Matthew Kim Kisorio and Kim Smith Run Fastest Half-Marathons Ever On Us Soil In Philadephia
*Photo Album From 2011 Rock n Roll Philadelphia Half-Marathon Here
By Duncan Larkin
(c) 2011 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
PHILADELPHIA (18-Sep) -- With a large smile and his hands pointed
skyward, Mathew Kisorio entered the history books here today at the Rock
n Roll Philadelphia Half-Marathon. The 22-year-old Kenyan became the
third-fastest man ever in the 21.1-kilometer event. Kisorios winning
time, 58:46, also set a new USA all-comers record, eclipsing Haile
Gebrselassies mark (58:55) that was set at the 2006 edition of the Rock
n Roll Arizona Half Marathon.
I am very happy indeed, an elated Kisorio said after breaking the
tape. I have just run my personal best on a fantastic course.
Kisorios victory was a hard-fought with him running alongside 58-minute
half-marathoner Sammy Kitwara, all the way to the finish line.
Race-day conditions were near perfect with temperatures at the start in
the 50s (13C) and a slight breeze blowing from the northeast. After
breaking loose from a 20-man pack in the opening 5-K, which was a fast
14:00, Kitwara and Kisorio ran stride-for-stride down the streets of
Center City, Philadelphia, leaving the chase pack a good quarter of a
mile behind. The two runners, who call each other best friends, looked
like mirror images of each other for the remainder of the race.
Occasionally, Kisorio, the defending champion, would stare down at his
watch or look behind him, while Kitwara gazed straight ahead. Kisorio
later recalled that he was looking at his watch in order to see if he
had a chance to break an hour, thereby achieving a personal best. I
looked at my watch at 10-K, he said. At that point, I knew I was going
to do it. I said, Hey, this is great. Im going to run 58 minutes.
While a jazz band played When the Saints Go Marching In nearby, the
two runners crossed the 15-K mark in 41:53. With a mile to go, the pair
passed a group of pom-pom waving high school cheerleaders. Kisorio
drifted over to them and gave them a thumbs up. At that point, with the
Philadelphia Art Museum visible in the distance, the races dynamic
began to change.
Kisorio, who previously held a 60:03 personal record, dropped the
hammer. Kitwara was able to counter and the two ran together again. It
wasnt until the races final hill with the finish line in plain sight
when Kisorio once again surged. That time, however, Kitwara had nothing
left and let him go.
My training in Kenya had been good for this, Kisorio said afterwards. I was confident that I was going to do well.
Kitwara, who crossed the finish line a second later in 58:47, admitted
the final hill did him in. That hill was very hard, he said.
Third place went to Kenyas James Mwangi who finished a full three minutes behind Kisorio and Kitwara in a still-fast 1:00:42.
The top American male was Villanova University grad Bobby Curtis who
placed ninth in 1:01:52. Curtis is gearing up for his debut at the ING
New York City Marathon in November. Im pleased with my race today,
Curtis said. Im in the middle of heavy marathon training, so it was a
respectable time.
In the womens race, Kim Smith of New Zealand shattered her own USA
all-comers record, clocking 1:07:10. Her victory was similar to
Kisorios with Smith, a New Zealand-record holder and former Providence
College standout, going neck-and-neck with another competitor
(Ethiopias Werknesh Kidane) until the last mile. Both Smith and Kidane
established themselves in the lead after a hot third mile clocked at
4:57. They crossed the 15-K mark in 47:37 and with a mile to go, it was
Smith who dropped the hammer.
Smith later said that the 29-year-old Kidane was stuck to me like
glue. But that she was able to shake her as the final hill approached
thanks to leg speed shes developed from completing 400m repeats in
trainingworkouts that coach Ray Treacy prescribes. He [Treacy] has me
working on my speed all year round, Smith said. It definitely helped
having that in the final hill.
Kidane ended up placing second behind Smith in 1:07:28. Third place went to Ethiopias Bizunesh Deba in 1:09:53.
The top American female was 23-year-old Maegan Krifchin, a coach at Ithaca College, who placed fifth in a career best 1:11:04 (Editor's note: Krifchin has moved up nicely in distance as she set the Syracuse 1,500 school record in 2010 at 4:22.65).
