2011 Marathon in Review
Run Like The Wind - 2011 Men's Race
by James O’Brien, from the 2011 Racers’ Record Book
In 2010, Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot of Kenya set a Boston course record of 2:05:52. Had Cheruiyot run that time in this year’s race, he would have placed fifth. That is not to minimize the caliber of the defending champion’s year-old record. On the contrary, it more clearly illustrates the stunning accomplishment of his countryman, Geoffrey Mutai, in taking the 2011 olive wreath in a scarcely believable time of 2:03:02. One might feel safe in assuming that this is the mark that will hold for years to come, but then again, the results of the 115th Boston Marathon suggest there could be any number of new records established in the next few years.
The otherworldly quality of this year’s race was in evidence from the moment the gun fired. Some even felt portents earlier than that. “I knew this was going to be a special day as soon as I got out of bed,” said runner Ryan Hall.
There had been much talk in the days leading up to the race about the tailwind that was anticipated. The elite runners would fly. Be that as it may, there have been tailwinds in Boston before, but there has never been a day like April 18, 2011. In some ways it bordered on the unbelievable. A winning time of 2:03:02 — the fastest marathon ever run, by 58 seconds — was an epoch-shattering performance of Usain Bolt-ian proportions. The freeform tactics of Ryan Hall were absorbing, sometimes bewildering, but ultimately fantastically successful. Four finishers under the year-old course record, six under 2:07, and 10 under 2:09 was indicative of a speed and depth that has never been seen before on the fabled Boston course. It’s too easy to dismiss the times as due solely to the aiding wind. There are still 26.2 miles to cover, still the Newton Hills to confront, and still a hoard of the most intimidating competitors in the world to handle. Aiding wind or not, there are innumerable things that can go wrong. That they didn’t is testament to the acuity of the field, and most of all, to the inspired racing of 29-year-old Mutai.
Though much of the pre-event speculation centered on three men — defending champion Cheruiyot, New York City Marathon winner Gebregziabher Gebremariam, and the enigmatic Hall, who had placed a lowly 21st in the New York City Half Marathon in March — Mutai was always there, a force of enormous potential, and a name posited as the man who “could.” In fact, of all those on the Hopkinton starting line, Mutai was the most accustomed to running fast. In Rotterdam last April, he scorched to a 2:04:55 second- place finish, matching the seventh-fastest in history. In Berlin in September, he crossed the finish line in a superb 2:05:10, again taking second, though with a time that he said was slowed by the persistent rain. Thus, on paper, Mutai was nearly a minute faster than anybody else in the field.
The gun, of course, is the great equalizer. Once that sounds, it’s just a pack of talented athletes, their commitment, and the hard road. The first one to make a statement was, not surprisingly, Hall, the man whose tactics in 2010 had befuddled spectators — his superb fourth-place finish notwithstanding. But Hall runs to his own beat. “I feel comfortable in the lead,” he said. “I felt really comfortable at that pace, and I like to arrive ahead of schedule.”
From the opening footsteps, the lithe American demonstrated that this was precisely his objective. He loped through the first mile in 4:38, five miles in 23:18, and ten in 47:03. For all but a handful of the steps, he held the pole position, sometimes drifting back to grab water, but always migrating back to the forefront and assuming the pacemaker’s role once again. Behind him all of the race’s favorites were gathering together — Cheruiyot, Gebremariam, Mutai, Evans Cheruiyot, and the debuting Moses Mosop — all happy to enjoy the services of the de facto pacemaker. All but unnoticed — except by the runners themselves — was the escalating pace.
That 10-mile split projected a blistering finishing time somewhere around 2:02:40. Little more than three miles later, at the halfway point and with Hall still in command, the split of 61:56 indicated a finishing time of 2:03:52. Curiously, that time was almost two minutes faster than Hall’s finish in the NYC Half Marathon several weeks before. Obviously those numbers were deceptive, and reality would come to bear in the second half of the race. Obviously.
But Hall hammered on, frequently displaying the ebullience that had dismayed and baffled so many in 2010. He low-fived the young women cheering outside Wellesley College. He held his hand to his ear, exhorting them to cheer still louder. He fist-pumped as the crowds outside the American Legion Hall in Wellesley screamed their encouragement. He looked supreme, no question about that, but one had to question the energy he was expending, the focus he was seemingly lacking.
At 15 miles and 1:10:55, the group held tight — Mutai, Bekana Daba (Ethiopia), Robert Kipchumba (Kenya), Mosop, Gebremariam, Philip Kimutai Sanga (Kenya), Cheruiyot, and Hall, near the back. Approaching the Newton Hills, there was no sign of the pace relenting. At 18 miles, 1:25:15, Hall fronted the pack one more time, though this was a prelude to the move that was about to set this race blazing. With the 19-mile mark fast approaching, Mutai injected the first move to truly do some damage. The group that had been congealed for so long fell asunder, and the race for the line was on.
