Where Your Dreams Become Reality
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Where Your Dreams Become Reality |
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Team USA Shines at Inaugural Big Sur Half Marathon MONTEREY, Calif. - (November 16, 2003) - The Big Sur Half Marathon made a sparkling debut Sunday on a radiant, cool morning along the world-renowned shores of Monterey Bay. So did a trio of bright, young American men whose radiance rivaled the azure blue waves. It's not often that U.S. distance runners, male or female, making their first foray at the half-marathon distance defeat experienced Kenyan marathoners. It happened Sunday. Fasil Bizuneh of Team USA Monterey Bay pleased the partisan hometown crowd with an impressive victory of 1 hour, six minutes and two seconds. He was closely followed by Christian Hesch (2nd, 1:06:23) of Morro Bay, Calif. and Bizuneh's Team USA MB teammate Ryan Bak (3rd, 1:06:28) for the runner-up spots. Kristin Chisum of Wayland, Mass. landed the women's victory in 1:15:38, defeating '96 U.S. Olympian Linda Somers Smith (2nd, 1:16:26) and 10-time University of Arkansas All-American Megan Flowers Skeels (3rd, 1:18:28) The first-time race, produced by the same organization that presents the popular Big Sur International Marathon, attracted a sold-out crowd of more than 3,000 entrants. All of them enjoyed a fast, mostly flat out-and-back course that starts and finishes at Fisherman's Wharf in historic downtown Monterey and takes a memorable coastside tour of the spectacular Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary. The companion Run Forrest Run 5K sponsored by Bubba Gump drew an additional 600 competitors. In the 13.1-mile half-marathon race, a close-knit men's six pack negotiated 6 miles in 30:55. The three Americans in the group - all of whom had never previously raced longer than 10,000 meters - had to be wondering what the three Kenyans, all of whom live and train together in Mountain View, Calif., were up to. Wilson Gatiha, who won last month's Des Moines Marathon, did much of the early pace-setting. John Weru (winner of last month's Lake Tahoe Marathon) and Patrick Kamau (last summer's San Francisco Chronicle Marathon champion) were also in the mix. Kamau, who owns a 2:14 marathon best, was the first casualty, dropping back at halfway with a hamstring strain, and eventually out of the race. By eight miles, Gatiha and Weru were way off the back and out of the picture. The Americans forged on. Bizuneh, 23, a U.S. citizen of Ethiopian decent who was a three-time collegiate All-American at Arizona State, looked smooth. He shared front-running chores with Bak, 22, a 2003 graduate of Connecticut's Trinity College where he excelled at 1500 and 5000 meters. Hesch, 24, a sub-four minute miler, appeared a bit strained at the edges, but hung in. "I really wasn't intimidated by the Kenyans," said Bizuneh, who, with Bak, is guided by Team USA Monterey Bay's respected distance coach, Bob Sevene, at the team's nearby headquarters at California State University, Monterey Bay. "We had our own game plan. We were going out to click off 5-minute or 5:10 miles. If we were there at the end, we were going for it. And, it worked out." With 1-1/2 miles to go, Bizuneh laid down a decisive surge - just about the same time Bak had to back off a bit with stomach cramps. "With 1000 meters to go, Fasil was still pulling away, and I figured I had to settle for second," said Hesch. "Then he stopped pulling away, and I thought if I can turn a 60-second last quarter mile, I can get him. But I learned a lesson. You can't do that at the end of a half-marathon." Sevene said he was very pleased with his Team USA MB athletes' performances, particularly since they hadn't backed off their 100-plus miles per week training regimen for the race. "This was supposed to be a tempo run for them," Sevene said, "because at this point in our training we only have three bullets in the gun. But knowing young athletes I knew there was no way they were going to let themselves be left behind, particularly on their home turf." Kristin Chisum, 31, wasn't on her home turf, but Coach Sevene had persuaded the former Princeton All-American who has competed under his wing for 10 years, to make a Monterey visit - her first. It was a memorable one. The two-time U.S. world cross country and 2000 world half-marathon team member took an immediate lead as Somers Smith, 42, tailed about five seconds in arrears. "I tried to make a getaway, but that didn't work," remarked Chisum. "Around five miles, Linda caught up and really pushed me through the turnaround." Said Somers Smith: "I tried to do some of the work at that point, take the lead. But every time I did, she'd take it right back. She didn't seem to be struggling at all." At eight miles Somers Smith injected a final surge, covered by Chisum. "At that point, I kind of just gave up," commented the runner-up. "But I have to admit, it was kind of hard to fully concentrate. The beauty of the course just demands your attention." That observation was made by more than a few participants from front to rear. "The race turned out better that I could have possibly hoped considering it was a first-time event" said Race Director Wally Kastner. "At the finish, I talked to runners from all over the country - east coast, mid-west, south, local runners. All of them told me it was an absolutely fantastic experience." The following generous sponsors were
instrumental to the success of the 1st Annual Big Sur Half Marathon on
Monterey Bay: ASICS, Blackstone Winery, Comcast, Community Bank of Central
California, Granite Construction, Saab, Runner's World, Community Hospital
of the Monterey Peninsula and Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.
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