Photos courtesy of Victah@Photo Run.

It was a double victory for Kenyan James Mwangi (photo left) at the fifth annual Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon presented by SunTrust. In winning and setting a course record, not only did the 22-year-old earn the $12,000 first place check and an additional $3,000 course record bonus, but his 1:00:42 winning time earned him a berth on his country's team for the 2005 World Half Marathon Championships.

Women's champion Werknesh Kidane of Ethiopia made her half marathon debut a success, winning the title in 1:09:48. Breaking away from an eight-woman pack at the 10-mile mark, the 2004 Olympian blistered the final 5K in 15:58, an average of 5:08 per mile. Kidane finished fourth in the 10,000-meters at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

The men's pack of 16 was on course record pace thru 10K before 22-year-old Kenyan James Kwambi surged at 7.5 miles, opening up a 20-meter lead. It wasn't until mile 10 that eventual winner Mwangi reeled in his countryman. A berth on the World Championship team in the balance, Mwangi pressed for the finish in search of the sub-61:00-minute time. Kwambai finished second in 1:01:05 and countryman Yusuf Songoka was third at 1:01:56.

"I knew I was going to win when we turned onto the boardwalk," said Mwangi, who held a six-meter lead at that point.

Defending champion Nuta Olaru of Romania and countrywoman Mihaela Botezan led the women thru aggressive opening miles of 5:13 and 5:17, well under course record pace. But as the course unfolded, the race began to turn tactical, with eight women from five different countries still together thru Camp Pendleton and back along Atlantic Ave.

As the 10-mile mark approached, Kidane (photo left) moved into position and as they crossed the mile marker, she blasted away. A 5:10 mile was followed by a 5:03, as the leader increased her margin and ran alone down the finishing stretch on the boardwalk.

"Before I ran the half marathon I thought it was too long," said Kidane. Now I think it's really good. The weather is perfect to me. It was nice to have the cheering along the course. Everything is perfect today."

Kenyan Salina Kosgei was second at 1:10:03 and Ikuko Nagao of Japan was third at 1:10:13. Nagao's countrywoman, Naoko Takahashi, the gold medalist in the marathon at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, was fourth in 1:10:30.

Chad Johnson of Indianapolis won the wheelchair race in a time of 51:05.

More than 17,000 entrants joined the elite fields on a sunny but cool day along the Atlantic shoreline, including 500 from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program who raised a total of $1.1 million (net) for this year's event. Sixteen cheer squads and over 20 bands lined the course to entertain and motivate the runners. The evening capped off with a headliner concert featuring Vertical Horizon and Journey.

Top 10 Results

Top 10 Men 
Place, Name, Age, Country, Time, Prize money
1, James Mwangi, 22, Kenya, 1:00.42, $15,000* 
2, James Kwambai, 22, Kenya, 1:01:05, $7,000 
3, Yusuf Songoka, 25, Kenya, 1:01:56, $5,000 
4, John Korir, 29, Kenya, 1:02:22, $3,000 
5, Mohammed Amyn, 27, Morocco, 1:02:30, $2,000 
6, Christopher Cheboiboch, 27, Kenya, 1:02:36, $1,500 
7, Moses Kemboi, 27, Kenya, 1:02:45, $1,000 
8, John Gwako, 27, Kenya, 1:02:55, $750 
9, Yoichiro Akiyama, 25, Japan, 1:02:59, $600 
10, James Koskei, 36, Kenya, 1:03:18, $500 


* Includes $3,000 course record bonus (old record: 1:01:27, 
Martin Lel, Kenya, 2003) 




Top 10 Women 


1, Werknesh Kidane, 23, Ethiopia, 1:09:48, $12,000 
2, Salina Kosgei, 27, Kenya, 1:10:03, $7,000 
3, Ikuko Nagao, 23, Japan, 1:10:13, $5,000 
4, Naoko Takahashi, 29, Japan, 1:10:30, $3,000 
5, Asha Gigi, 31, Ethiopia, 1:10:39, $2,000 
6, Mihaela Botezan, 29, Romania, 1:10:45, $1,500 
7, Nuta Olaru, 35, Romania, 1:11:06, $1,000 
8, Alevtina Ivanova, 30, Russia, 1:11:14, $750 
9, Miho Ichikawa, 33, Japan, 1:11:33, $600 
10, Luminita Talpos, 32, Romania, 1:11:41, $500 


Wheelchair Top 3 
1, Chad Johnson, Indianapolis, 51:05, $600 
2, Bob Molinatti, Merritt Island, Fla., 1:00:43 
3, C. David Swaim, Wake Forest, NC, 1:00:56 


Masters Men 
1, John Piggott, Williamsburg, Va., 1:11:54, $1,000 
2, Rob Hinkle, Yorktown, Va., 1:14:28, $500 


Masters Women 
1, Tatiana Titova, Russia, 1:20:47, $1,000 
2, Megan Burns, Virginia Beach, Va., 1:22:17, $500 


Hampton Roads Residents 
Men 


1, Billy Edwards, Virginia Beach, Va., 1:11:05, $500 
2, Ryan Carroll, Chesapeake, Va., 1:12:24, $250 


Women

 
1, Renee High, Virginia Beach, Va., 1:21:26, $500 
2, Megan Burns, Virginia Beach, Va., 1:22:17, $250 


Spirit on the Course Competition 
1, Hickory High School, $1,000 
2, Deep Creek High School, $750 
3, Frank W. Cox High School, $500

Full results