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Fast Times at 38th Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run
By Jim HageWashington, DC
April 11, 2010
For the Washington Running Report
"We're not tourists, we live here." So might say the thousands of locals who flock annually to the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run. Blossoms or no--and this year barely a flower remained on any of the eponymous trees--area runners know the race offers the best in fast times and first-rate competition.
But first, props to the big boys and girls from the land of the fast. Stephen Tum (24) ran a blazing 45 minutes 43 seconds to become the first Kenyan winner since Gilbert Okari in 2006 and the fastest since Ismael Kirui ran a then-world record 45:38 in 1995. Tum barely edged Lelisa Desisa, 20, from Ethiopia, with a sprint, a lean, and perhaps a bit of an elbow at the finish line. Desisa was less than a second back and afterward filed a protest that he had been unfairly impeded.
"Even at the end, I don't know if I win," Tum said. "Even right now, I'm not sure . . . . I'm not believing it."
Race director Phil Stewart said the results as submitted are official but subject to review by referee and chief judge Ed Murray, who promised to issue a ruling within a day or two.
Tilahun Regassa, who ran a world-leading 59:17 half marathon in January, finished third in 45:50 and John Korir, from Kenya, took fourth in 46:05. Korir fell short in his fourth attempt--and at age 34, perhaps his final attempt--to join Bill Rodgers as the event's only four-time winner.
Okari, 31, finished sixth 46:39, 46 seconds faster than his winning effort four years ago.
Kenyan Lineth Chepkurui, 23, won for a third consecutive year, joining Julie Shea (1975-77) as the only woman to pull such a hat trick. Chepkurui ran 51:51, bettering her winning effort last year by more than 90 seconds.
"I'm grateful to win," said Chepkurui, who holds an international reputation as a cross-country runner. "This is a big, long road race."
Tim Young, 23, from Fredericksburg, finished 18th in a big PR of 49:04; he was the first American and top local. Young, a 2009 James Madison University graduate, was the hometown winner of the first two Marine Corps Historic Half marathons. He is aiming for the Twin Cities (MN) Marathon in October and an Olympic trials qualifying time.
Locals Bert Rodriguez (r), Aaron Church (l), and Jake Klim finished behind Young in 50:52, 50:52, and 50:56, all personal bests. The top 25 finishes also marked high-water marks for the trio, who worked together for much of the race.
"I was all in at eight and a half," Klim said. "If I died finishing up, then I died."
Kelly Jaske, 34, from Portland, OR ran 54:40 to take fifth; she ran most of the race with Samia Akbar of Herndon, who finished seventh in 54:46.
"It was a great help running with Kelly," Akbar said. "We were running the same pace, on the same page." Akbar surged ahead near the finish, but Jaske fought back to claim national honors as the first American and thereby double her prize money.
Johns Hopkins University medical student Phebe Ko, 27, was 10th in 58:10. Joan Benoit Samuelson, 52, the 1984 Olympic marathon gold medalist, ran 60:52 to finish 18th in her first Cherry Blossom race. She beat all 40-year-olds and set a U.S. age-group record for 10 miles, shattering the mark of 62:01 set by S. Rae Baymiller in 1994.
Ray Pugsley, 42, from Potomac Falls, VA (photo) won the masters division for a second consecutive year, running 52:09--the same time he recorded last year.
D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, 39, ran 1:05:53. Dee Nelson, 66, from Gaithersburg, ran 1:22:40 to win her division handily. Gerry Ives, 70, from Washington, ran 1:11:20 to win his age group by nearly 13 minutes. And Nianxiang Xie, 82, from Rockville logged 1:27:28 to win his division.
Ben Beach, 60, from Bethesda extended one of the most remarkable event records by completing his 38th Cherry Blossom race, this one in 1:39:49. On April 19, Beach will start his 43rd consecutive Boston Marathon.
A record 15,694 finished the race.
ResultsFrank McNally's's Report
Also note that Nina Caron (50) of Andover, MA was also faster than the previous record with 20th overall in 1:01:51. She was also the second master. Last November, she finished two seconds behind Samualson in a five mile race, so she knew what she was up against as she set her grandmaster PR in the 10M.