Leading Results
Men:
OvrPl | SexPl | DivPl | Bib | First Name | Last Name | City | State | Chip Time |
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Matthew | Kisorio | 58:46:00 | ||
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Sammy | Kitwara | 58:48:00 | ||
3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | James | Mwangi | 01:00:42 | ||
4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | Peter | Kamais | 01:01:06 | ||
5 | 5 | 5 | 13 | Julias | Koskei | 01:01:21 | ||
6 | 6 | 6 | 17 | Shawn | Forrest | 01:01:34 | ||
7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Abderrahim | Goumri | 01:01:41 | ||
9 | 9 | 8 | 15 | Bobby | Curtis | Philadelphia | PA | 01:01:52 |
10 | 10 | 9 | 6 | Markos | Geneti | 01:02:01 | ||
11 | 11 | 10 | 67 | Samual | Ndereba | 01:02:08 | ||
12 | 12 | 11 | 14 | Ridouane | Harroufi | 01:02:45 | ||
13 | 13 | 12 | 26 | Chris | Barnicle | Newtonville | MA | 01:02:43 |
14 | 14 | 13 | 8 | Jason | Hartmann | Boulder | CO | 01:03:38 |
15 | 15 | 14 | 18 | Weldon | Kirui | 01:03:44 | ||
17 | 17 | 15 | 10 | Shadrack | Biwott | 01:03:56 | ||
18 | 18 | 16 | 29 | Boaz | Cheboiywo | 01:04:09 | ||
19 | 19 | 17 | 11 | McDonald | Ondara | 01:04:31 | ||
20 | 20 | 18 | 21 | Matthew | Eaton | Bowling Green | KY | 01:04:36 |
21 | 21 | 19 | 25 | C Fred | Joslyn | Syracuse | NY | 01:04:37 |
22 | 22 | 20 | 12 | Adam | Goucher | Portland | OR | 01:04:52 |
23 | 23 | 21 | 20 | Paul | Hefferon | Rochester Hills | MI | 01:04:53 |
24 | 24 | 22 | 16 | Tyler | McCandless | Boulder | CO | 01:04:59 |
25 | 25 | 23 | 45 | David | Berdan | Owings Mill | MD | 01:05:53 |
26 | 26 | 24 | 23 | Gian Paul | Caccia | New York | NY | 01:06:03 |
28 | 28 | 25 | 32 | Kenneth | Foster | Colorado Springs | CO | 01:06:09 |
Women:
OvrPl | SexPl | DivPl | Bib | First Name | Last Name | City | State | Chip Time |
39 | 1 | 1 | 101 | Kim | Smith | 01:07:11 | ||
45 | 2 | 2 | 103 | Werknesh | Kidane | 01:07:26 | ||
75 | 3 | 3 | 102 | Bizunesh | Deba | 01:09:53 | ||
80 | 4 | 4 | 110 | Jane | Kibii | 01:10:23 | ||
89 | 5 | 5 | 131 | Maegan | Krifchin | Ithaca | NY | 01:11:04 |
99 | 6 | 6 | 109 | Diane | Nukuri | 01:12:08 | ||
103 | 7 | 7 | 140 | Yolanda | Caballeri | 01:12:35 | ||
104 | 8 | 8 | 113 | Claire | Hallissey | 01:12:39 | ||
105 | 9 | 9 | 105 | Misiker | Mekonnin | 01:12:57 | ||
106 | 10 | 10 | 114 | Dot | McMahan | Rochester Hills | MI | 01:12:57 |
107 | 11 | 11 | 112 | Adriana | Nelson | Boulder | CO | 01:12:59 |
109 | 12 | 12 | 115 | Melissa | White | Rochester Hills | MI | 01:13:10 |
116 | 13 | 13 | 127 | Wendy | Thomas | Windsor | CO | 01:13:46 |
122 | 14 | 14 | 121 | Teresa | McWalters | Cambridge | MA | 01:14:21 |
129 | 16 | 15 | 104 | Mizuho | Nasukawa | 01:14:35 | ||
130 | 17 | 16 | 124 | Amanda | Rice | Bethesda | MD | 01:14:36 |
135 | 18 | 17 | 116 | Mattie | Suver | Lake Tapps | WA | 01:14:54 |
139 | 19 | 18 | 136 | Gladys | Asiba | 01:15:05 | ||
141 | 20 | 19 | 107 | Benita | Willis | 01:15:07 | ||
152 | 22 | 20 | 120 | Katarina | Janosikova | 01:15:45 | ||
154 | 23 | 21 | 118 | Catha | Mullen | Woodside | CA | 01:15:47 |
155 | 24 | 22 | 122 | Sarah | Cummings | New York | NY | 01:16:06 |
162 | 25 | 23 | 130 | Nicole | Camp | Willowick | OH | 01:16:35 |
176 | 26 | 24 | 137 | Paige | Higgins | CO | 01:17:29 | |
181 | 28 | 25 | 119 | Jen | Houck | Bloomington | MN | 01:17:41 |
ENDS
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