FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Geoffrey Mutai, World's Fastest Marathoner,
To Defend Title at B.A.A. 10K on June 24
Women's Race Features Matchup of Two Most Recent Boston Marathon Champions
BOSTON – The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) today announced that
Geoffrey Mutai, the world's fastest marathoner, will defend his title at
the second annual B.A.A. 10K on Sunday, June 24. Defending B.A.A. 10K
champion, Caroline Kilel will square off with reigning Boston Marathon
champion Sharon Cherop. The race starts and finishes on Charles Street
between the Public Garden and historic Boston Common. A partial list of
elite athlete biographies is attached to this release.
At the 2011 Boston Marathon, Geoffrey Mutai, of Kenya, secured his place in
Boston Marathon history by running the world's fastest marathon ever run
under any conditions in a time of 2:03:02. His time was nearly three
minutes faster than the previous course record, and it was 57 seconds
faster than anyone had ever run the distance. He returned to Boston two
months later and won the inaugural B.A.A. 10K. With a time of 27:19 at the
B.A.A. 10K, Mutai won over Gebre Gebremariam, of Ethiopia, by 52 seconds
and ran one of the fastest 10K ever run in the United States. He started
this year's Boston Marathon but did not finish the race.
In the women's race, the two most recent Boston Marathon champions will go
head-to-head. Defending B.A.A. 10K champion Caroline Kilel, of Kenya, won
the 2011 Boston Marathon in 2:22:36 with a thrilling sprint finish. She was
just two seconds ahead of American Desiree Davila and six seconds ahead of
Sharon Cherop, of Kenya. At last year's 10K, Kilel went on to win in 31:58
over runner-up Kim Smith, of New Zealand. Kilel and Cherop faced each other
again in this year's Boston Marathon, but it was Cherop who prevailed,
using a well-timed finishing kick to defeat Jemima Jelagat Sumgong, of
Kenya.
Also joining the B.A.A. 10K field from this year's Boston Marathon is men's
runner-up, Levy Matebo, of Kenya. After the men's lead pack passed the
17-mile mark, Matebo and Mathew Kisorio, of Kenya, began to increase the
pace, quickly opening up a gap on the pack. The two ran side by side
through 20 miles, when Kisorio began to fall off the pace. Despite the
150-meter lead Matebo had established, he could not hold off a late charge
by the eventual champion, Wesley Korir, also of Kenya. A bold front-runner,
Matebo's racing style will add excitement to the B.A.A. 10K.
"We are excited to welcome back these great and gracious champions as they
return to compete against some of the world's best runners," said Tom
Grilk, Executive Director of the B.A.A. "Their displays of courage and
sheer endurance inspire us all, and we are grateful that they have decided
to take part in the newest addition to our calendar of world class road
races: the B.A.A. 10K, the second race of the inaugural B.A.A. Distance
Medley."
The B.A.A. 10K begins at 8:00 a.m. on Charles Street in Boston, and top
athletes will compete for a prize purse of nearly $30,000. The 6.2-mile
course is a scenic tour through Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. Starting on
Charles Street, the race winds down picturesque Commonwealth Avenue and Bay
State Road as far west as Babcock Street near Boston University, before
heading back on Commonwealth Avenue, around the Public Garden, and
finishing on Charles Street. The field is limited to 6,000 entrants, but
there is still space left. To register, please visit www.baa.org/races/10k.
Partial List of Elite Athlete Biographies
MEN
GEOFFREY MUTAI (Eldoret, Kenya) – 10K Personal Best: 27:19
At the 2011 Boston Marathon, Geoffrey Mutai ran the fastest marathon in
history. Without the aid of pacesetters, he led eight men under 2:08.
After his Boston win, Mutai continued to break barriers as he notched a
2:05:06 course record this past fall in New York City. With those titles,
he became the first man in history to break course records in Boston and
New York City in the same year. The defending B.A.A. 10K champion set his
personal best in last year's race. Mutai currently sits in first place on
the 2011 – 2012 World Marathon Majors leaderboard despite dropping out of
this year's Boston Marathon. He is married and has two daughters named Ivy
and Marieke.
LEVY MATEBO (Trans Nozoia, Kenya) – 10K Personal Best: 27:55
Matebo was the runner-up at the 2012 Boston Marathon in 2:13:06. After
holding the lead for several miles in the latter stages of the race, he was
overtaken by Wesley Korir nearly one mile from the finish. His personal
best marathon came at the 2011 Frankfurt Marathon, where he placed second
in 2:05:16. He also won the Barcelona Marathon in 2:07:31 on March 11,
2011. Matebo set his 10K personal best in Nice, France on April 17, 2011.
WOMEN
SHARON CHEROP (Marakwet, Kenya) – 10K Personal Best: 31:31
Listed as one of the top marathoners in the world in the past two years,
Cherop won the 2012 Boston Marathon by two seconds with a well-timed kick.
At the 2012 Dubai Marathon, she set her personal best time of 2:22:39. She
has also placed third at the 2011 IAAF World Championships Marathon and the
2011 Boston Marathon. She is currently in third place on the 2011 – 2012
World Marathon Majors leaderboard, 15 points behind Mary Keitany. She set
her 10K personal best in New Delhi, India in November of 2011. Cherop is
married to Matthew Bowen, who is a 2:10 marathoner himself, and the couple
has a daughter named Natalia.
CAROLINE KILEL (Bomet, Kenya) – 10K Personal Best: 31:36
In an enthralling sprint finish against American Desiree Davila and Kenyan
Sharon Cherop, Kilel triumphed, winning the 2011 Boston Marathon in a
personal best 2:22:36. She returned to Boston, winning the inaugural B.A.A.
10K in 31:58. Later in 2011, she finished sixth at the New York City
Marathon. Kilel set her 10K personal best in Groesbeek, Netherlands in
June of 2009. She lives and trains in Kericho, with her husband Vincent
Kipkemoi, also a runner, and their son Trevis Kipngeno.
About the B.A.A.:
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit
organization with a mission of managing athletic events and promoting a
healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. Now in its 125th
anniversary year, the B.A.A. manages a comprehensive schedule of
youth-running events, distance running training programs and large-scale
races in the city of Boston. Most noteworthy is the Boston Marathon, the
world's most prestigious and oldest continually run marathon. Since the
inaugural race in 1897, the Boston Marathon has been the pinnacle for
distance running worldwide, a position which was reinforced in 1986 with
the help of principal sponsor John Hancock Financial. In 2006, the Boston
Marathon joined the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, the BMW Berlin
Marathon, the Virgin London Marathon, and the ING New York City Marathon to
form the World Marathon Majors. The B.A.A. 10K is the second race in the
inaugural B.A.A. Distance Medley, a three race series which includes the
B.A.A. 5K in April and the B.A.A. Half Marathon in October. Go to baa.org
for more information.
###
|
