Less than 24 hours after a massive fire in Richmond forced organizers to move the starting line for the event, the fifth annual Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K presented by POWERade went off without a hitch, much to the delight of the 14,163 participants in the race.

In his first race in the United States, 20-year-old Kenyan Reuben Chebii, who trains in West Chester, PA, finished in a time of 28 minutes, 7 seconds, smashing the year-old mark of 28:34 set by Gilbert Koech. Henry Kipchirchir was the second place finisher at 28:37, followed by Yergen Bozhko (28:49), Ibrahim Limo (29:36), and Daniel Cheruiyot (29:39).

On the women's side, 21-year-old Russian Tatyana Petrova took the $1,500 first prize in a time of 32:46, 26 seconds ahead of 2004 Czech Republic Olympic marathon team member Anna Pichrtova. Larisa Michailova (35:16), Maria Elena Calle (36:04), and Jill Krebs (37:43) rounded out the top five.

Friday afternoon's three-alarm, wind-whipped fire destroyed a five-story apartment building and spread to nearly 20 other structures across several blocks in downtown Richmond adjacent to the event's planned starting line on Broad Street. After meeting with police and city officials on Friday afternoon, the decision was made to move the start to the Franklin Street starting line that had been used in past years.

A total of 14,163 participants registered for the race, which filled to capacity five weeks before race day. That number represents an increase of more than 5,500 participants from last year's record field of 8,500. The Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K has been recognized by USA Track & Field as the fastest-growing running race in the country last year.

The morning began with 1,001 children ages 6 through 12 participating in the second annual First Market Mile Kids Race presented by Minute Maid. Thousands of non-runners joined in the fun by attending the Minute Maid Race Festival in Monroe Park, enjoying live music, food sampling, and interactive games.

The Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K raised more than $90,000 for the Association for the Support of Children with Cancer (ASK), the event's official beneficiary. "Through the generosity of the runners and walkers in the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K, ASK will receive much needed funds for the support of children being treated for cancer at the newly renovated ASK Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic at MCV Hospitals," said Steve McCoy, ASK board member.

"The success of today's event in light of Friday's fire was the result of the cooperation of the City of Richmond and its police department, along with the more than 700 dedicated volunteers, thousands of spectators and the support of sponsors like Ukrop's and POWERade," stated Tracey Russell, race director.

Next year the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K will take place on Saturday, April 9, 2005. Registration is expected to open in late December.

See complete results of the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K.