Mosop was the only one to offer a spirited response. Gebremariam tried, but could never really get back on terms. By 20 miles (at 1:34:05 — still projecting a finish somewhere in the 2:03s), it was Mutai leading, Mosop a couple of steps back and fighting, Gebremariam several more behind and fading, and the rest wondering what the heck was going on. Hall later said, “I couldn’t believe it. I was running 2:04 pace and I couldn’t even see the leaders.”
The closing miles produced a duel that had to be seen to be believed. Mutai, the experienced speedster, controlled the mind-blowing pace; Mosop, the neophyte, hung on, either through naivety or strength of will — probably both. “I was expecting 2:07, 2:08,” he said afterward.
At 25 miles, the split was 1:57:30. With one mile to go, it was 1:58:31, and it was at that stage that the reality of what these athletes were doing truly began to resonate. A five-minute dawdle through the final mile would still improve upon the fastest marathon ever run (Haile Gebreselassie’s 2:03:59) by 28 seconds. But dawdling was not something they were engaged in.
Swinging onto Boylston Street for the long homestretch, it became a sprinter’s race — and this after 26 miles at mind-blowing speed. With 200 meters remaining, it became evident that Mutai was the man with the wheels. He hurtled across the line with 2:03:02 showing on the clock, a time that provoked sheer amazement. Whatever was said about the tailwind, whatever was said about the point-to-point course, this was a time that brought marathoning into a new and barely conceivable era. A 2:02 marathon is around the corner. And talk has started of sub-2:00:00.
In second place, Mosop crossed the line in 2:03:06, the fastest first marathon of all time. The previous best debut was Kenyan Evans Rutto’s 2:05:50 in Chicago in 2003. In third, Gebremariam improved his personal record to 2:04:53, from 2:08:14, and the fourth-place Hall improved the best-ever time by an American to 2:04:58. Ethiopian Abreham Cherkos closed powerfully to take fifth in 2:06:13, also a personal record. The first finisher not to improve on his best was the defending champ, Cheruiyot, who placed sixth in 2:06:43.
“I was not coming to Boston to break the world record,” said Mutai, who claimed $150,000 for his win, another $50,000 for surpassing the world-record time, and $25,000 for setting the course record. “It was not in my mind, but it came. The wind was never much. Hall helped us a lot. He pushed it and he pushed it, all the time.”
For his part, Hall was elated. “Having run a bunch of marathons, I’ve learned to trust myself,” he asserted. “I really wanted to be in the race coming [in] to Newton. I was excited to be in the lead and I was really excited about my splits. I knew that we were in a special day.”
This marked a stunning return to form for the American, who had been suffering from an undiagnosed parasite near the end of 2010. He attributed his NYC Half Marathon slump to having come down from altitude too close to the event. “For some reason, I have breakthroughs in races where everybody else breaks through as well,” he continued. “One of these days, I’ll break through when everybody else is having an off-day.”
On such a historically fast day, with off-days, even average days, in the minority, road-racing fans got to witness a remarkable and unforgettable trip from Hopkinton to Boston. It was, in many ways, a day for the ages, and another classic chapter in the history of the Boston Marathon.
James O’Brien has been writing about the sport of running since 1979. Formerly an editor of Running Times and American Runner, he is now publisher and editor of The Winged Foot, the monthly publication of the New York Athletic Club. He has written for various Boston Athletic Association publications since 1992, and has been an online reporter for BAA.org at recent Boston Marathons.
Three, Two, One... – 2011 Women’s Race
by Barbara Huebner, from the 2011 Racers’ Record Book
hey came through the halfway point in a pack of nine, 70 seconds behind the leader. But by the time the two women hit the ONE MILE TO GO sign in Kenmore Square, they were in a tug-of-war for the olive wreath. One would yank on the rope, and the other would falter. Then they’d reverse it. Who would finally pull the other across that line between first and second place, between winning and … winning?
In the end, with about 400 meters to go, Caroline Kilel of Kenya executed one final unanswerable tug, breaking the tape in 2:22:36 to win the 115th Boston Marathon. Just two seconds back, unheralded American Desiree Davila crossed the line in 2:22:38.
“I’m very happy because I won this Boston,” said Kilel, a 30-year-old marathon veteran, whose time was a personal best and the fourth-fastest ever run on this course. “Maybe if you will invite me next year I will be here again.”
Rounding out the top three was Sharon Cherop of Kenya, who finished close behind, in 2:22:42. For earning their places on the podium, the trio took home $150,000, $75,000, and $40,000, respectively.
