Photos by Victah www.photorun.net

Christopher Raabe, Laura Turner are top local finishers

Kenyan Julius Kibet earned top honors for the second time at Sunday's Philadelphia Distance Run, winning the men's race in a time of 1 hour, 2 minutes, 2 seconds. Pamela Chepchumba, also from Kenya, won the women's race in 1:08:45, one of the world's fastest half-marathon times for women this year.

It took a few miles for the men's professional field to warm up to the clear and cool morning, recording their first sub-five minute mile at mile three (4:52). The pack of 27 men weaved through Center City, before doubling back onto Benjamin Franklin Parkway, to the cheers of thousands of runners who were taking their initial steps on the course.

The pace quickened as the race progressed through miles four and five. Kibet (25) the 2004 Philadelphia Distance Run champion, led the group of athletes as they began the eight- mile stretch along the Schuykill River. Fellow Kenyans, 27-year- old John Yuda and Tom Nyariki (36) joined Kibet as they pushed through mile seven in a time of 34:04.

At Falls Bridge, the athletes crossed the river and began their return towards the finish line. Now, 15 men were jockeying for position as MacDonald Ondara (23) from Kenya joined the leaders. They recorded the fastest split time of the day, running through mile nine in 4:33.

MacDonald and Nyariki led the next mile, but Kibet, who was close behind knew he had to make a move to defend against his toughest competition, Nyariki.

"He is very strong in the finish," Kibet said of Nyariki.

Like his 2004 win, Kibet had to fight for today's victory as he ran virtually neck-and-neck with Nyariki and Yuda. Fortunately for Kibet, Nyariki did not answer as Kibet looked back before his final sprint across the finish line.

At mile 12, it was still anyone's race. In photo left to right are Tom Nyariki (#21), Macdonald Ondara (#20), John Yuda (#2), and Julius Kibet (#4). They finished together with Kibet winning in 62:02, Yuda 62:04, Nyariki 62:05, and Ondara 62:11.

The women's race was led early by the women's 2004 Philadelphia Distance Run champion, 36-year-old Nuta Olaru from Romania. She took the entire women's pack through mile four on a 1:10:30 half-marathon pace.

Kenyan Edna Kiplagat, who finished second at the Philadelphia Distance Run in 2006, traded places with Olaru through mile five and was joined by countrywoman Alice Timbilili (24) at mile six. The two women pushed the pace as they passed though the 10-kilometer mark in 33:03, dropping Kenyan Angelina Mutuku (25) and Ethiopian Ashu Kasim (22) who finished fourth two weeks ago at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, VA.

Shortly after the women's group passed mile eight, Pamela Chepchumba from Kenya began to take control of the race alongside Timbilili. For the next three miles, the two women launched a number of attacks. The pack thinned in response to the quicker pace and Kiplagat eventually dropped away from the leaders.

Chepchumba now had to shake her challenger Timbilili.

"I tried to run faster, but she (Timbilili) was resisting," Chepchumba said . "I started running at mile 11."

At mile 11, they recorded the fastest mile of the race (5:11). Chepchumba (in photo) began to pull away inside mile 12, breaking the tape 11 seconds ahead of Timbilili.

American Brandon Leslie (31) from Arizona finished 22 overall in a time of 1:05:01, ahead of the six other men who were tuning up for the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials in November.

Bryan Skelly (25) who will run the Chicago Marathon this October in an attempt to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials was the first Philadelphia finisher in a time of 1:07:09. Claire Duncan (24) the assistant track coach at Germantown Friends High School was the first female Philadelphia finisher line in a time of 1:18:46.

Gideon Mutisya from Kenya topped the men's masters division, finishing in a time of 1:08:34. Doreen McCoubrie of Malver, PA, was first among the masters women, finishing in a time of 1:19:19.

Both the men's and women's races were led by Saturn SKY roadsters, the official vehicles of the 30th Anniversary Philadelphia Distance Run.

Award Winners

Professional Men's Field


Name                 Age   Home       Time     Prize
1. Julius Kibet      25    Kenya      1:02:02  $8000 
2. Tom Nyariki       36    Kenya      1:02:04  $5000 
3. John Yuda         27    Tanzania   1:02:05  $3000 
4. MacDonald Ondara  23    Kenya      1:02:10  $2000 
5. Festus Langat     22    Kenya      1:02:28  $1500 
6. Charles Munyeki   19    Kenya      1:02:28  $1250 
7. Samuel Ndereba    30    Kenya      1:02:37  $1000 
8. Linuis Maiyo      24    Kenya      1:02:46  $750 
9. Demesse Tefera    25    Ethiopia   1:02:46  $600 
10. Daniel Kipkoech  28    Kenya      1:02:59  $500 



Professional Women's Field
Name                Age    Home       Time     Prize
1. Pamela Chepchumba 28    Kenya      1:08:45  $8000 
2. Alice Timbilili   24    Kenya      1:08:56  $5000 
3. Edna Kiplagat     27    Kenya      1:10:11  $3000 
4. Sharon Cherop     23    Kenya      1:10:21  $2000 
5. Hiromi Ominami    31    Japan      1:10:41  $1500 
6. Ashu Kasim        22    Ethiopia   1:11:19  $1250 
7. Angelina Mutuku   25    Kenya      1:11:20  $1000 
8. Olga Kravtsova    26    Belaruss   1:11:33  $750 
9. Nuta Olaru        36    Romania    1:11:46  $600 
10. Aziza Aliyu      22    Ethiopia   1:12:45  $500 



Masters Men
1. Gideon Mutisya   40 Kenya             1:08:34  $1000 
2. Fred Klevan      41 Merion Station PA 1:11:48  $500 
3. Greg Watson      41 Media PA          1:12:02  $250 



Masters Women
1. Doreen McCoubrie 45 Malvern PA        1:19:19  $1000 
2. Lori Kingsley    41 Wysox PA          1:22:14  $500 
3. Lee Dipietro     49 Ruxton MD         1:23:01  $250 



Top Philadelphia Male
1. Bryan Skelly     25 Philadelphia      1:07:09  $1000 



Top Philadelphia Female
1. Claire Duncan    24 Philadelphia      1:18:46  $1000

Top Local Finishers (MD, DC & VA)

                                   Age     Net     Clock  Pl    Pace
Chris Raabe  	Washington  	DC 28	M 1:05:06 1:05:06 23	4:58
Philippe Rolly 	Fairfax	        VA 35	M 1:07:56 1:07:56 34	5:11
Kyle 	Smits 	Baltimore 	MD 28	M 1:08:08 1:08:10 38	5:12
Eric 	Post 	Centreville 	VA 28	M 1:08:37 1:08:38 40	5:14
Ryan 	Mammen 	Woodbridge 	VA 31	M 1:09:26 1:09:27 48	5:18
Ray 	Pugsley Potomac Falls 	VA 38	M 1:11:16 1:11:19 54	5:27
											
Laura  	Turner 	Washington  	DC 27	F 1:17:44 1:17:50 17	5:56
Lisa 	Thomas 	Alexandria 	VA 31	F 1:20:55 1:20:59 28	6:11
Feng 	Sun 	Columbia 	MD 38	F 1:21:00 1:21:02 29	6:11
Naoko 	Ishibe 	Washington 	DC 38	F 1:22:36 1:22:40 33	6:18

Thirty-six men and women will complete 393 miles over the race's history.

30 Year Runners

2007 Philadelphia Half Marathon Results