NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - (January 6, 2008) - Kassahun Kabiso and
Cheryl Foody captured men's and women's titles to highlight the
fourth annual Avia OC Marathon presented by Nutrilite on Sunday
morning.
Kabiso, 24, a native of Ethiopia, ran the 26.2 mile course, which
started in Newport Beach and finished in Irvine, in 2 hours, 23
minutes, 46 seconds with his first-ever OC Marathon. Foody clocked a
2008 Olympic Trials qualifying 2:38:38 to set a new race record,
shattering the old mark by nearly eight minutes. Mary Akor
established the previous mark of 2:46:04 last year.
Foody, 27, a local runner from nearby Aliso Viejo, who had not
competed in a marathon since 2004, showed no ill effects from the
layoff as she wrested the lead away at the 12-mile mark and went
unchallenged to the tape.
"It's all good right now," said Foody, who began training in earnest
in September. "There are peaks and valleys in every race, but
overall, I felt strong."
Alluding to her hiatus from marathon competition, Foody realized she
needed to take action. "Something clicked in my head that if I
wanted to achieve my goals and dreams, I'd better go for it," she
said.
Foody outdistanced Romanian Claudia Colita, who finished runner-up
in 2:47:10, and third place finisher Rebecca Tallam (2:58:46) of
Kenya.
Christian Hesch, the 2007 OC Marathon men's winner, seemed headed
for a repeat win after holding a two and a half minute lead at the
race's midpoint. But his cushion dwindled to 45 seconds at the
18-mile mark and he retired shortly thereafter.
Kabiso seized the lead, and held off challengers Deresse Deniboba
and Charles Kiplagat. Kiplagat closed to within 30 meters of Kabiso
in between mile 24 and 25, but Kabiso took one look over his
shoulder and put on a burst of speed, lengthening his lead out to 80
meters.
"I know you have to be smart and control your pace," said Kabiso.
"Our paces were different, but when I began to pull away I knew I
was going to win."
An injured toe prevented Kiplagat, who finished second in 2:24:52,
from generating a push in the final stretch. "That last mile I
thought I could catch him (Kabiso), but my toe was a problem. My toe
didn't give me room for a final kick."
Winners of the half-marathon included a pair of Kenyans on the men's
and women's sides. Wesley Ochoro (1:04:14.85) nipped fellow
countryman Lamech Mokono (1:04:14.90) by one-half of one-tenth of a
second to take the men's title, while Hyvon Ngetich ran a 1:13:57 to
win the women's race.
In the men's 5K, Dave Schumacher of Huntington Beach won in 15:17,
narrowly edging Riverside's Spencer Knight (15:19). The women's 5K
victor was Huntington Beach's Kelly Flathers, who had a time of
17:35, over masters and past winner Ceci St. Geme of Newport Beach.
4th Avia OC Marathon presented by Nutrilite
Newport Beach, CA, Sunday, January 6, 2008
MEN
1) Kassahun Kabiso (ETH), 2:23:46, $2500
2) Charles Kiplagat (KEN), 2:24:52, $1500
3) Deresse Deniboba (ETH), 2:27:03, $1000
WOMEN
1) Cheryl Foody (USA / CA), 2:38:38*, $3500
2) Claudia Colita (ROM), 2:47:10, $1500
3) Rebecca Tallam (KEN), 2:58:46, $1000
*course record (previous record, 2:46:04, Mary Akor (USA / CA),
2007)
Half-Marathon
MEN
1) Wesley Ochoro (KEN), 1:04:15, $800
2) Lamech Mokono (KEN), 1:04:15, $700
3) Ezkyas Sisay, 18, (ETH), 1:07:45, $100
WOMEN
1) Hyvon Ngetich (KEN), 1:13:57, $1300
2) Jacqueline Nytipei (KEN), 1:14:17, $1200
3) Jane Kibii (KEN), 1:15:53, $600
5K
MEN
1) Dave Schumacher (CA), 15:17
2) Spencer Knight, 18, (CA), 15:19
3) Christian Rojas (CA), 15:38
WOMEN
1) Kelly Flathers (CA), 17:35
2) Ceci St. Geme, 44, (CA), 17:50
3) Sherri Ellerby, 43, (CA), 18:00
Deeper results at: OCMarathon.com
# # #
Special thanks to
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director.
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111
(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
http://www.runningusa.org
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