Ethiopia again sweeps International Team Challenge; Hastings (4th), Carney (5th) top Americans; Team USA second (women) and third (men); race record 54,554 entrants as well as millionth finisher at 33rd edition

By Mike Sandrock, Running USA wire

After going out too fast in last year’s Dick’s Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER 10K and leading her unsuspecting teammates into early oxygen debt and a third-place team finish, Renee Metivier-Baillie vowed to run smarter this year. That she and her teammates, Amy Hastings and Magdalena Lewy Boulet, did on this cloudy Memorial Day, placing second in the 2011 International Team Challenge.

The American women scored 19 points, coming just two points shy of upsetting powerhouse Ethiopia for the team title. Kenya, led by race champion Lineth Chepkurui in 32:30, was third with 26. Team Colorado, comprising Adriana Pirtea, Colleen De Reuck and Zoila Gomez, was also in the money in fifth place.

Ethiopia swept the men’s and women’s International Team Challenge titles for the third straight year, with the professional runners starting after a race record number of Bolder citizen entrants of 54,554 (with 49,271 finishers) on a new course.

In the first course change since 1981, the starting line was moved closer to the Folsom Field finish on the University of Colorado campus, to make for better loading and unloading of the runners and walkers comprising the 92 “waves” or starting groups.

“It worked out great,” said race founder Steve Bosley. His son, race director Cliff, pointed out that the start of the professional women’s race was delayed 16 minutes, because of the large number of people wanting to register Monday morning.

What also worked great was the teamwork displayed by the U.S. runners.

Boulder’s James Carney and teammates Ryan Hall and Aaron Braun placed 5-7-12 to place third behind Ethiopia who edged Kenya by one point, 12 to 13. Team Colorado (Jason Hartmann, Fernando Cabada and Brian Medigovich) also earned prize money, placing fourth.

Ethiopian 10,000 meter specialists Belete Assefa and Solomon Gonfa went 1-2, followed by Kenyans Allan Kiprono, who trains in Boulder under Dieter Hogan, and MacDonald Ondara. The winning time of 29 minutes, 23 seconds was not especially fast, but the BolderBOULDER is all about competition for the professional runners, said Ethiopian Hussen Adelo.

“When we race against Kenya, it is a fight!” he exclaimed through a translator, making boxing motions with his fists.

Local favorite Carney runs well at the BolderBOULDER. On Monday, he ran with Hall until 3½ miles, where the course climbs west towards the mountains before turning south and cresting at 4 miles. That is where Carney then caught Braun, and he picked off the faster starters on his way to his fifth-place finish (30:17), good for $1600 as well as his share of $17,500 team prize. Both totals include U.S. Olympic training funds.

“You line ‘em up, and I’ll knock ‘em down,” a happy Carney said, after standing with the other elites and the capacity crowd inside the football stadium. Everyone looked up as two F-14 fighter jets flew over, and grew silent during the moving playing of taps and singing of the national anthem, all part of what has become the largest Memorial Day gathering in the nation.

The most visible of the runners pre-race was 2008 Olympian Hall, coming off his epic Boston Marathon run just six weeks ago.

“I was pleased with my race,” Hall said. “I just wanted to enjoy the ride, coming off my 2:04. This is icing on the cake; the crowd was amazing, like the Olympics.”

The rivalry between Kenya and Ethiopia was reminiscent of the Olympics as well. This was the fifth consecutive Ethiopia win in the men’s race, but as close as it could be after last year’s 1-2-3 Ethiopia sweep that left the Kenyans privately fuming.

The third Kenyan in on Monday, Lani Rutto in sixth, finished ahead of Adelo, the third Ethiopian scorer. However, Adelo, a 2:09 marathoner, won it for his team in the most exciting sprint of the day, outkicking Constantino Leon Lopez of Peru at the 40-yard line by less than a tick of the clock for 9th place. That was enough to keep the Ethiopian streak going.

Perhaps it was the new start of the race, which is slightly uphill – the traditional course had a slight downhill – but this year, the packs stayed together longer, making for exciting team races on both the men’s and women’s sides.

“I was hurting once again,” said Metivier-Baillie, who showed true grit by running on a gimpy leg she injured during the club cross country championships in December. She has run just two races since then, and had only two months of full training leading into the BolderBOULDER.

