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Contact: Susan Reid
Elite Racing
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Distance Sweetheart Shatters U.S. Record at Jefferson Hospital Philadelphia
Distance Run Deena Kastor Lowers Joan Benoit's 21-year-old Mark
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 18, 2005 -- In a city rich with tradition and history,
America's distance sweetheart Deena Kastor wrote her own chapter when she
shattered the American half marathon record at the 28th annual Jefferson
Hospital Philadelphia Distance Run Sunday morning. Kastor, 32, covered the
13.1-mile distance in a time of 1:07:53, to lower Joan Benoit's 21-year-old
mark of 1:08:34 set at this same race in 1984. She also eclipsed the event
mark of 1:08:30 set by Catherine Ndereba in 2001.
Kastor, who is prepping for the Oct. 9 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon,
earned a total of $16,000 for her efforts with $8,000 for her victory plus
an additional $5,000 for the event record and $3,000 for breaking the
American mark. In addition to her new half marathon mark, she now owns
American road records in the 5K (14:54), 8K (24:36), 15K (47:15) and the
marathon (2:21:16). Kastor won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2004
Olympic Games in Athens, Greece and was only the second American ever to
win an Olympic medal, after Benoit captured the gold in the marathon in
1984.
"I'm ecstatic," said Kastor. I couldn’t ask for a better race. It was a
gorgeous morning. It was a little harder than I expected and I knew it was
going to hurt a little. I'm glad it's over. I wasn't sure I would run that
fast and I was starting to tire at the end. I wasn't really sure I had it
until I saw the clock at the finish.
"No one will ever match what Joan (Benoit Samuelson) has done," Kastor said
of breaking the record held by one of her idols. The times may be different
but nobody will ever match what she has done for the sport. She is an
icon."
Margaret Atodonyang, 26, of Kenya was the second woman across in 1:09:55,
followed by Japan's Rie Ueno, 29, in 1:10:02. The Olympic gold medalist
from 2000, Naoko Takahashi, 33, of Japan was fourth in 1:11:28.
Ethiopia's Gudisa Shentema, 25, captured the men's crown in a time of
1:02:23, followed by Kenyans Simon Kirprop (1:02:34) and Linus Maiyo
(1:02:40).
"I did not come here expecting to win, but I came here to run my best,"
said Shentema after his victory.
Running away from the women's pack at the start, Kastor cruised thru the
first two miles at 10:19 to establish what was to be a healthy margin all
the way to the finish line. Kastor, who had no other women around her from
the start, finished 21st overall.
Mbarak Hussein, originally from Kenya and now training in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, also ran an American master's record 1:03:23 en route to winning
the over-40 title and finishing ninth overall. Russia's Ramilia
Burangulova, 41, won the women's masters competition in 1:16:01.
Fifteen-year-old Kaitlyn Willard won the wheelchair competition in 1:15:24.
Nearly 11,000 participants made up the largest field ever for the 28th
annual Jefferson Hospital Distance Run. The masses were surprised by music
on the course including the Rittenhouse String Quartet, a 14-piece jazz
swing band and others, while seven local high school cheer squads lined the
route to entertain and motivate the runners.
-- TOP 10 RESULTS FOLLOW --
2005 Jefferson Hospital Philadelphia Distance Run
Philadelphia, PA
Sept. 18, 2005
Top 10 Men
Place, Name, Age, Country, Time, Prize money
1, Gudisa Shentema, 25, Ethiopia, 1:02:23, $8,000
2, Simon Kiprop, 28, Kenya, 1:02:34, $5000
3, Linus Maiyo, 22, Kenya, 1:02:40, $3,000
4, Christopher Cheboiboch, 27, Kenya, 1:02:45, $2,000
5, Mohammad Amyn, 29, Morrocco, 1:02:48, $1,500
6, Samuel Ndereba, 28, Kenya, 1:02:53, $1,250
7, Francis Bowen, 31, Kenya, 1:02:58, $1,000
8, Ernest Kimeli, 19, Kenya, 1:03:03, $750
9, Mbarak Hussein, 40, Kenya, 1:03:23, $1,600*
10, Michael Aish, 29, New Zealand, 1:03:24, $500
* Includes $1,000 for winning the Master's competition.
Top 10 Women
Place, Name, Age, Country, Time, Prize money
1, Deena Kastor, 32, USA, 1:07:53, $16,000*
2, Margaret Atodonyang, 26, Kenya, 1:09:55, $5000
3, Rie Ueno, 29, Japan, 1:10:02, $3,000
4, Naoko Takahashi, 33, Japan, 1:11:28, $2,000
5, Kathy Butler, 31, Great Britain, 1:11:53, $1,500
6, Natalya Berkut, 28, Ukraine, 1:12:22, $1,250
7, Laura O'Neill, 25, USA, 1:13:52, $1,000
8, Tatyana Chulakh, 24, Russia, 1:14:18, $750
9, Teresa Wanjiku, 31, Kenya, 1:14:30, $600
10, Shitaye Gemechu, 24, Ethiopia, 1:14:37, $500
* Includes prize bonus of $5,000 for event record and $3,000 for American
record. Old women's American record: 1:08:34 (Joan Benoit, 1984) Old
women's course/event record: 1:08:30 (Catherine Ndereba, 2001)
Masters (40 yrs. and over)
Men
1, Mbarak Hussein, 40, USA, 1:03:23, $1,000*
(American masters record; old 55:01, Craig Young, 1999)
2, Hiroyuki Fujii, 42, Japan, 1:07:18, $500
3, Steve Spence, 43, USA, 1:07:56, $250
Women
1, Ramilia Burangulova, 41, Russia, 1:16:01, $1,000
2, Tatyana Pozdnyakova, 50, Russia, 1:16:58, $500
3, Lee Dipietro, 47, USA, 1:22:26, $250
First Philadelphia resident
1, Lowell Ladd, 29, 1:09:04, $1,000
1, Emily Kroshus, 22, 1:15:42, $1,000
Spirit on the Course Cheerleader
1, Pottstown High School, $1,000
2, Lower Merion High School, $750
3, Overbrook High School, $500
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