American Kara Goucher, who gave birth six-and-a-half months before the race, came in fifth, in 2:24:52, a personal best by just over a minute. Indeed, most of the top 10 women ran personal bests on a day that offered ideal conditions on the point-to-point course — it was 49 degrees with a 21 mph tailwind at the start.
Winning the women’s masters division in 2:34:22 was 41-year-old Russian Larisa Zyusko, who in 1996 placed fifth in the open division. Fan favorite Joan Samuelson, running Boston for the first time in 18 years and setting off in the first wave of the mass start, posted a time of 2:51:29.
For the fourth consecutive year, the women’s race of the Boston Marathon was decided by three seconds. But for the first time in memory, an American was less than two ticks of the clock from victory. “I like to surprise people,” said Davila before the race, and it’s safe to say she astonished a good many. For some reason — because she trains in Michigan maybe, or doesn’t do a lot of shorter races, or just prefers a low-key approach – Davila came into Boston largely under the radar. And yet, last fall, Davila ran the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2:26:20, becoming the fourth-fastest American woman ever and finishing 2010 as number one in the US.
The radar picked her up near the top of Heartbreak Hill.
“It was the most incredible experience in my career,” said Davila, whose 2:22:38 is the fastest time ever by an American woman on this course, moving her ahead of the venerated Samuelson. It also makes her the third-fastest American woman in history, behind only Deena Kastor and Samuelson, and continues her streak of recording personal bests in each of the half-dozen marathons she has run.
“The last six miles of the race, it was, ‘USA! USA!’,” Davila recalled afterwards.
The first 15 miles of the race, however, were all New Zealand, by way of Providence, Rhode Island. Kim Smith, a four-time NCAA champion at Providence College, who finished ninth in the 10,000 meters in the 2008 Olympics, came up to Boston in the best shape of her life and said her plan was to push the pace early. She wasn’t kidding. Bolting at the sound of the gun, she immediately built a 20-meter lead on the pack.
By five kilometers, Smith was 30 seconds ahead, and she logged miles five through 11 on a pace to break the course record, all the while enjoying a solo run common on a Sunday in March but seldom seen on this Monday in April. During this time, the pack began to get edgy about whether to give chase, but quickly settled down.
“I felt like she was going to get reeled in,” said Davila.
By halfway, Smith had built her lead to 70 seconds and was looking strong when, inexplicably, her left leg buckled. She lurched, righting herself, only to stumble again. For several miles, the 29-year-old Kiwi tried to alter her stride, battling the spasm in her leg and the ache in her heart as she wobbled forward. At about the18-mile mark, she pulled over to the left shoulder of Commonwealth Avenue for a few seconds, trying but failing to work out the debilitating cramps.
She had never been so fit, and now it was all going to waste.
“I felt great all the way,” she said afterward, dejected and battling tears. “I felt great when I stopped. It got to the point where I physically couldn’t do it anymore.”
Just before mile 19, a pack of four caught up. Smith dropped out soon after.
Those four — Kilel, Cherop, Alice Timbilili, and former Boston Marathon champion Dire Tune — had barely begun to settle in when an unexpected guest appeared. It was Davila crashing the party, having passed Goucher around mile 16 with an encouraging “Keep your eyes up.”
In turn, Goucher told her, “OK, go get ’em.”
Moments later, Davila would not only join the festivities but decide to play host, taking the lead and pressing the pace.
A half mile later, near the bottom of Boston College hill, Tune dropped back. Then Timbilili began to labor, and coming into Cleveland Circle the pack was down to three. Davila, who calls herself a pure marathoner but still had the speed to make the World Indoor Championships team in the 3000 meters last year, seemed to take control.
Just past Coolidge Corner, with about two miles to go, the trio hit a slight incline and Kilel surged. Davila looked as if she were about to meet the same fate as Tune and Timbilili, but she skipped a fluid station and fearlessly caught up, then pressed the pace yet again. The process repeated itself.
“I was really just trying to keep contact,” she said. “I didn’t want anyone to settle, so it was a back-and-forth anytime the pace got soft.”
Rounding the turn onto Hereford Street — just the spot where Goucher lost contact two years ago — Davila made a decisive move, swinging wide to the left and slinging herself around the corner to take the lead.
By the next turn, onto Boylston, Kilel had it back. Did Davila have anything left?
She did. With about 500 meters to go, Davila took the lead and the wildly cheering crowd on the home stretch had reason to believe that the Boston Marathon would have its first female American winner since Lisa Larsen- Weidenbach (now Rainsberger) in 1985.