Metivier-Baillie held her teammates back in the early going, unlike last year’s fast opening.

“It is a magical moment working together as a team,” added Metivier-Baillie. “We were second this time; next year, we will go for the win.”

Hastings, whose 2:27:03 at the Honda LA Marathon last March is the 8th fastest U.S. women’s time ever, placed fourth in 34:20. The Mammoth Track Club athlete said that with her focus on the 2012 Olympics, she does not know if the same Team USA will be back for a third Bolder next year, but she would like to return.

“The team aspect is so exciting,” she said. “It is so much more fun, and the crowd at the finish was amazing. Like the Olympics.”

Then Hastings paused. “Well, what I imagine the Olympics sound like. I have not been there … yet.”

At the 33rd edition, fittingly, a veteran, Mieszka Laczek-Johnson, age 34 of Denver, became the race’s one millionth finisher (the 20,801st finisher overall); she ran the 6.2 mile course in 58:43.

Results

33rd Dick’s Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER 10K: 14th International Team Challenge
Boulder, CO, Monday, May 30, 2011

MEN
1) Belete Assefa (ETH), 29:23, $3750
2) Solomon Gonfa (ETH), 29:28, $2750
3) Allan Kiprono (KEN), 29:36, $2000
4) MacDonard Ondara (KEN), 29:48, $1250
5) James Carney (USA, Boulder), 30:17, $1600*
6) Lani Rutto (KEN), 30:24, $700
7) Ryan Hall (USA), 30:30, $1200*
8) Jason Hartmann (Team CO, Boulder), 30:40, $1000*
9) Hussen Adelo (ETH), 30:45, $400
10) Constantino Leon Lopez (PER), 30:46, $300
11) Hicham Bellani (MAR), 30:49
12) Aaron Braun (USA), 30:52
13) Fernando Cabada (Team CO, Boulder), 30:55
14) Paulino Canchanya Canchanya (PER), 30:57
15) Brian Medigovich (Team CO), 31:03
16) Abdellah Falil (MAR), 31:04
17) Julio Cesar Perez (MEX), 31:14
18) Jose Carlos Roxon (GUA), 31:27
19) Alfredo Arevalo (GUA), 31:30
20) Jeremias Solol (GUA), 31:44
21) Said Diaz Ceron (MEX), 31:50
22) Jaime Caldua Palma (PER), 31:59
23) Mohamed Fadil (MAR), 32:27
24) Neilson Hall (GBR), 32:36
25) Jon Peppers (GBR), 32:37
26) Jonathon Morales (MEX), 32:58
27) Matt Janes (GBR), 34:58

MEN’S TEAM
1) Ethiopia, 12 points, $15,000
2) Kenya, 13, $10,000
3) Team USA, 24, $17,500*
4) Team Colorado, 36, $13,500*
5) Peru, 46, $4000
6) Morocco, 50
7) Guatemala, 57
8) Mexico, 64
9) GBR, 76
*includes U.S. Olympic training funds

WOMEN
1) Lineth Chepkurui (KEN), 32:30, $4750
2) Mamitu Daska (ETH), 32:35, $3500
3) Meseret Mengistubiru (ETH), 34:06, $1500
4) Amy Hastings (USA), 34:20, $2250*
5) Claire Hallisey (GBR), 34:48, $800
6) Renee Metivier-Baillie (USA, Boulder), 34:54, $1400*
7) Jelliah Tinega (KEN), 35:04, $600
8) Adriana Pirtea (Team CO), 35:09, $1000*
9) Magdalena Lewy Boulet (USA), 35:10, $800*
10) Yuri Kano (JPN), 35:17, $300
11) Yuko Watanabe (JPN), 35:20
12) Tigish Tufa (ETH), 35:56
13) Bertha Sanchez (COL), 36:28
14) Marta Ronceria (COL), 36:35
15) Colleen De Reuck (Team CO, Boulder), 36:39
16) Zoila Gomez (Team CO), 36:45
17) Yumi Hirata (JPN), 36:53
18) Risper Gesabwa (KEN), 36:59
19) Leidy Tobon (COL), 37:20
20) Sarah Tunstall (GBR), 37:44
21) Angelica Sanchez (MEX), 37:54
22) Fabiola Fernandez (MEX), 37:56
23) Iracema Parra (MEX), 38:31
24) Mary Wilkinson (GBR), 39:23

TEAM
1) Ethiopia, 17 points, $15,000
2) Team USA, 19, $27,500*
3) Kenya, 26, $7000
4) Japan, 38, $6000
5) Team Colorado, 39, $8000*
6) Colombia, 46
7) GBR, 49
8) Mexico, 66
*includes U.S. Olympic training funds

Complete results and more at: www.bolderboulder.com

Ryan Hall first ran the Bolder Boulder in 2008 with a less than a stellar finish. But this year he is back to redeem himself.

