Record-breaking Finish for Gebremariam at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K
Kenya’s Peter Kamais settles for a close second
New York, May 15, 2010—For the second year in a row, an accomplished Ethiopian runner debuting at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K smashed the course record. Gebregziabher Gebremariam, 25, cut six seconds off Tadese Tola’s 2009 record, running 27:42—the fastest-ever lap of Central Park.
The race, in its sixth running, had a field of a depth rarely seen on one starting line: 10 entrants had 10K personal-best times faster than 28 minutes, and two athletes were able to produce that kind of speed again, even on Central Park’s hills. And local runners proved they were up to the challenge of competing against professionals.
Vying for the Podium
Gebremariam and Peter Kamais of Kenya broke from the pack within the first two miles and set the pace at the front for the rest of the race. Great Britain’s Chris Thompson and Kenya’s Julius Kogo ran their own race for second and third, never coming within striking distance of the leaders.
With 800 meters to go, Gebremariam and Kamais were still shoulder-to-shoulder, as they’d been all morning. But Gebremariam was able to take it up a notch, and he pulled away to win by seven seconds. Kogo kept Thompson at bay to finish third in 28:19.
“I noticed at mile 5 that I was on pace to win, and I wanted to break the course record,” said Gebremariam. “I felt I controlled the race.” The record performance added the $20,000 Zayed Bonus to his winnings, which totaled $27,500.
Kamais, 33, coming off a recent win at the NYC Half-Marathon in March, added a second-place finish at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K to his résumé. He wasn’t prepared for Gerbremariam’s final surge; he looks forward to longer races, such as a marathon this fall.
Abdi Abdirahman of Tucson, AZ, was the first American finisher in sixth place. This was American Khalid Khannouchi’s return to racing after foot surgery last year. The 38-year-old had a pain-free 21st-place finish. “I am so excited to be back running in Central Park—my own backyard,” he said. “I’ll train solidly for the next four to five weeks before I race again in July.”
Inspiring Performances
NYRR Runner of the Year Buzunesh Deba of West Side Runners (WSX) broke the tape in 33:09 and bested the women’s event record by 23 seconds, earning $1000 for her efforts. Second-place finisher Frances Koons of Bryn Mawr, PA, took second and donated her $500 prize purse to the National Kidney Foundation, one of the event sponsors. Koons, who suffered from kidney cancer in 2007, has made a full recovery. Local runner Alemtsehay Misganaw of Adidas East Women's Team was third in 33:44. In this friendly but competitive team-points race, there were strong fields in both the women’s and men’s fields.
In the men’s member division, the top-three finishers were Deresse Deniboba of Westchester Track Club in 29:09 and teammates Kumsa Adugna Megersa (29:19) and Tesfaye Girma (29:24) of WSX.
Representative of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the primary sponsor of today’s event, showed their commitment to the cause by presenting the National Kidney Foundation with a massive check for $470,000. “We worked with our partners at the UAE and the National Kidney Foundation,” said NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. “It was a race to remember for a very long time.”
Sharing the Love of Running with Kids
At a special event on Friday, Abdi Abdirahman, Boaz Cheboiywo, and Frances Koons, along with representatives and runners from the United Arab Emirates, who were all in town for the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K, spent the afternoon inspiring children. The athletes spoke about their experiences growing up in very different places and the positive influence running had on their lives. But the event didn’t stop there: UAE representatives gave each kid from P.S. 182 and P.S. 83, who participate in the NYRR Mighty Milers program throughout the school year, a race T-shirt, and then led stretches and a run with the kids in a Harlem schoolyard. It was a celebratory day for kidney cancer survivors, like Koons, the National Kidney Foundation and UAE, both fighting for research and awareness of kidney health, and the children who have been encouraged to keep running for life.
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