“The last 800 meters, my legs were fried,” Davila said. “I kept thinking, ‘Keep contact, keep contact.’ You’re kind of bargaining with yourself: ‘Well, I’ve made it pretty far, doing OK. People will be happy.’ Then you’re like, ‘No! I’ve worked too damn hard. Don’t give up. Don’t give up.’”
But one last surge by Kilel, with perhaps a quarter-mile remaining, clinched the win for the gutsy Kenyan. Victorious but spent, she crumbled to the ground as she crossed the finish line, thinking of home and the people singing her national anthem.
“I was completely tired,” she told Running Times in an interview the next day. “But me, I’m really a fighter in the last minute.”
It was the first major victory in a 10-year marathon career for Kilel. Before Boston, Kilel, who is the mother of a three-yearold, had wins in Palermo (2004), Nairobi (2005), Taipei (2008), Ljubljana, Slovenia (2009), and last fall in Frankfurt, where she set her previous personal best of 2:23:35. She wasn’t going to have to wait for next year to see Boston again, either. As of publication time, Kilel was scheduled to return for the inaugural B.A.A. 10K race on June 26.
For Davila, it was a race plan executed almost to perfection. In a February interview, Davila — who trains with the Hansons- Brooks Distance Project in Rochester Hills, Michigan — said that if the race went out slow, she was prepared to take the early lead and keep it honest. Kim Smith took that off her plate. If it didn’t, she said, she would hang back a bit and make her gains through the Newton Hills. Check. She also wanted to learn how to run from the front. Check. And, when reminded that she had so far in her career run every marathon faster than the one before, she said, “I think it will take a PR to be mixing it up in the front.” Check, again.
Her coach, Kevin Hanson, was even more prophetic that day, not to mention more direct: “We’re running for the win.” Check, to say the least.
In the post-race press conference, the runnerup appeared composed and, if not elated, certainly satisfied. “I felt I could run with anyone today,” she said. “I know that’s a bold statement beforehand, especially when you look at the field. But I don’t think I would have placed where I did if I didn’t believe that coming in. As the race broke and my race plan was unfolding, it just went perfect for me, minus not winning.”
For someone who didn’t win, Davila has been getting a lot of attention since returning to Michigan. Among other tributes, in late April she was invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Detroit Tigers game, an honor that took her by surprise. “I thought maybe there was some confusion and they thought I was the winner,” she recounted. “It was a moral dilemma; I was worried [that] if I told them I was actually second, I might get uninvited.”
They knew. And she wasn’t. The honor was just another example of that dividing line between winning … and winning.
Barbara Huebner is a writer, editor and consultant in the running industry. A former sportswriter for the Boston Globe, she has covered the Boston Marathon for the past 20 years. She can be reached at Barbara. [email protected].
Homeward Bound - Push Rim Wheelchair Division
By James O'Brien, Barbara Huebner, and T.K. Skenderian, from the 2011 Racers’ Record Book
After March’s tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Wakako Tsuchida needed a place to prepare for the Boston Marathon. In Tokyo, each night brought aftershocks, each day a shortage of water, every minute more worry over the nuclear power plant in peril just three hours north.
Tsuchida headed for Fukuoka in the far southwest corner of the country. There she trained with Masazumi Soejima, who was also working toward a return to Boston. Soejima, the 2007 Boston Marathon champion, is the only man to have interrupted Ernst Van Dyk’s dominant streak of success in Boston. The South African had prevailed at the Boylston Street finish line each year since 2001, except in 2007, when Soejima first tasted Boston glory.
On Patriots’ Day, the pair brought much-needed joy to their ravaged nation with two Boston Marathon victories: Soejima’s second, and Tsuchida’s fifth in a row.
After the gun, the men’s race quickly took a familiar form. Van Dyk used his weight and upper-body strength to gain a formidable lead on the early downhills. As the nine-time champion approached the three-kilometer mark, the photography motorcycle clocked his speed at 42 miles per hour (68 km/h). As the race sped through Newton and Brookline, Boston newcomer Kurt Fearnley, a four-time winner of the New York City Marathon, a gold medalist at the 2008 Paralympic Games, and a three-time Chicago Marathon champion, proved a force to be reckoned with.
Known for his fantastic uphill speed, Fearnley eventually drew even with Van Dyk and took the lead at mile 21. While the two Southern Hemisphere combatants traded off the lead, Soejima stayed within striking distance as a close third, waiting for the right moment to surge.
