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USA Track & Field
BolderBOULDER 10K: Top Americans Amy Hastings (Fourth), James Carney (Fifth)
By Mike Sandrock, Running USA wireBOULDER, CO--(May 30, 2010)--After going out too fast in last year's Dick's Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER 10K and leading her unsuspecting teammates into early oxygen debt and a third-place team finish, Renee Metivier-Baillie vowed to run smarter this year. On a cloudy Memorial Day, she and her USA teammates, Amy Hastings and Magdalena Lewy Boulet, placed second in the 2011 International Women's Team Challenge.
The American women scored 19 points, coming within two points of upsetting powerhouse Ethiopia for the team title. Kenya, led by race champion Lineth Chepkurui (32:30), was third with 26. Team Colorado, comprising Adriana Pirtea, Colleen De Reuck and Zoila Gomez, finished fifth.
Ethiopia swept the men's and women's International Team Challenge titles for the third straight year. The professional runners competed after an event record 49,271 finishers in the citizen race.
In the first course change since 1981, the starting line was moved closer to the Folsom Field finish on the University of Colorado campus, to make for better loading and unloading of runners and walkers comprising the 92 "waves" or starting groups.
"It worked out great," said race founder Steve Bosley. His son, race director Cliff, pointed out that the start of the professional women's race was delayed 16 minutes because of the large number of people wanting to register Monday morning.
This year, U.S. men and women displayed great teamwork.
Boulder's James Carney and teammates Ryan Hall and Aaron Braun placed 5-7-12 to finish third behind Ethiopia (12 points) and Kenya (13 points). Team Colorado (Jason Hartmann, Fernando Cabada and Brian Medigovich) placed fourth.
Ethiopian 10,000m specialists Belete Assefa and Solomon Gonfa finished first and second, followed by Kenyans Allan Kiprono (who trains in Boulder under Dieter Hogan), and MacDonald Ondara. Assefa's winning time of 29:23 was not especially fast, but the BolderBOULDER 10K is all about competition for the professional runners, said Ethiopian Hussen Adelo.
"When we race against Kenya, it is a fight!" he exclaimed through a translator, making boxing motions with his fists.
Local favorite James Carney raced well again at the BolderBOULDER 10K. He ran with Hall until 3½ miles, where the course climbs west towards the mountains before turning south and cresting at 4 miles. Carney caught American Aaron Braun, and continued moving up the field to a fifth-place finish (30:17), good for $1600 plus a share of the $17,500 team prize. Both totals include U.S. Olympic training funds.
"You line 'em up, and I'll knock 'em down," a happy Carney remarked to a capacity crowd inside the football stadium. Two F-14 fighter jets flew over the stadium, and the crowd grew silent during the playing of taps and singing of the national anthem, all part of what has become the largest Memorial Day gathering in the nation.
2008 Olympian Ryan Hall, coming off his epic Boston Marathon run just six weeks ago, commented: "I was pleased with my race. I just wanted to enjoy the ride, coming off my [Boston Marathon American record] 2:04. This is icing on the cake; the crowd was amazing, like the Olympics."
The rivalry between Kenya and Ethiopia continues; this was the fifth consecutive Ethiopia win in the men's race, but much closer than last year's 1-2-3 Ethiopia sweep that left the Kenyans privately fuming.
The third Kenyan on Monday, Lani Rutto in sixth, finished ahead of Adelo, the third Ethiopian scorer. However, Adelo, a 2:09 marathoner, won it for his team in the most exciting sprint of the day, outkicking Constantino Leon Lopez of Peru at the 40-yard line for ninth place. That was enough to keep the Ethiopian streak going.
The new start of the race, which is slightly uphill instead of downhill, kept the packs together longer, making for exciting team races on both the men's and women's sides.
"I was hurting once again," remarked Renee Metivier-Baillie; she showed true grit by running on a leg injured during the club cross country championships in December, and finished sixth (34:54). She has raced only twice since December, and had only two months of full training leading into the BolderBOULDER 10K.
Metivier-Baillie paced her teammates in the early going, unlike last year's fast opening.
"It is a magical moment working together as a team," added Metivier-Baillie. "We were second this time; next year, we will go for the win."
Amy Hastings, whose 2:27:03 at the Honda LA Marathon in March is the 8th fastest U.S. women's time ever, placed fourth (34:20) as the fastest American woman. The Mammoth Track Club athlete is focusing on the 2012 Olympics. She does not know if the same Team USA will be back for a third Bolder next year, but she would like to return.
