FALMOUTH,
Mass. -- Russell Brown of Eugene, Ore. out-stepped Olympic silver medalist NickWillis of New Zealand to claim the 2010 CIGNA Falmouth Mile title with a time
of 3:59.61, narrowly outrunning Willis who finished in 3:59.73 (one can watch the close finish on the video that appears at the end of this article). For the fourth
consecutive year the elite men broke four minutes.
This
year it was a close race with a tight pack, even in the final 200 meters. Liam
Boylan-Pett, East Lansing, Mich., took the lead for the first quarter until Rob
Novak, West Orange, N.J., stepped up to create a five meter gap to start the
second lap with Brown and Willis following. Brown moved into the front at the
800-meter mark but Ed Moran, Williamsburg, Va., grabbed the lead with 600
meters to go. Moran, who barely missed a sub-four mile here in 08, eventually
finished fourth in 4:02.03 behind Novak who clocked a 4:01.77. Sean Brosnan,
Wantagh, N.Y., and Daniel Clark, Jackson, Miss., rounded out the field and
finished in 4:07.70 and 4:14.81, respectively.
In
the womens race, late drop-outs left the field with two competitors, yet
Nicole Edwards of Canada still pulled off a fast 4:32.45 to take the title.
Gabriele Anderson, Perham, Minn., took the line with Edwards for her debut in
Falmouth and finished in 4:46.27. Edwards, a University of Michigan graduate
who resides in Ann Arbor, Mich., took the lead from the start. Anderson led for
the second lap but Edwards moved back to the front until the finish tape.
This
year kicked off the first New Balance Scholastic Mile featuring high school
residents from Cape Cod. Max Darrah of Mashpee, Mass., and Dennis-Yarmouth
Regional High School won the boys division in 4:28.43 while Anna Gannett of
Sandwich, Mass. and Sandwich High School took the girls winner plaque with a
time of 5:27.58. Darrah and Gannett will be headed to Georgetown and Appalachia
State Universities, respectively, this fall.
Tomorrow,
mile runners Russell Brown, Ed Moran and Sean Brosnan will be joining the elite
field at the 38th running of the seven mile CIGNA Falmouth Road Race
when the starting gun fires at 10 a.m.
Results:
MEN
1. Russell
Brown, Eugene, Ore. 3:59.61
2. NickWillis, Ann Arbor, Mich./New Zealand 3:59.73
3. Rob Novak, East Orange, N.J. 4:01.77
4. Ed Moran, Williamsburg, Va. 4:02.03
5. Sean Brosnan, Wantagh, N.Y. 4:07.70
6. Daniel Clark, Jackson, Mich. 4:14.81
WOMEN
1. Nicole Edwards, Ann Arbor, Mich./Canada 4:32.45
2. Gabriele Anderson, Perham Minn. 4:46.27