With a $15,000 first-place prize on the line, Fearnley, Soejima, and Van Dyk engaged in an epic tussle all the way down Boylston Street to the line. As they passed beneath the clock, a single second separated all three. But it was 40-year-old Soejima who took the crown, finishing in 1:18:50, with Fearnley taking second in 1:18:51 and Van Dyk third in the same time. It was the closest finish ever in the men’s wheelchair race. Soejima didn’t lead in the race until the last hundred meters. “At the end, I was thinking that until my hands start bleeding or my heart stops, I wasn’t going to stop,” he said. “The closer I was to the finish line, the more I kept pushing, until I cut the tape.”
Tsuchida’s win was less dramatic, but no less satisfying. Leading from wire to wire, the four-time defending champion made it five straight when she crushed the field, setting a world-best with her winning time of 1:34:06.
“I definitely didn’t want to look back once,” said the 36- year-old, who was competing in Boston for the seventh time and has become a fan favorite with her ever-present smile. Helped along by a tailwind, Tsuchida’s mark broke the previous world-best time held by eight-time Boston champion Jean Driscoll, whose time of 1:34:22 was set here in 1994. Tsuchida earned $15,000 for the victory, plus a $10,000 bonus for surpassing Driscoll’s world-best time and a $7,500 bonus for setting a new course record.
It’s been quite a racing stretch for the Japanese superstar, who won marathons in London, Berlin, and Honolulu last year. But it’s also been a time of sorrow for her nation.
“With everything that occurred, I tried very hard this year,” said Tsuchida, who lost the use of her legs in a car accident when she was 17. She has won seven medals in the Paralympic Games: three in wheelchair racing and four in ice-sledge racing. “I’ve been overwhelmed with the support I’ve gotten from the B.A.A., Boston, and everybody. I really wanted to do well for the people back in Japan.”
Her closest rival, Shirley Reilly, was almost seven minutes back.
“For most of the race, the wind was behind us,” said Reilly, who attends the University of Arizona and finished in 1:41:01. “Wakako obviously tore it up!” The third-place finisher, fellow American Christina Ripp, agreed: “At one point I looked at Shirley and said, ‘Wakako’s fast. I haven’t seen her since the start.’ ’’
Visitor's Day – 2011 Masters Division
by T.K. Skenderian, from the 2010 Racers’ Record Book
At the 21-kilometer mark, Migidio Bourifa couldn’t run anymore.
As a result, the 2010 Italian Marathon champion was forced to drop out of the Rome Marathon with physical problems, ending his hopes of reaching the podium. That was on March 20.
So Bourifa shifted his sights to the Boston Marathon, less than a month away. After an April 9 physical cleared him to compete, he prepared to tackle the historic Hopkinton-to-Boston course for the first time.
He’s glad he did.
With a time of 2:13:45, the 42-year-old Italian won the men’s masters-division title in the 2011 Boston Marathon. Bourifa was the first Italian man to win in a prize-money division in Boston since Gelindo Bordin won the open race in 1990. Bourifa took home $10,000 for his victory in the masters division and $1,700 for finishing 14th overall among men.
Speaking with the Italian newspaper Bergamo Sport News after the race, Bourifa said, “Part of the race was run with favorable winds, but this certainly didn’t compensate for the hilly [course] right at the start. I found my ideal group right away, passing the 10K mark at 31:10, at the half with 1:05:57, and at the 30K with 1:34:43. I was the only one left of that group at the 35K mark, running — actually, flying — in between an incredible crowd.
“It was a beautiful experience, a fantastic marathon, both from the organizational and public’s point of view,” added Bourifa, aglow after his win. “It’s an experience I recommend to all runners.”
He was also the first European finisher and came in more than four minutes ahead of 41-year-old Franklin Tenorio of Ecuador, who finished second in the masters division with a time of 2:17:56. Boudalia Said of Italy placed third in 2:18:31.
Born in Morocco, Bourifa grew up in the northern Italian city of Bergamo. He was the 2009 masters-division champion at the ING New York City Marathon with a time of 2:16:00.
In the women’s masters division, Larisa Zyusko of Russia claimed victory, with a time of 2:34:22; she placed 17th overall among women.
The 42-year-old is no stranger to success at the marathon distance, having won the 2002 Cleveland Marathon with a time of 2:37:43 and the adidas Dublin Marathon in 2008 with a time of 2:29:55. In her impressive running career she’s finished 23 marathons.
It was also not her first time on the Boston course. Zyusko took part in the historic 100th running of the Boston Marathon in 1996. She tackled the 2011 race with a winning strategy — the first half of her race was just 56 seconds faster than the second half.
With a 5:54 average pace during the race, Zyusko was 12 minutes off of her personal record at the finish, but still more than a minute ahead of the second-place masters finisher, fellow Russian Svetlana Zakharova, who came through in a time of 2:35:47. The 40-year-old Zakharova was the 2003 Boston Marathon women’s champion, with a time of 2:25:20. In third place was Shannon McHale of West Simsbury, Connecticut, who finished in 2:43:46.
