FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ndambuki, Croft Capture Dodge Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon Titles
Former University of Oregon runners win half-marathon; more than 26,000
runners at third event edition; Everclear rocks post-race concert
SEATTLE - (June 25, 2011) - With most eyes in the running world focused on
Eugene for the USA Track & Field Championships, it was only fitting that a
former pair of University of Oregon runners swept the half-marathon
Saturday morning at the third Dodge Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon &
½ Marathon benefiting the American Cancer Society.
Kicking off the Seafair summer festival under ideal running conditions,
more than 26,000 entrants gathered in the Seattle suburb of Tukwila for the
7:00am start. Scott MacPherson of Austin, Texas, who won Rock 'n' Roll San
Antonio Half last year, pushed the first two miles with Christian Hesch of
Hollywood, California. Fifty meters back was a second group led by
25-year-old Carlos Trujillo, who was running his first half-marathon.
Slowly but steadily, Trujillo picked up his pace, reeling in MacPherson,
whose lead shrunk from 30 seconds to 15 seconds to 12 seconds by mile 12.
As mile 13 approached, Trujillo, the 2008 Pac-10 champion over 10,000
meters, dropped the hammer and outkicked MacPherson to win in 1 hour, 3
minutes, 51 seconds.
Trujillo's time was a new event record on the point-to-point course (and
the fastest half-marathon run in the State of Washington). MacPherson
finished in 1:03:53 and Hesch took third at 1:04:32. With their sub-65
minute performance, all three men qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic
Marathon Trials in Houston on January 14, 2012.
"My goal was to run sub-1:05 and those two guys took off at the start. I
first saw Hesch at mile 6 and I just tried to close on Scott with a couple
miles to go. I knew if I could get beside him with 800 meters to go I had a
chance to win," said Trujillo, who plans to make his marathon debut at the
Olympic Trials. "It feels good to get a win under my belt. The event was
really organized with a great atmosphere, and perfect weather for the race.
The course was nice, only a couple of challenging hills."
Fellow Oregon Duck Mattie Suver, who trains with the Hansons-Brooks
Distance Project but lives locally in Seattle, set a 5-minute half-marathon
personal best, winning the women's race in 1:15:40.
"There was a good group of guys running with me and I could see the other
women in front of me," said Suver, who won her first race since college,
taking the lead in the final mile. "It was exciting. I ran Vegas in
December and I love these events. There is always something going on and
people cheering. It was just a great day."
The men's marathon was a two-runner duel from the start, with 34-year old
Jonathan Ndambuki of Kenya pitted against 29-year-old Ethiopian Teshome
Kokebe. The pair ran 20:28 through the first 4 miles and stayed together
through the 35K mark, when Ndambuki made his move. He held on to win the
race 2:24:51.
"I knew I had to make my move to win the race," said Ndambuki, who finished
third (2:10) at the first ever Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego in 1998.
"It feels so great to win, and I'd like to come back next year."
Triathlete Sheila Croft of Redmond, Washington won the women's marathon in
2:50:21. It was the first marathon victory for Croft, who set a 16 minute
personal best and plans to compete at the Ford Ironman World Championships
in Kona, Hawaii this fall.
"I'll probably compete in a couple of triathlons this summer and then I
have Kona on my schedule in October," said Croft, who has won two
half-marathons in the past year. "The bands were awesome, they kept me
motivated. Today was a lot of fun."
Actress Andrea Powell, who will star in the upcoming Twilight movie,
completed the half-marathon in 2:13:55, running as part of the American
Cancer Society's DetermiNation team. State of Washington Attorney General
Rob McKenna ran the half-marathon in 1:55:54.
The event was also marked by a moving tribute to fallen soldiers near mile
7.5, where 42 American flags and photos lined the banks of Lake Washington.
The flags were held by family members as part of wear blue: run to
remember, a Fort Lewis-based group that had more than 100 runners
participate in the event and also sponsored a water station.
"This was without a doubt the most memorable and powerful mile I have ever
experienced at a running event," said Bouker Pool, Competitor Group SVP of
marketing, who participated in the half-marathon.
Runners joined their friends and family for a rocking post-race celebration
and concert with headliner Everclear.
The 4th Dodge Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon & Half Marathon is scheduled
for Saturday, June 23, 2012.
3rd Dodge Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon
Seattle, WA, Saturday, June 25, 2011
MEN
1) Jonathan Ndambuki (KEN), 2:24:51, $1000
2) Teshome Kokebe (ETH), 2:27:13, $500
3) Darryl Brown (PA), 2:32:49, $250
WOMEN
1) Sheila Croft (WA), 2:50:21, $1000
2) Alexandra Blake (AZ), 2:52:32, $500
3) Heather Lieberg (MT), 2:56:46, $250
3rd Dodge Rock 'n' Roll Seattle ½ Marathon
MEN
1) Carlos Trujillo (ID), 1:03:51*, $1000
2) Scott MacPherson (TX), 1:03:53, $500
3) Christian Hesch (CA), 1:04:32, $250
*event record (previous record, 1:04:55, Andrew Letherby (AUS), 2010)
WOMEN
1) Mattie Suver (WA), 1:15:40, $1000
2) Caroline White (OR), 1:15:50, $500
3) Kelly Calway (CO), 1:18:34, $250
Complete results, photos and more at: http://seattle.competitor.com
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