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Bekele Sets Pike’s Peek 10K Record
April 26, 2009
Rockville, MD
For the Washington Running Report
Upon its inception in 1996, the Pike's Peek 10K quickly established itself as one of the Washington area's premiere road races. The event features a fast point-to-point course and an expansive post-race festival, making it a favorite for runners of all stripes and speeds.
This year's 14th edition--an especially hot one--added another distinction: record-setting, as Tesfaye Bekele (25) raced across the finish line in 28 minutes 30 seconds, to break U.S. Olympian Dan Browne's 1999 course record of 28:35. Bekele, from Ethiopia and currently living in the Bronx, NY, broke away from a pack of seven at mile 4 and beat training partner Worku Beyi, also from the Bronx via Ethiopia, by 24 seconds.
"I just trust my body to go," said Bekele, who ran 2:14:17 to finish third at the Rock ‘n' Roll Arizona Marathon in January.
Meskeram Legesse (22) won the women's race in 32:59, outsprinting fellow Ethiopian Hirut Mandefro by four seconds. "It was a little slow at the beginning," Legesse said. "I just wanted to follow them." She unleashed a decisive kick with 200 meters remaining.
Editor's note: She ties for the second fastest women's time behind Jennifer Rhines' 1998 win in 32:45.
"These are my friends," Legesse said of Mandefro and sixth-place finisher and Bronx training partner Buzunesh Deba. Asked if it was okay to beat them racing, Legesse answered with a long laugh, "Oh, yeah!"
Legesse, a former national junior champion, ran 4:51.1 to finish sixth in the B.A.A. Invitational Mile in Boston on April 19.
Mandefro (23), living in Silver Spring, finished as Pike's Peek runner-up for a second consecutive year. Earlier this spring, Mandefro won the St. Patrick's Day 8K and the National Half Marathon.
Olga Romanova (28), originally from Russian and living in Gaithersburg for the past six years, was third in 33:21.
Bucknell University junior Molly Pritz (20), running her first 10K, finished an impressive fourth in 33:25. Pritz paced a deep women's field through 4 ½ miles. "I'm just learning," Pritz said. "I don't have the race tactics down yet, but I just love to run road races." Pritz ran a 1:16:09 half marathon last fall in Philadelphia and plans on making her marathon debut at the Twin Cities Marathon in October.
Elarbi Khattabi (41), from Westchester, PA, set a masters record of 30:32 and finished eighth overall. Former University of Maryland runner Denise Knickman (40) was the first women's master, 16th overall in 38:00.
Wilson Komen, from Washington, was the top area finisher, 10th in 30:38. Komen (31) ran 30:46 to win the race in 2004. This year, the first 10 men were all foreign born.
Some 3,100 registered and 2,725 started the race; nearly every one of those runners indulged in the sumptuous post-race buffet in the White Flint Mall parking lot afterward.
Awards Listing
Open & Masters By Gun Time, Age Groups By Net Time
No Duplicate Prizes
$$$
MALE OPEN Gun Time
1 4 Tesfaye Bekele 25 Bronx NY 28:30# 750
2 6 Worku Beyi 22 Bronx NY 28:54# 700
3 1 Demesse Tefera 27 Silver Spring MD 28:57# 650
4 10 Derese Deniboba 26 Bronx NY 29:07# 600
5 12 Gurmessa Megerssa 26 Silver Spring MD 29:48# 550
6 14 Mohamed Awol 30 Bronx NY 30:01 500
7 3 Abiyot Endale 22 Bronx NY 30:03 450
8 3304 Elarbi Khattabi 41 Westchester PA 30:29* 400
