael Wardian (33) provided the American version of double- racing, winning the Rock 'n Run 8K in Alexandria in the morning, then running 25:19 to finish 14th in Rockville.

Former Eleanor Roosevelt High standout and Washington Post All- Met Mikias Gelagle (18), who now runs for Arizona State, finished one place and one second behind Wardian.

Former Army Ten-Miler champions Alisa Harvey (41) and Darrell General (41) won their respective masters division races in 29:49 and 26:58. Harvey was 14th overall; General will try to qualify for a record sixth Olympic trials at the Chicago Marathon in October.

Brothers Andrew (19) and Mat (18) Abernethy from College Park finished 24th and 31st in 25:49 and 26:01, respectively; eight of the top 44 men were under 20 years old.

Former Montgomery Blair High runners, twins Ashlyn and Halsey Sinclair (18), finished 24th and 25th, both in 31:12.

Chan Robbins (70), from Arlington, made an impressive return to the roads by winning his age group in 37:59, under the USATF age-group guideline.

In photo, it is early in the race. Sandy Roberts (#23) of Washington, DC moves strongly away from three top teens to win in 24:57. Trailing now, Erik Anderson (#81) of Baltimore, MD moves up to third in the division with 25:43. Andrew Abernethy (#2041) is fourth in 25:49. Tarik Aougab (#465) of Potomac, MD is eighth in 26:38.

Full Race Day Results
Race Report
Photo Gallery 2007
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