Charles Kibiwot is a surprise winner
With a big kick over the final 200 meters, Charles Kibiwot finally broke his pursuers, John Henwood from New Zealand and fellow Kenyan Joseah Matui, to win the 22nd Sallie Mae 10K in 29 minutes 33 seconds in West Potomac Park. Asmae Leghzaoui from Morocco won the women's race in a course-record 31:26.

While Kibiwot's winning sprint was dominant, it could not have been easy. Kibiwot (30) ran in Washington two weeks earlier at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile and finished an underwhelming 16th in 50:28. And a week earlier, at the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K in Richmond, Kibiwot finished ninth, barely earning enough prize money to cover his expenses in getting to the race from his training base of Germantown, MD.

Moreover, in the stretch drive, Kibiwot faced Matui, who had beaten Kibiwot in Richmond by nearly 200 meters, and Henwood, an Olympian from New Zealand with a 10,000 meter track time of 27:45.98, which made him the favorite in a sprint finish.

"It comes down to who has the most power," the affable Kibiwot said. And confidence is borne of Kibiwot's long years of training, and certainly a 2:10:21 marathon personal best set in Reims, France, where he won in 2002 and '03.

Leghzaoui (28, photo left) surely had an easier time winning her race, outdistancing Tatyana Petrova (22), from Russia, by more than a minute. Petrova finished fourth this year at Cherry Blossom and won handily at Ukrop's in 32:46. But Sallie Mae belonged to Leghzaoui, who arrived from Morocco earlier in the week; she is the first non-Russian woman winner at Sallie Mae since Grace Momanyi from Kenya in 2000.

"This was a good race for me," Leghzaoui said. "This is my first race [of the season] and it gives me confidence to win." In 2002, Leghzaoui ran 30:29 at the Mini-Marathon in New York to set the road 10K world best, a mark that has since been bettered by Paula Radcliffe (30:21 in 2003).

Jackline Okemwa (26), from Kenya, finished third in 33:00 and Tatyana Chulakh (22), from Russia, was fourth in 33:52. Chulakh had been the runner-up at Ukrop's, where Okemwa was third. Former Villanova track standout Ann McGranahan (26) was the first American and fifth overall in 34:12.

With its generous masters prize purse ($500 for first decreasing by $50 increments to 10th), Sallie Mae always attracts a top-flight elder set; nine of the top 20 women and 13 of the top 37 men this year were over 40. Top honors went to Paul Aufdemberge, who ran with the leaders for more than half the race and finished in 30:13, seventh overall. Aufdemberge, who turned 40 last December 30, appears set for a banner year.

Former Sallie Mae masters champ and 1984 Olympic marathoner John Tuttle (46, photo left), from Villa Rica, GA, was second in 32:21 (18th overall).

"I thought I won," Tuttle said, "because [Aufemberge] was so far ahead I never saw him." Ukrop's masters winner Tim Schuler (41), from Chambersburg, PA, was third in 32:45.

Laurel Park (42), from Ann Arbor, MI, ran 35:35 and unseated former masters record holder (33:47) and 1981 Soviet Union 1,500- meter champion Tatyana Pozdnyakova (50), from Ukraine, who finished 53 seconds behind Park. Earlier this year Pozdnyakova set an age-group marathon world best of 2:31:05.

Maria Spinnler, the 2004 Sallie Mae masters champ from Hagerstown, MD, is back after foot surgery and finished third in 37:18 (12th overall).

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