NYRR New York Mini 10K - Pro Gallery

The U.S. Olympic marathon team met the P.S./M.S. 15 Jaguars at the start to celebrate fitness for women of all ages.

Columbus Circle was ruled by the women today as the 37th running of the original women-only road race got under way.

Out in front: The 2008 U.S. Olympic marathoners—Deena Kastor, Magdalena Lewy-Boulet, and Blake Russell—looked strong.

Kastor moved to the front early while local standout Buzunesh Deba kept right in step with the Olympians.

As the race moved up Central Park West, Kastor held her lead and Hilda Kibet of the Netherlands fell in behind her.

The lead pack spread out as Kastor ripped through a 5:09 first mile on the streets of New York City.

After the 5K mark, Madaí Pérez of Mexico took the lead briefly. Like Kastor, Pérez is her country’s marathon record-holder.

Kibet and Pérez ran stride for stride in the later stages, while Kastor held on to third place.

Kibet’s smile said it all as she broke the tape in 32:43 for her second big win in New York; she also won the 2007 NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE.

Pérez’s determination and endurance earned her a close second place finish in 32:49.

Kastor finished a solid third in 33:14. She will not race again until the Olympic women’s marathon in Beijing on August 17.

Lewy-Boulet moved through the field to capture fourth place in an excellent-for-conditions time of 33:29.

Everlyne Lagat of Kenya, the sister of American middle-distance star Bernard Lagat, made a name for herself with a fifth place finish in 33:38.

Russell, sixth in 33:40, qualified for the U.S. Olympic team with a third-place finish at the Olympic Trials race in Boston on April 20.

Aziza Aliyu of Ethiopia lives in the Bronx and excels on the local road racing scene; she placed seventh in 33:56 today.

Eighth place went to Alina Alekseyeva of Russia, who ran 34:05 in her Mini debut.

Buzunesh Deba, already an established local competitor, turned heads yet again with her ninth-place finish in 35:23.

Salome Kosgei of Kenya was 10th in 35:35.

The top three—Kastor, Pérez, and Kibet—accepted flowers, prize money, and cheers from their many fans at the awards ceremony.

The top 10 with NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg (far left) and legends Nina Kuscsik (second from left) and Kathrine Switzer (far right).