World record holder Kipketer three-peats
CARLSBAD, Calif. - (April 7, 2002) - On a sunny, breezy day, Deena Drossin of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. dominated the women's field and powered her way to a 5K world road record with her 14:54 at the 17th Carlsbad 5000, while Sammy Kipketer of Kenya handily won his third consecutive Carlsbad crown with a solo 13:17.
Against a formidable women's field including 1994 Carlsbad winner Colleen De Reuck and 2000 Olympic silver medalist Sonia O'Sullivan, Drossin, 29, took control of the race after the first mile (4:45) and never looked back. The 2002 World Cross Country silver medalist put her stamp on the race with a 4:47 uphill second mile to increase her lead.
At the final 180 degree turnaround, Drossin's lead was 20 seconds over a trio of Ethiopians Tirunesh Dibaba, Werknesh Kidane and Eyerusalem Kuma, and the question now was: Could the 2000 U.S. Olympian maintain the pace and break the world record of 14:57 by Paula Radcliffe?
Drossin, a Team USA California member, answered with an emphatic "yes" as she motored down Carlsbad Boulevard to the delight of the large, loud crowds. In the final 300 meter downhill stretch, Drossin charged hard as the crowd erupted further as she broke the tape to shatter the world and U.S. 5K records. She is the first American woman to set the 5K world road record since PattiSue Plumer ran 15:31 at Carlsbad in 1986. Along with the $5000 for the win, Drossin pocketed an extra $15,000 in record bonuses ($10,000 - world and $5000 - U.S.).
Dibaba, Kidane and Kuma finished 2-3-4 in 15:19, 15:20 and 15:24 respectively with American De Reuck fifth in 15:30.
After the race, Drossin thanked the crowd for their support and said, "I knew that it would take a hard race to win with this incredible field, that a record would be set, but not by who and that the crowd would not leave disappointed." Thanks to Drossin's impressive effort, they did not.
Sammy Kipketer came to Carlsbad after two remarkable racing weekends. First the World Cross Country Championships 4K in Dublin, then 27:11 in the Crescent City 10K Classic in New Orleans a week ago and today a run away win on the ultra fast Carlsbad course.
A change in the wind direction in the first mile of the race seemed to make it slower than the 3:59 he ran in the two previous years en route to world record performances of 13:00. This year the runners faced a southwest headwind as they tried to establish a fast first mile. Perhaps as a result the split was 4:06. U.S. 10,000 meter record holder and 2001-02 U.S. cross country champion, Meb Keflezighi of San Diego, following a "start steady-finish fast" plan was 10 seconds behind in about 8th place. At the turn just beyond the first mile, Kipketer opened a 5-meter lead from fellow Kenyans Luke Kipkoskei and Leonard Mucheru. The wind seemed to help a little as he began the long uphill stretch to the second mile mark.
Kipketer increased his lead as the other Kenyans fell back. At the end of a 4:20 second mile he was 50 meters clear of the field but beginning to labor. Meb was closing fast but it was too late and he finished fourth in 13:34.
With Drossin's record and Kipketer's three-peat, the Carlsbad 5000 - with more than 12,700 participants this year - reaffirms its place as the fastest 5K road race in the world with its 11th world record and 8th U.S. record. Or as Drossin succinctly put it, "I couldn't think of a better place to break the world record." Lest the significance of Kipketer's performance is overlooked in the glory of the world record, it should be noted that his 13:17 is the 7th fastest all-time 5K road time.
17th Carlsbad 5000
Carlsbad, CA, Sunday, April 7, 2002
WOMEN
1) Deena Drossin, 29, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 14:54 $20,000*, new World/U.S. Record
2) Tirunesh Dibaba, 17, Ethiopia, 15:19 $3500
3) Werknesh Kidane, 21, Ethiopia, 15:20 $2000
4) Eyerusalem Kuma, 20, Ethiopia, 15:24 $1000
5) Colleen De Reuck, 37, Boulder, Colo., 15:30 $800
6) Kathy Butler, 28, England, 15:36 $700
7) Sonia O'Sullivan, 32, Ireland, 15:38 $500
8) Courtney Babcock, 29, Canada, 15:43 $400
9) Genet Gebregiorgis, 26, Ethiopia, 15:52 $300
10) Sarah Schwald, 29, Madison, Wisconsin, 15:57 $200
*includes $5000 U.S. record and $10,000 world record bonuses
(previous world record 14:57 by Paula Radcliffe on September 2, 2001 in London, GBR; previous U.S. record 15:08 by Deena Drossin on March 26, 2000 at Carlsbad)
MEN
1) Sammy Kipketer, 20, Kenya, 13:17 $5000
2) Luke Kipkoskei, 26, Kenya, 13:30 $3500
3) Leonard Mucheru, 23, Kenya, 13:31 $2000
4) Meb Keflezighi, 26, California, 13:34 $1000
5) Albert Chepkurui, 21, Kenya, 13:37 $800
6) Shadrack Hoff, 28, South Africa, 13:44 $700
7) Berhanu Adane, 24, Ethiopia, 13:49 $500
8) Shadrack Kosgei, 18, Kenya, 13:51 $400
9) David Galvan, 28, Mexico, 13:55 $300
10) Armando Quintanilla, 28, Mexico, 14:01 $200
For complete results, go to the race website:
http://www.eliteracing.com
PITTSBURGH - (April 2, 2002) - Drawn by special financial incentives, a long history of Olympic Trials and national championship races, and a unique pen pal program with local schools, top United States marathoners will be competing in the 18th running of the UPMC Health System/City of Pittsburgh Marathon on Sunday, May 5. A prize and bonus package of more than $65,000 will be offered, with $14,000 set aside for American citizens.