Fresh off a phenomenal finish in Boston, pushing the pace in his usual style finishing fourth overall while setting his personal mark and the US marathon record at 2 hours, 4 minutes, 48 seconds. Hall also finished 10th in the 2008 Olympics (Marathon) in Beijing.

Race director Cliff Bosley added, “We`re excited that the Bolder Boulder is on Ryan`s list of races that he wants to do. The races he runs are the London Marathon, Boston Marathon, the Olympics.”

You can meet Ryan Hall as he supports http://www.facebook.com/innovationforendurance Saturday 1-2pm and Sunday 11-12 at the BolderBoulder Sports Exhibition the Pearl Street Mall.

Joining Hall on Team USA will be James Carney and Aaron Braun.  Carney was 7th and Braun 10th in last year’s BolderBoulder Elite race. Surprisingly missing from the roster is local Brent Vaughn who was the first American in last year’s race finishing fourth after the Ethiopian sweep of 1-2-3. Brent also won the USATF XC championships in January and competed for the US in the World competition.

Running for Team Colorado Men are Jason Hartman, Fernando Cabada and Brian Medigovich. Hartman was the first American in last week’s Zazzle Bay to Breakers in SF and is the face of the Chicago Marathon. Cabada is fresh off from winning the USATF 25k Championship 2 weeks ago.

“Brian Medigovich ‘earned’ his way onto the men`s version of Team Colorado”, Janicki said, referring to Medigovich winning the 2010 citizen`s race in 30:16.

On the Women’s side for Team USA will be Renee Metivier-Bailee, Magda Lewy-Boulet and Amy Hastings. Metivier_Baliee is a former CU Buff and

Team Colorado will be lead by Boulder’s favorite Masters runner Colleen DeRueck, who will be joined by Adriana Pirtea, and Zoila Gomez.

As I opened up the mail box and scanned through the bigger ticket items, I was excited to see that amongst the mundane was this months issue of Running Times Magazine.

On the cover was one of Boulder’s currently most accomplished runners: the age-defying Colleen De Reuck who back in December was named Female Masters Runner of the Year.

Running Times March 2010 Cover Featuring Colleen De Reuck

But flipping through the pages revealed there are more Boulder nuggets.

Patty Murray-Albo was called out as one of only five 40-and-older-women to run 17:35 or faster at the US masters 5k Champs back in October and gets a quote in: Masters // Rivals are the Sport.

Brian Metzler writes a revealing Q&A with now famed Micah True “Caballo Blanco” who was featured in Christopher McDougall’s book Born to Run. True spends his time between Boulder and Mexico’s Copper Canyon where he puts on an ultra running race to benefit the Tarahumara people.

Using our race as the main stage – with smaller races among the villages, with prizes of cash and corn, to encourage the young ones to run, and others to run again, to remember and re-realize what a good and positive thing it is. -True

Also look out for the small piece about “Young Gun” Allie McLaughlin, who placed 5th in last year’s NCAA Championships for Colorado.

Coach Jay Johnson is one of the guides in Expert Advice on Common Conundrums

Jason Hartman gets a shout out for his win and PR of 2:12:09 at the Twin Cities Marathon (RT article about it)

Finally Adam Chase wraps up the issue with Timmy on Top an article on Timmy Parr who won the 2009 Leadville 100 in his first try last year.

The March Issue 374 is being delivered this week to subscribers and should hit the newsstands next week.

Note: I am going to have search for a December issue featuring Sarah Vaughn. Perhaps she would be willing sign it for me one day while she is doing those killer pedestal poses.

Running Times: Part 1 from CoachJayJohnson on Vimeo.