Home Cooking - Team Competition
by T.K. Skenderian from the 2011 Racers’ Record Book
MEN’S TEAM – OPEN DIVISION
For the third time in 10 years, the men’s open-division team competition was won by the Boston Athletic Association. With a time of 7:05:31, the B.A.A. was led by Terry Shea (2:20:48), Alex Taylor (2:22:19), and Nathan Krah (2:22:24). Shea finished in 23rd place overall, while Taylor and Krah finished 27th and 29th, respectively. The B.A.A. has now won the team competition six times since it began in 1985. Taking second place was the Air Force in 7:15:19, and finishing in third was New York Athletic Club in 7:38:29.
WOMEN’S TEAM – OPEN DIVISION
For the eighth time since 1985, and for the fourth straight year, the host Boston Athletic Association took the women’s open team title in the Boston Marathon. With strong performances from Kasie Enman (2:39:55), Elle Pishny (2:44:40), and Jennifer Campbell (2:46:10), the B.A.A. won with a time of 8:10:45 — a new record in the women’s team competition by more than a minute. The team finished more than 30 minutes ahead of Running Republic of Boulder (8:40:50) and more than 41 minutes ahead of Impala Racing Team of California (8:52:09). The previous team record of 8:11:48 was set by the Hansons- Brooks Distance Project in 2007. Enman finished 24th among all women, while Pishny and Campbell placed 30th and 32nd, respectively.
MEN’S TEAM – MASTERS DIVISION
For the second consecutive year, Whirlaway Racing Team made it into the winner’s circle in the men’s masters-division team competition. With a time of 7:53:06, the Massachusetts-based team shaved nearly 10 minutes off of their 2010 performance. Joseph Navas led with a time of 2:33:17 to set the tone. Following him across the finish line were teammates Jason Porter (2:39:24) and Chris Spinney (2:40:25). Whirlaway has won the men’s masters team title in Boston seven times since 2003. This year the second-place team was Cleveland Southeast Runners Club with a time of 7:55:58, and Somerville Road Runners came in third in 8:05:11.
WOMEN’S TEAM – MASTERS DIVISION
Whirlaway Racing Team was also victorious in the women’s masters team contest. With a time of 9:28:15, this was a second consecutive win for Whirlaway. Led by Simonetta Piergentili, who finished in 3:03:09, the team also scored with Christin Doneski’s 3:08:47 and Petra Platt’s 3:16:19. More than 20 minutes behind Whirlaway were Road Runner Sports of New Jersey, with a time of 9:49:53, and Winner’s Circle Running Club of New Hampshire, which finished in 10:00:11.
Third Annual B.A.A. 5K and Invitational Mile races get marathon weekend off to a fast start
by Barbara Huebner and James O'Brien, from the 2011 Racers' Record Book
B.A.A. 5K
An annoying wind buffeted the B.A.A. 5K course throughout the morning, but by the 8 a.m. start time, the rain had abated and the 5000 runners in the third edition of this race got underway right on schedule. Even so, the wind would not relent — sometimes coming from the front, sometimes from behind, sometimes from across — prompting all of the race favorites to be, as Ben True explained, cautious.
That said, as the gun fired to get the field underway, the man who bolted straight for the lead was — guess who? — Ben True. Hovering around him were Ben St. Lawrence of Australia, Lucas Meyer, Bobby Curtis, John Korir of Kenya, Nick Arciniaga, and Ben Bruce — a knot of superb racers, all seeking shelter from the storm. There was no true leader; it was more a case of momentum. Whoever drifted forward and whoever drifted back determined who held the pole position. And that was pretty much how it stayed until the closing half mile brought the inevitable increase in tempo
The runners spread wide across the street. Korir inched into the lead, then Curtis edged up, then St Lawrence. Even with just 20 meters to go, any one of four guys could have stolen the race, but True was right to be confident in his kick — it was the decider. Making the most significant move of the race at the most effective time, True surged into a stride lead, breaking the finish tape in a course record of 14:07. (The old course mark was 14:29, set by Jarrod Shoemaker in the 2009 inaugural B.A.A. 5K.) Curtis crossed the line so close behind True that he was awarded the same time. St. Lawrence took third at 14:09 and Korir fourth, also in 14:09.
True, who hails from North Yarmouth, Maine, attended Dartmouth College, where he became the first athlete in that school’s history to run a sub-four-minute mile. He earned All-American honors in track and cross country, as well as in cross-country skiing. Those kinds of credentials tend to breed athletes of confidence and, more often than not, that’s what makes the difference.