9 11 Abiyot Abebe 22 Washington DC 30:32 350
10 9 Wilson Komen 31 Washington DC 30:38 300
# Under USATF OPEN guideline
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
FEMALE OPEN Gun Time
1 5 Meskerem Legesse 22 Bronx NY 32:59# 750
2 2 Hirut Mandefro 23 Silver Spring MD 33:03# 700
3 8 Olga Romanova 28 Gaithersburg MD 33:21# 650
4 282 Molly Pritz 21 Williamsport PA 33:25# 600
5 53 Hellen Jemutai 27 Chapel Hill NC 33:30# 550
6 7 Buzunesh Deba 21 Bronx NY 33:56# 500
7 52 Divina Jepkogei 24 Chapel Hill NC 34:11# 450
8 13 Elena Orlova 39 Gaithersburg MD 34:56* 400
9 32 Laurel Jefferson 23 Silver Spring MD 35:49 350
10 31 Meghan Ridgley 30 Reston VA 36:30 300
# Under USATF OPEN guideline
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
MALE MASTERS Gun Time
1 2777 Peter Keating 43 Columbia MD 34:20 250
2 2782 Jim Nielsen 43 Broadlands VA 34:50 200
3 51 Mark Malander 51 Herndon VA 35:03* 150
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
FEMALE MASTERS Gun Time
1 40 Denise Knickman 40 Baltimore MD 38:00* 250
2 752 Paula Pels 41 Bethesda MD 39:47 200
3 847 Cindy Conant 48 Kensington MD 40:08* 150
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
MALE AGE GROUP: 15 - 19 Net Time
1 2272 Nicolas Escobar 17 Rockville MD 33:59* 75
2 2707 Sam Boimov 19 Montgomery Vill MD 34:18 50
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 15 - 19 Net Time
1 2931 Elaine Chung 17 Rockville MD 46:01 75
2 1942 Hilary Staver 18 College Park MD 46:46 50
MALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 24 Net Time
1 37 Patrick Reaves 24 Silver Spring MD 32:30 75
2 2154 Jossi Fritz-Mauer 24 Ardmore PA 33:19 50
3 28 Jimmy Daly 23 Washington DC 34:40 25
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 20 - 24 Net Time
1 17 Muluye Gurmu 24 Silver Spring MD 37:28 75
2 36 Lindsey Jerdonek 24 Washington DC 37:49 50
3 15 Woineshet Gebessa 24 Washington DC 42:43 25
MALE AGE GROUP: 25 - 29 Net Time
1 30 Jake Klim 28 North Bethesda MD 31:22 75
2 38 Billy Askey 26 Arlington VA 34:08 50
3 3232 Aaron Anderson 25 Gaithersburg MD 34:37 25
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 25 - 29 Net Time
1 2141 Amy Baker 25 Manassas VA 36:58 75
2 33 Ashley Griffith 26 McLean VA 40:00 50
3 3257 Bethany Huber 29 Arlington VA 41:41 25
MALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 34 Net Time
1 3341 Daniel Too 32 Abingdon MD 32:03 75
2 2189 Tim Schaefer 30 Gaithersburg MD 32:18 50
3 2842 Joel Adams 31 Manassas VA 34:06 25
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 34 Net Time
1 3108 Celia Brown 32 Birmingham UK 36:43 75
2 1573 Amanda Tiernan 30 Gaithersburg MD 38:20 50
3 2034 Eileen Fleck 32 Baltimore MD 39:17 25
MALE AGE GROUP: 35 - 39 Net Time
1 39 Mika Luoto 36 Columbia MD 32:08 75
2 2687 Tom Matzke 38 Rockville MD 37:41 50
3 2167 Jack Lovett 39 Newport News VA 37:51 25
4 2872 Remus Medley 39 Baltimore MD 38:56 25
5 3218 Loid Saillard 35 Rockville MD 39:18 25
6 3021 Chris Keuleman 37 Silver Spring MD 39:23 25
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 35 - 39 Net Time
1 35 Barb Fallon-Wallac 35 Alexandria VA 36:58* 75
2 34 Mary Davison 36 Bristow VA 38:09 50
3 2950 Kathleen McFarlane 39 Ashburn VA 43:09 25
4 3241 Leanna McKenzie 35 Gaithersburg MD 43:26 25
5 2493 Kimberly Price 36 Gaithersburg MD 43:28 25
6 2448 Julie Sapper 36 Rockville MD 43:30 25
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
MALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44 Net Time
