Paul Koech 8K in Dallas?

22:55.

Boaz was second in low 23.

Thank you. This is the Dallas paper account from this morning.

Weather slows things in Uptown event

01:44 AM CST on Sunday, March 27, 2005

By DEBBIE FETTERMAN / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

Paul Koech's hopes of setting the 8K world record remained intact Friday. Dallas' warm, sunny conditions reminded him of conditions in his Kenyan homeland.

His optimism waned when he woke up to severe thunderstorms and cooler temperatures Saturday. Koech, 35, came to Dallas aspiring to break Peter Githuka's 22-minute, 2.3-second 8K record at the Borden Uptown Invitational in downtown. Koech easily won the race in 22 minutes, 55.95 seconds but missed the record.

"What is this?" said Koech, holder of the world's fifth-fastest 10K time. "This is awful. It makes the ground slippery, but there's nothing we can do about the weather."

The Borden Invitational capped a six-race Borden Uptown event that included a timed 5-mile race, a 3-mile fun run, the Trolley Walk, Elsie's Kids K and the Special Olympics Run.

Olga Romanova, 24, the 2002 Junior Russian 5K Champion, won the women's invitational in 26:30.60. She held off runner-up Tatyana Chulakh (26:41.22).

Despite the rain, puddle-filled streets and significant winds, Koech, runner-up Boaz Cheboiywo and Kim Gillard ran a world-record pace, 8:45, through two miles. Elite coordinator Larry Barthlow had enlisted Gillard, the 2002 Uptown champion, to pace the leaders early.

"If the rain had stopped and the wind stood still, I thought I could have gotten it," Koech said.

Koech broke away from Cheboiywo and Gillard before the 5K point and captured the $1,000 prime, or sprint within the race.

"I finished the race, and I was ahead," he smiled. "I would wish to run faster."

Cheboiywo, the runner-up for the second consecutive year, said he was disappointed. He thought he had won the prime. Unfortunately for him, Cheboiywo had misunderstood the location for the prime.

In addition, he thought the race ended after two criterion loops so he stopped after crossing the finish line the second time. He lost a few seconds before realizing he had another loop to go.

Photos by RICKY MOON/Special Contributor

Russian Olga Romanova (above) won the women's 8K race and Paul Koech of Kenya won the men's event at the Borden Invitational.

Cheboiywo, a Michigan junior high school teacher and the Concordia University cross country coach, came to win. He said losing to Koech was respectable because Koech has long been his mentor. They trained together in Kenya in 2000 and 2001.

"We have the course, and we had the runners," said race director Tom Short, assessing Saturday's invitational. "Now we just need the weather. You have to be lucky."

Texas pride pushes state's top finishers

Andrew Cook and Gloria Manalla were the first male and female Texans to finish the Borden Invitational. Their names will be engraved on a Texas Pride trophy and displayed at Luke's Locker. The Dallas running store offered incentives to encourage the state's top runners to enter. The store also will award them free merchandise, said Duncan Cragg, a Luke's employee who finished 11th in the invitational.

Manalla came out to cheer on her coach, Joe Beisner, in the men's invitational. She's spent the past few weeks recuperating from a stress fracture. She entered the race Saturday when she realized she could earn significant prize money if she ran.

She placed third overall and earned $500 plus the Luke's merchandise.

"Elite coordinator Larry Barthlow had enlisted Gillard, the 2002 Uptown champion, to pace the leaders early."

didn't we hear quite a lot about this guy after the las vegas marathon? i notice there were only three good guys in the race, sounds about right for that guy.

somerandomdude wrote:

"Elite coordinator Larry Barthlow had enlisted Gillard

.

It is a guarantee that he will never find an american to help him out. NEVER

I cannot believe Boaz really thought the race was over.

"Cheboiywo, the runner-up for the second consecutive year, said he was disappointed. He thought he had won the prime. Unfortunately for him, Cheboiywo had misunderstood the location for the prime."

Wasnt this a problem in Cross in college?