"Since 1997 we've provided more than $425,000 in prize money payments to Americans, including the 2000 U.S. Men's Olympic Trials," said race director Larry Grollman. "We think it's important to keep that support going, now more than ever."
The overall winner of the race is guaranteed a prize money payment of $7,500, which will rise to $10,000 for a sub-2:14:00 clocking for the male winner and/or a sub-2:35:00 clocking for the female winner. The first four American men and women to cross the finish line will each receive $2,500, $2,000, $1,500 and $1,000, respectively, in addition to any open prize money available. An American race winner running under either of the incentive times would earn $12,500. These American incentives are sponsored by Chrysler/Jeep dealers.
Moreover, the U.S. elite athletes entered in the race have already been connecting with the Pittsburgh area by participating in the Pen Pal program also sponsored by Chrysler/Jeep dealers. These athletes have been corresponding with students from area classrooms, which they will visit when they arrive in town for the race.
Making his fourth marathon start, Pete Julian, sponsored by adidas, is looking to lower his personal best time of 2:15:54.
"Running Pittsburgh gives me an opportunity to get more experience in the marathon, which I feel I badly need," said Julian. "Also, Pittsburgh has once again gone out of its way to recruit American distance runners. I respect that and so it makes me more inclined to run there rather than somewhere else."
Julian, who will turn 31 just six days after the Pittsburgh race, is lucky to be running at all. A survivor of stomach cancer, the 1999 Pan Am Games bronze medalist at 10,000m slowly returned to competition last year, capped off by his 19th place finish at the Chicago Marathon.
Joe LeMay of Danbury, Conn. returns to Pittsburgh for the first time after the hot and humid Olympic Trials race of 2000. LeMay, 35, who has a career best time of 2:13:55, won the California International Marathon in 1999 and has won USA road titles at 20-K and 15-K. He's partially motivated to compete by the presence of Julian and Sherry in the race.
"I'm competing because I heard the two Petes were going to run, and I really want to beat both of them," quipped the six-foot, four-inch athlete referring to both Pete Julian and Peter Sherry. The latter has since withdrawn from the race due to injury. He added, "I'm also running because the prize money package for American runners is attractive to me. It looks win-able, and I could walk away with $10,000."
Leading the American women will be the Polish-born Magdalena Lewy, who became an American citizen on September 11th of last year. Lewy, 28, ran for the University of California, graduating in 1997. She moved up to the marathon last year, setting an impressive 2:37:57 personal best time at the California International Marathon despite driving rain and winds. She did not take to the marathon naturally.
"My first one was in Cleveland, and I got really sick," Lewy lamented. "I pretty much threw-up from nine all the way to the end."
Lewy will be joined by a marathon debutante, Alison Holinka of Williamsburg, Va., who had planned to run the New York City Marathon last fall, but injured her leg and was forced to withdraw. Holinka, who is only 23, made the U.S. team for the 2001 IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships by improving her half-marathon personal best time to 1:15:14.
"The Pittsburgh Marathon has put together a great racing opportunity this year in addition to a wonderful pen pal program with a local grade schools," said Holinka. "My goal for the marathon is to finish as one of the top Americans and to run under 2:40:00, the "A" standard for the 2004 Olympic Trials."
Two Pennsylvanians, Tammy Slusser of Monroeville and Wendy Nelson-Barett of Lebanon, also plan to take part. Slusser, 37, has twice won at Pittsburgh (1994 and 2000) and has a career best time of 2:37:14. Nelson-Barrett, 33, has a career best time of 2:39:25 and will be running her first marathon at Pittsburgh and her first since becoming a mother.
"I am running Pittsburgh because I would like to qualify for the Trials," said Nelson-Barrett, who is a three-time U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier. "This will be the first marathon I've run since the birth of my son, so I am unsure of what to expect. My training has been going well, and I think qualifying is definitely a reasonable goal."
Race director Grollman has high hopes for these American athletes. "These athletes are expecting to be competitive with the international runners we have in our race. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see an American winner this year."
The UPMC Health System/City of Pittsburgh Marathon will begin at 7:35am with the wheelchair competition, followed by the able-bodied runners at 7:45am. The new start line will be adjacent to Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The race will finish inside the stadium on the 50 yard line. Runners will be able to see themselves on the stadium's Jumbotron as they enter the stadium to the finish line. At 8:00am the Mellon Relay Team Competition will begin, followed 15 minutes later by the UPMC Health Plan 5K Run/Walk. Complete registration information, including on-line registration, is available at the race website: http://www.upmc.edu/pghmarathon or by calling (412) 647-RUNN (7866).