"The team aspect is so exciting," Hastings said. "It is so much more fun, and the crowd at the finish was amazing. Like the Olympics."
Then Hastings paused. "Well, what I imagine the Olympics sound like. I have not been there. . . yet."
At the 33rd edition, fittingly, a veteran, Mieszka Laczek-Johnson, 34, of Denver became the race's one millionth finisher (the 20,801st finisher overall); she ran the 6.2 mile course in 58:43.
33rd Dick's Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER 10K, 14th International Team Challenge
Top Men
1) Belete Assefa (Ethiopia), 29:23, $3750
2) Solomon Gonfa (Ethiopia), 29:28, $2750
3) Allan Kiprono (Kenya), 29:36, $2000
4) MacDonard Ondara (Kenya), 29:48, $1250
5) James Carney (USA), 30:17, $1600*
6) Lani Rutto (Kenya), 30:24, $700
7) Ryan Hall (USA), 30:30, $1200*
8) Jason Hartmann (Team Colorado), 30:40, $1000*
9) Hussen Adelo (Ethiopia), 30:45, $400
10) Constantino Leon Lopez (Peru), 30:46, $300
11) Hicham Bellani (Morocco), 30:49
12) Aaron Braun (USA), 30:52
13) Fernando Cabada (Team Colorado), 30:55
14) Paulino Canchanya (Peru), 30:57
15) Brian Medigovich (Team Colorado), 31:03
16) Abdellah Falil (Morocco), 31:04
17) Julio Cesar Perez (Mexico), 31:14
18) Jose Carlos Roxon (Guatemala), 31:27
19) Alfredo Arevalo (Guatemala), 31:30
20) Jeremias Solol (Guatemala), 31:44
21) Said Diaz Ceron (Mexico), 31:50
22) Jaime Caldua Palma (Peru), 31:59
23) Mohamed Fadil (Morocco), 32:27
24) Neilson Hall (Great Britain), 32:36
25) Jon Peppers (Great Britain), 32:37
26) Jonathon Morales (Mexico), 32:58
27) Matt Janes (Great Britain), 34:58
Team Results
1) Ethiopia, 12 points, $15,000
2) Kenya, 13, $10,000
3) Team USA, 24, $17,500*
4) Team Colorado, 36, $13,500*
5) Peru, 46, $4000
6) Morocco, 50
7) Guatemala, 57
8) Mexico, 64
9) Great Britain, 76
*includes U.S. Olympic training funds
Top Women
1) Lineth Chepkurui (Kenya), 32:30, $4750
2) Mamitu Daska (Ethiopia), 32:35, $3500
3) Meseret Mengistubiru (Ethiopia), 34:06, $1500
4) Amy Hastings (USA), 34:20, $2250*
5) Claire Hallisey (Great Britain), 34:48, $800
6) Renee Metivier-Baillie (USA), 34:54, $1400*
7) Jelliah Tinega (Kenya), 35:04, $600
8) Adriana Pirtea (Team Colorado), 35:09, $1000*
9) Magdalena Lewy Boulet (USA), 35:10, $800*
10) Yuri Kano (Japan), 35:17, $300
11) Yuko Watanabe (Japan), 35:20
12) Tigish Tufa (Ethiopia), 35:56
13) Bertha Sanchez (Colombia), 36:28
14) Marta Ronceria (Colombia), 36:35
15) Colleen De Reuck (Team Colorado), 36:39
16) Zoila Gomez (Team Colorado), 36:45
17) Yumi Hirata (Japan), 36:53
18) Risper Gesabwa (Kenya), 36:59
19) Leidy Tobon (Colombia), 37:20
20) Sarah Tunstall (Great Britain), 37:44
21) Angelica Sanchez (Mexico), 37:54
22) Fabiola Fernandez (Mexico), 37:56
23) Iracema Parra (Mexico), 38:31
24) Mary Wilkinson (Great Britain), 39:23
Team Results
1) Ethiopia, 17 points, $15,000
2) Team USA, 19, $27,500*
3) Kenya, 26, $7000
4) Japan, 38, $6000
5) Team Colorado, 39, $8000*
6) Colombia, 46
7) Great Britain, 49
8) Mexico, 66
*includes U.S. Olympic training funds
Complete results and more at www.bolderboulder.com.