B.A.A. Professional Mile Race
Could you bet against Great Britain’s Andy Baddeley to take the win in the B.A.A. Men’s Invitational Mile? He came in as an Olympic and World Championships 1500 meters finalist, with a personal record in the mile of 3:49.38, and as the defending champion in this race. Even with a loaded field, who could take him down? Certainly not a high-school kid, no matter how talented he might be. Funny how things don’t always evolve the way you anticipate.
With 100 meters to go, Lukas Verzbicas, an 18-year-old high-school senior from New Lenox, Illinois, had a two-stride lead on Baddeley. After a very close race, it was Verzbicas who made a bid for the win with 200 meters to go. With just meters left, Baddeley clawed his way ever closer, but Verzbicas appeared to still have it. Baddeley blasted past with mere inches remaining. Though nobody was watching the clock, for the record, the finishing times were 4:16.7 and 4:16.8. Third place went to Craig Miller, who edged Kyle Miller, 4:17.4 to 4:17.6
On the women’s side, two-time NCAA champion, Charlotte Browning of Great Britain led a tight pack of six women through the first two laps. The third and final lap, however, was another story — and a thrilling one. Coming off the last turn, it was 2009 B.A.A. Invitational Mile champion Anna Pierce in the lead. She had a step on Treniere Moser, a three-time national champion in the 1500 meters. Then, suddenly, that step evaporated.
Marina Muncan, the Serbian national record holder, drew even with the leaders. The trio of Pierce, Moser, and Muncan covered the last furious 20 meters shoulder-to-shoulder-to-shoulder and hit the tape abreast. Muncan would ultimately emerge as the victor, with a time of 4:58.7. Both Pierce and Moser, who were awarded second and third prize, respectively, clocked in at 4:58.8. Muncan is the only woman to have competed in this event in each of the three years since it was established, finishing third in 2010 and fourth in 2009.
B.A.A. Scholastic Mile Race
The Scholastic Mile saw sparks flying almost as violently as in the elite mile. This time, it was Newton teammates David Melly and Ezra Lichtman who were the foremost combatants. Defending champion Ben Groleau, a 1:58 performer in the 800 meters indoors this year, charged into the lead from the gun and led through the first lap in a time of 1:38. Hard on his heels, though, was Romey Sklar from Brookline, in addition to the Newton duo. With 300 meters remaining, Melly heard the exhortations of his coach on the sidelines and decided it was time to go. Powering a surge along the back straight, a la Verzbicas, he succeeded in jettisoning Sklar, but Lichtman wasn’t going anywhere. Into the home straight, Melly held the advantage, but it was by no means locked up.
Looking at the tape, Melly charged hard. He didn’t gain any ground, but he didn’t lose any, either. At the line, he held a 0.8 advantage, taking the win 4:34.0 to 4:34.8, and setting a new race record. For Lichtman, it was a second consecutive year with a second-place finish. The Melly-Lichtman one-two combination secured the team win for Newton.
In the Girls’ Scholastic Mile, Kathy O’Keefe was the runaway winner. The Newton South High School senior teamed up with Margo Gillis to give Newton its third consecutive, scholastic team title here, with two athletes running for each of the eight cities and towns along the Boston Marathon course: Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and Boston. O’Keefe’s winning time was 5:10.6, just off the race record. Gillis was runner-up in 5:26.5, with Hopkinton’s Kellie Lodge third in 5:29.0.
