MASAI STORMS TO 10-K WIN IN CENTRAL PARK
By Chris Lotsbom
(c) 2010 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
*LRC Photos From the New York Mini 10k
NEW YORK (12-Jun) -- Linet Masai took this morning's NYRR New York Mini10-K in Central Park by storm, cruising to victory over a world class
field which included six world champions.
Masai, the 2009 IAAF World Championships 10,000m winner, broke away
from the field at the North end of Central Park, running up and down
the hilly course as if it was pancake flat. A piece of cake.
A familiar site emerged when the 39th running of the Mini-10k began,
with four-time champion Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands taking
control from the gun. Leading a pack of seven, which included
Ethiopians Teyba Erkesso and Worknesh Kidane, Kenyans Masai and Emily
Chebet, and New Zealand's Kim Smith, Kiplagat hit the first mile marker
in 4:56. A mile later, Kiplagat had slimmed the pack to five, then four
-- all past or current world champions -- by the midway point, reached
in 15:24 and on pace to break Asmae Leghzaoui's course record of 30:29
set in 2002. That's when Masai decided to take control.
With her braided hair bobbing from side to side, Masai passed the
famous Fred Lebow statue after a 5:07 uphill mile to build a 12 second
gap on her pursuers. Just short of the Central Park Boathouse, marking
the five mile mark, Masai knew she had the win in her hands. She
crossed the line alone in 30:48 after covering the second half in
15:23, two seconds quicker than the first.
"It is my personal best," the soft-spoken Kenyan, still just 20, said
after her US road race debut. "That was my plan. After 5000m, just
pushing and try to run my best."
Masai, who trains in Iten alongside her older brother, Moses Masai, now
plans to concentrate on the track for the remainder of the summer,
first focusing on the Kenyan Championships, then on the African
Championships in July and the Commonwealth Games in October where she
plans to contest the 10,000m.
Masai was asked why she chose to run this morning's 10-K instead of the
5000m at the adidas Grand Prix, the IAAF Diamond League meeting to be
held later today on New York's Randall's Island. Her reply was simple
and blunt.
"I wanted to come to the 5000m race, but I was not invited."
Race video from Flotrack and NYRR.org |
Behind Masai, Chebet injected a surge with 400 meters to go edge Kidane
by five seconds in 31:13, personal bests for both. Kiplagat, coming
back from an 18-month break from competition after surgery to remove a
large cyst on her right knee, finished fourth in 31:40, and was clearly
pleased to be back on the roads.
"I was feeling good, I wanted to see how I was, for this was my first
competition [since the surgery]," said Kiplagat, who admitted she was
not in peak condition for the race. "I knew the rest of the girls were
in top shape, and I am looking to be in top shape in September. I was
absolutely happy with my performance."
Magdalena Lewy Boulet was the first American, placing eleventh in 33:25.
But the star of the show was Masai. Will she return to Central Park
next year? "Maybe," Masai said. "Then I can go after the [course]
record."
Top-20 New York Mini 10k Results From NYRR.org:
*Full New York Mini 10k Results
MASAI | LINET | F20 | 1 | NIKE | Eldoret | Kenya | 1 | 1 | 1 | 30:48 | 0:15:24 | 4:58 | 30:47 | 1 | 98.5 % | |
CHEBET | EMILY | F24 | 5 | ADID | Kericho | Kenya | 2 | 2 | 2 | 31:13 | 0:15:25 | 5:02 | 31:13 | 3 | 97.1 % | |
KIDANE | WORKNESH | F28 | 2 | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia | 3 | 3 | 1 | 31:18 | 0:15:24 | 5:02 | 31:18 | 4 | 96.9 % | ||
KIPLAGAT | LORNAH | F36 | 3 | ADID | Groet | Netherlands | 4 | 4 | 1 | 31:40 | 0:15:25 | 5:06 | 31:13 | 2 | 97.1 % | |
SMITH | KIM | F28 | 4 | REEB | Providence | RI | New Zealand | 5 | 5 | 2 | 32:15 | 0:15:41 | 5:12 | 32:15 | 6 | 94.0 % |
ERKESSO | TEYBA | F27 | 6 | NIKE | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia | 6 | 6 | 3 | 32:24 | 0:15:37 | 5:13 | 32:24 | 7 | 93.6 % | |
ALENE AMARE | SHEWARGE | F28 | 853 | WSX | NEW YORK | NY | 7 | 7 | 4 | 32:27 | 0:15:42 | 5:14 | 32:27 | 8 | 93.4 % | |
KALMER | RENE | F29 | 20 | MRP | Johannesburg | South Africa | 8 | 8 | 5 | 32:32 | 0:15:54 | 5:14 | 32:32 | 9 | 93.2 % | |
DEBA | BUZUNESH | F22 | 12 | WSX | BRONX | NY | Ethiopia | 9 | 9 | 3 | 32:37 | 0:15:54 | 5:15 | 32:37 | 10 | 92.9 % |
ROTICH | CAROLINE | F26 | 30 | AKRC | Nyahururu | Kenya | 10 | 10 | 6 | 32:43 | 0:16:07 | 5:16 | 32:43 | 11 | 92.7 % | |
LEWY BOULET | MAGDALENA | F36 | 9 | SAUC | Oakland | CA | 11 | 11 | 2 | 33:25 | 0:16:25 | 5:23 | 32:56 | 12 | 92.0 % | |
DICRESCENZO | DELILAH | F27 | 25 | PUMR | New York | NY | 12 | 12 | 7 | 33:38 | 0:16:34 | 5:25 | 33:38 | 14 | 90.1 % | |
WILLIS | BENITA | F31 | 8 | SAUC | Melbourne | Australia | 13 | 13 | 1 | 33:42 | 0:16:37 | 5:26 | 33:39 | 15 | 90.1 % | |
RILLSTONE | NINA | F35 | 11 | ADID | Wanaka | New Zealand | 14 | 14 | 3 | 33:44 | 0:16:34 | 5:26 | 33:23 | 13 | 90.8 % | |
ALIYU | AZIZA | F24 | 27 | WSX | BRONX | NY | Ethiopia | 15 | 15 | 4 | 33:54 | 0:16:46 | 5:28 | 33:54 | 16 | 89.4 % |
PRITZ | MOLLY | F22 | 24 | Williamsport | PA | 16 | 16 | 5 | 33:58 | 0:16:36 | 5:28 | 33:58 | 17 | 89.3 % | ||
LIMIKA | IRENE | F30 | 10 | NIKE | Ngong | Kenya | 17 | 17 | 2 | 34:08 | 0:16:38 | 5:30 | 34:07 | 18 | 88.8 % | |
NUKURI-JOHNSON | DIANE | F25 | 15 | Iowa City | IA | Burundi | 18 | 18 | 8 | 34:14 | 0:16:45 | 5:31 | 34:14 | 19 | 88.6 % | |
PIRTEA | ADRIANA | F30 | 14 | ASIC | Boulder | CO | South Africa | 19 | 19 | 3 | 34:19 | 0:16:47 | 5:32 | 34:18 | 20 | 88.4 % |
JASKE | KELLY | F33 | 19 | NYAC | PORTLAND | OR | 20 | 20 | 4 | 34:37 | 0:16:47 | 5:35 | 34:27 | 22 | 88.0 % |
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