1 1697 Bill Bray 44 Fairfax VA 35:03 75
2 2121 Bryan Mikesh 44 Fairfax VA 36:26 50
3 2918 Sheldon Degenhardt 44 Marriottsville MD 36:35 25
4 2317 Joerg Schroeder 41 Rockville MD 37:27 25
5 1140 Keith Albright 40 Greenbelt MD 38:06 25
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 40 - 44 Net Time
1 2686 Samantha Kirby 40 Arlington VA 40:17 75
2 1461 Rosalind Sheppard 41 Bowie MD 41:59 50
3 3225 Yoko Futatsugi 42 Bethesda MD 43:02 25
4 3111 Kris Barner 44 Rockville MD 44:13 25
5 824 Bridget Ryder 40 Gaithersburg MD 46:11 25
MALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 49 Net Time
1 25 Greg Cauller 49 York PA 35:12 75
2 1591 Christian Falmagne 48 Bethesda MD 35:46 50
3 2905 David Cascio 46 Reston VA 35:58 25
4 772 Jean-Chri Arcaz 48 Rockville MD 36:06 25
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 49 Net Time
1 2989 Vanessa Cox 47 Laurel MD 42:26 75
2 1763 Linda Brenner 45 Rockville MD 45:38 50
3 3305 Eileen Haase 48 Rockville MD 46:11 25
4 1872 Paula Galliani 49 Gaithersburg MD 46:48 25
MALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 54 Net Time
1 23 Dan Lawson 53 Gaithersburg MD 36:20* 75
2 29 Maurice Pointer 53 Baltimore MD 36:37 50
3 794 Weems McFadden 51 Annapolis MD 36:46 25
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 54 Net Time
1 1880 Dorothy Beckett 51 Columbia MD 44:39* 75
2 2871 Cynthia Evans 53 Randalstown MD 46:43 50
3 2514 Natalie Jenkins 50 Gaithersburg MD 47:47 25
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
MALE AGE GROUP: 55 - 59 Net Time
1 3193 Jim Wright 59 Gaithersburg MD 38:07* 75
2 1820 Timothy Morgan 58 Damascus MD 38:59* 50
3 2298 Roland Rust 56 Bethesda MD 40:53 25
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 55 - 59 Net Time
1 2873 Betty Blank 56 Falls Church VA 45:27* 75
2 1778 Ellen Cooper 58 Rockville MD 50:23 50
3 818 Shelley Niwa 56 Rockville MD 50:59 25
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
MALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 64 Net Time
1 3101 Michael Hazilla 62 Germantown MD 40:39* 75
2 432 Ronnie Wong 62 Catonsille MD 40:53* 50
3 2286 Bernard Wright 62 Pomfret MD 41:02* 25
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 60 - 64 Net Time
1 2070 Alice Franks 60 Rockville MD 47:30* 75
2 597 Chris Craun 63 Bethesda MD 48:50* 50
3 2107 Linda Kearney 62 Oak Hill VA 49:57* 25
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
MALE AGE GROUP: 65 - 69 Net Time
1 2612 Lou Shapiro 67 Silver Spring MD 41:34* 75
2 2006 Michael Golash 66 Washington DC 43:56* 50
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 65 - 69 Net Time
1 2301 Dee Nelson 65 Gaithersburg MD 49:24* 75
2 2575 Linda Yarr 65 Bethesda MD 59:37* 50
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
MALE AGE GROUP: 70 - 74 Net Time
1 2108 Chan Robbins 71 Arlington VA 48:12* 75
2 445 Henry Guyot 74 Washington DC 54:08 50
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 70 - 74 Net Time
MALE AGE GROUP: 75 - 79 Net Time
1 2771 Jerry Lewis 75 Reston VA 51:38* 75
2 2303 Jack McMahon 78 Rockville MD 55:41* 50
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 75 - 79 Net Time
1 2279 Jacquelin O'Neil 77 Washington DC 81:39* 75
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
MALE AGE GROUP: 80 - 95 Net Time
1 1358 Nianxiang Xie 81 Rockville MD 59:18* 75
* Under USATF Age-Group guideline
FEMALE AGE GROUP: 80 - 95 Net Time