B. A. A. 5K Results, Past Winners
2011 Top B.A.A. 5K Finishers
Women
| Place | Name | Home | Time |
| 1 | Lineth Chepkurui | Kenya | 15:52* |
| 2 | Stephanie Pezzullo | Flagstaff, AZ | 16:21 |
| 3 | Stephanie Reilly | Northbridge, MA | 16:23 |
| 4 | Toni Salucci | Hanover,NH | 16:26 |
| 5 | Amy Hastings | Mammoth Lakes,CA | 16:34 |
| 6 | Sarah Groff | Hanover,NH | 16:42 |
| 7 | Jeannette Faber | Somerville,MA | 16:44 |
| 8 | Teresa McWalters | Cambridge,MA | 16:51 |
| 9 | Dawn Charlier | Dallas,TX | 17:02 |
| 10 | Erin Dromgoole | Brighton,MA | 17:05 |
Men
| Place | Name | Home | Time | |
| 1 | Ben True | Hanover, NH | 14:07* | |
| 2 | Bobby Curtis | Louisville, KY | 14:07 | |
| 3 | Ben St. Lawrence | Australia | 14:09 | |
| 4 | John Korir | Kenya | 14:09 | |
| 5 | Ben Bruce | Springfield, OR | 14:14 | |
| 6 | Lucas Meyer | Ridgefield, CT | 14:19 | |
| 7 | Jarrod ShoemakerMaynard, MA | 14:23 | ||
| 8 | Jonathan Pierce | Mammoth Lakes, CA | 14:24 | |
| 9 | Nicholas Arciniaga Flagstaff, AZ | 14:24 | ||
| 10 | Brian Harvey | Allston, MA | 14:25 |
2010 Top B.A.A. 5K Finishers
Women
| Place | Name | Home | Time |
| 1 | Jennifer Campbell | Watertown, MA | 16:50* |
| 2 | Jeannette Seckinger | Somerville, MA | 16:59 |
| 3 | Lara Johnson | Boston MA | 17:39 |
Men
| Place | Name | Home | Time |
| 1 | Josh Cox | Lakes, CA | 14:30 |
| 2 | Brian Harvey | Allston, MA | 14:44 |
| 3 | Mark Miller | Keene, NH | 14:58 |
2009 B.A.A. 5K
Women
| Place | Name | Home | Time |
| 1 | Maria Varela | Brighton, MA | 17:37 |
| 2 | Kathy Fleming | Natick, MA | 17:40 |
| 3 | Emily Kroshus | Boston, MA | 17:40 |
Men
| Place | Name | Home | Time |
| 1 | Jarrod Shoemaker | Maynard, MA | 14:29* |
| 2 | Matthew Ely | Natick, MA | 14:59 |
| 3 | Joey Wiegner | Yardley, PA | 14:59 |
* Course Record
B.A.A. Invitational Mile Results
2011 B.A.A. Invitational Mile Results
Scholastic Girls
| Place | Name | Team | Time |
| 1 | Kathy O'Keefe | Newton | 5:10.6 |
| 2 | Margo Gillis | Newton | 5:26.5 |
| 3 | Kellie Lodge | Hopkinton | 5:29.0 |
| 4 | Eva Lauer | Wellesley | 5:30.0 |
| 5 | Sarah Bowhill | Framingham | 5:32.8 |
| 6 | Kim Bolick | Hopkinton | 5:38.3 |
| 7 | Sarah Poulin | Ashland | 5:39.0 |
| 8 | Jessie Kaliski | Wellesley | 5:39.2 |
| 9 | Erin Murphy | Natick | 5:42.2 |
| 10 | Annie McElaney | Natick | 5:43.3 |
| 11 | Hannah McGrath | Brookline | 5:43.3 |
| 12 | Kristen Skillman | Brookline | 5:43.4 |
| 13 | Kathleen Mello | Boston | 5:47.4 |
| 14 | Hannah Daly | Ashland | 5:48.9 |
| 15 | Maria Grandoni | Framingham | 5:55.9 |
Scholastic Boys
| Place | Name | Team | Time |
| 1 | David Melly | Newton | 4:34.0 |
| 2 | Ezra Lichtman | Newton | 4:34.8 |
| 3 | Romey Sklar | Brookline | 4:38.9 |
| 4 | Ben Groleau | Framingham | 4:45.2 |
| 5 | Tim Bolick | Hopkinton | 4:51.3 |
| 6 | Christian Sampson | Brookline | 4:52.0 |
| 7 | Ryan Milewski | Ashland | 4:58.5 |
| 8 | Andrew Griswold | Wellesley | 4:59.3 |
| 9 | Brian Gilligan | Framingham | 4:59.7 |
| 10 | Brendan Driscoll | Hopkinton | 5:01.5 |
| 11 | Danny Jamieson | Natick | 5:05.4 |
| 12 | Nick D'Agostino | Boston | 5:06.6 |
| 13 | Andrew Culkin | Natick | 5:10.3 |
| 14 | Kevin Bu | Wellesley | 5:12.7 |
| 15 | Robert Finch | Boston | 5:20.2 |
| 16 | Peter Kirk | Ashland | 5:23.4 |
Professional Women
| Place | Name | Team | Time |
| 1 | Marina Muncan | SRB | 4:58.7 |
| 2 | Anna Pierce | USA | 4:58.8 |
| 3 | Treniere Moser | USA | 4:58.8 |
| 4 | Brie Felnagle | USA | 4:59.1 |
| 5 | Charlotte Browning | GBR | 5:02.6 |
| 6 | Erin Bedell | USA | 5:04.0 |
Professional Men
| Place | Name | Team | Time |
| 1 | Andrew Baddeley | GBR | 4:16.7 |
| 2 | Lukas Verzbicas | USA | 4:16.8 |
| 3 | Craig Miller | USA | 4:17.4 |
| 4 | Kyle Miller | USA | 4:17.6 |
| 5 | Brain Gagnon | USA | 4:24.3 |