Boardwalk finish by Victah

From top to bottom the 5th annual Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, held Sunday morning in Virginia Beach, was the fastest and best ever, from the record turnout to the perfect weather to course records and deep fields for the international and regional competition. James Mwangi of Kenya broke the men's course record with a 1:00:42 and Werknesh Kidane of Ethiopia had a successful half marathon debut with her winning 1:09:48. In the regional competition, Billy Edwards, Renee High, John Piggott (photo left #1597), Megan Burns and Steve Chantry excelled.

With a wave start for the first time, the race limit was raised to 20,000 entrants this year. Over 17,000 actually participated, with almost 16,000 official finishers. A cool front had moved through the area over the Labor Day weekend, so the morning low was in the 60s, with low humidity. Runners were protected from the northerly breeze by the tall oceanfront buildings along Atlantic Avenue, but benefited with a tailwind for the final 2 1/2-mile stretch down the concrete Oceanfront Boardwalk to the 6th Street finish line.

In the four previous editions of the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, only one runner had run faster than 1:01:55, the 1:01:27 by Martin Lel of Kenya in 2003. Sunday, two runners dipped under the previous record, winner James Mwangi, 21, of Kenya. (His course record 1:00:42 was good for $12,000 regular prize money, a $3,000 course record bonus, and an additional time bonus of $1,000 for running under 1:01:00.) Runner-up James Kwambai, 22, of Kenya (photo left by Victah), who helped make the race by surging away from the pack after the Rudee Inlet Bridge at 8 1/2 miles, almost dipped under 1:01:00 himself, with his second-place 1:01:05, good for $7,000. There was a total of $71,200 in regular prize money for the open men and women ($12,000-7000-5000-3000-2000-1500-1000-750-600-500), masters men and women ($1000-500), and Hampton Roads residents (500-250), plus time bonuses and wheelchair competition.

Besides winning the race, Mwangi qualified for the Kenyan team to the World Half Marathon Championships by dipping under the 1:01 standard.

For the women, there were as many under 1:11 this year as had broken that barrier in the previous four editions of the race, led by Werknesh Kidane, 23, of Ethiopia and her 1:09:48, only the second sub-1:10 time in race history, and close to the race record of 1:09:17 by Kenya's Margaret Okayo in 2003. Also under 1:11 were Salina Kosgei of Kenya (1:10:03; photo left by Victah), Ikuko Nagao of Japan (1:10:13), 2000 Sydney marathon winner Naoko Takahashi of Japan (1:10:30), Asha Gigi of Ethiopia (1:10:39), and Mihaela Botezan of Romania (1:10:45). Defending champion Nuta Olaru of Romania, slowed just 16 seconds from 1:10:50 to 1:11:06, but dropped in place from first to seventh. The tenth-fastest women's time was 1:11:41, almost two minutes faster than the previous fastest tenth place (1:13:34 in 2003).

Billy Edwards, 27, of Virginia Beach won the Hampton Roads title with a 20-second PR of 1:11:05, with Ryan Carroll (photo left #1060) of Chesapeake (1:12:24) holding off a breakthrough performance by Victor Flemming of Smithfield (1:12:29).

For the women, Renee High, 23, of Virginia Beach demolished her previous PR of 1:27:27 with a remarkable 1:21:26 for first Hampton Roads female, with Shamrock Marathon winner Megan Burns (photo below) of Virginia Beach second in 1:22:17. Burns also was second masters (behind Tatiana Titova of Russia's 1:20:47 from the elite division). The top two men's masters were John Piggott, 40, of Williamsburg (1:11:54) and Rob Hinkle, 41, of Yorktown (1:14:28).

One of the biggest surprises was an age-group loss by Chuck Moeser, 53, of Sterling (photo left) to any Washington Running Report area runner. Steve Chantry, 50, of Williamsburg was within 15-20 seconds of Moeser (out fast with Hinkle) through the 5K and 10K splits, but passed Moeser during a portajohn break to lead at 10 miles (59:18 to 59:35), then pulling away down the Boardwalk to a 1:17:34 (a 10-minute PR!), with Moeser 45 seconds behind in 1:18:19.

Chantry had been ranked #1 by WRR while Moeser was in a five-month "retirement."

Moeser returned in August with the Leesburg 10K and the Annapolis 10 Miler. The two are expecting a quick rematch at this Saturday's Abbitt Realty Bay Days 10K in Hampton.

The first U.S. runner was Celedonia (Cele) Rodriguez, 24, of Colorado for the men (17th in a PR 1:04:49). The first unseeded woman was Emily Kroshus, 22, of Philadelphia (1:16:28). Kroshus, a 2004 Princeton grad (4th in the 2004 NCAA 10,000 meters in 33:32) from Calgary, Alberta, has a 1:15:56 PR from the 2004 Philly Half. Mary Kate Bailey of Arlington (photo left) was the first U.S. runner in 1:17:27, and was the second unseeded woman.

The race had a coup in getting stars like Werknesh Kidane and Naoko Takahashi. Kidane, fourth in the Athens Olympic 10,000 meters, was running her first race as long as a half marathon. Takahashi, the Sydney Olympic Marathon champion and former world record holder (the first woman under 2:20) races infrequently. The Rock 'n' Roll Half was her first race in the U.S. She has been training as much as 50K a day, and 180 miles per week, at altitude in Colorado. In Japan, she has rock-star status, including a comic strip of her with a million subscribers. In Virginia Beach, she was followed everywhere by a mass of Japanese reporters and photographers, but handled the attention with a constant smile. She plans a fall marathon in Tokyo.

Full Results.

Official Press Release from Elite Racing.