The Kenyans came from Chapel Hill, NC and from Royersford, PA. The Ethiopians came from the Bronx and Washington, DC. They all came in pursuit of a $1,000 first prize, not bad for running a 10-kilometer race not far from their home bases.
Credit the Kenyans from Ben Kurgat’s Chapel Hill camp with sweeping the overall win, but the Ethiopians sure showed depth at the 17th Kaiser Permanente Pike’s Peek 10K today in Rockville.
There was little drama determining the champions of today’s Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon and Half Marathon around the four quadrants of Washington, DC. There was plenty of drama, however, from the thousands of runners whose bodies were not so acclimated to the unseasonably warm temperatures.
Local favorite Michael Wardian of Arlington and George Washington University medical student Meghan Bishop ran dominating races and easily tamed the field of 3,181 starters (3,129 finishers) at the seventh annual race. Wardian, who outruns the field in what seems like at least a marathon or ultra a weekend, covered the 26.2-mile course on autopilot, winning here for the sixth time in seven years in a pedestrian 2:26:35. He earned $1,000.
Stephen Muange had no idea what to expect in his very first marathon experience today at the 11th edition of the Under Armour Baltimore Marathon.
So under sunny clear skies and favorable temperatures, the Kenyan distance runner laid back for nearly 26 miles before unleashing his potent finishing kick.
Tesfaye Sendeku left little drama today at the nation’s largest 10-mile footrace, the Army Ten-Miler. Just two miles into the race along Constitution Avenue, he already was 19 seconds ahead of the field. By the midpoint near the Washington Monument, he was 38 ticks out front.
That was a wild contrast to the women’s race behind him. It turned into a battle of three international teammates with one local American closely trailing and hoping to spoil a sweep. Such were the storylines of the 27th running of the Army Ten-Miler. Staged out of the Pentagon North parking lot for the first time in at least a decade, some 23,300 starters and 21,890 finishers of the 30,000 entries enjoyed superb weather conditions – temperatures in the upper 50s to lower 60s, calm breezes and low humidity.
By Steve Nearman
Alexandria, VA February 27, 2010