FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Distance Rookie Kipsang Conquers Miami In First Marathon
Kenyan Ezekiel Kipsang had never run a Marathon before Sunday. He
discovered the Fitbit Miami Marathon and Half Marathon, one of Life Time's
iconic events, during a search of the internet, and the 22-year-old
expressed his interest in running Miami to event organizers via an email.
With only a pair of half-marathons under his belt in a running career that
began three years ago, Kipsang still had an impressive enough resume to get
a response. He received an invitation as an elite competitor to run in his
first marathon.
The slender 125-pound Nairobi native confirmed that lofty status on Sunday,
winning the men's championship in the fastest winning time (2:16:34) at the
Fitbit Miami Marathon since 2011.
Veteran women's marathoner Kate Landau, a single mom who is enjoying a
second running career of sorts at age 42, won the women's title in 2:37:45,
nearly eight minutes ahead of second place finisher Mary Akor of Hawthorne,
CA (2:45:53).
Kenyans dominated the men's competition in the race produced by Life Time,
the premier healthy lifestyle brand.
Jacob Chemtai finished second behind Kipsang in the marathon (2:19:11) and
Isaac Mukundi (1:06:50) edged countryman Dominic Korir in the half marathon
by six-tenths of a second in what proved to be the most exciting finish
Sunday.
Montreal's Melanie Myrand won the women's half-marathon in 1:19:10 with
Rachel Schilkowsky of Providence, RI second in 1:21:22 and Margarita
Qintero Petris of Guadalajara, Mexico third in 1:22:32. Schilkowsky,
originally scheduled to run the marathon, opted during the race to stick to
the shorter distance. "I wasn't feeling well," she said.
The Fitbit Miami Marathon brought 20,880 runners from all 50 states and
more than 100 countries to the start line of the 17th annual event.
Temperatures were in the low 70s with clear skies throughout the race,
which began shortly after 6 a.m.
The course started at the American Airlines Arena, crossed the MacArthur
Causeway with the Port of Miami's gleaming cruise ships in the background,
navigated around South Beach, and then returned to Miami via the historic
Venetian Causeway.
Runners tackling the challenge of the full marathon then headed South to
Coconut Grove and back to the finish line adjacent to Bayfront Park in
downtown Miami.
"We're really thrilled with today's event and want to thank all of our
participants, sponsors, spectators, volunteers, and city and county
partners - including the police and fire personnel -who contributed to
another great race," said race founder Frankie Ruiz. "At Life Time, we
champion healthy, happy lives and the stories we were witness to at the
finish line are an amazing example of that."
The soft-spoken Kipsang arrived in Miami from Kenya's Rift Valley just 24
hours ahead of the start of the race. His inexperience with long distances
like the 26.2 Marathon challenge created uncertainty.
When asked if he expected to win, Kipsang shook his head.
"No, I am the only runner in my family," he said. "I started when I was in
high school running the 10k and 5k. My family are farmers. They keep
animals and plant crops; Maize and vegetables."
The 5-3 Landau, on the other hand, is an experienced marathoner who ran
collegiately at Georgetown, and then stopped running for 15 years while
dealing with an eating disorder.
She resumed her running career shortly after her daughter Grace was born.
Sunday she hit Mile 17 along the Rickenbacker Causeway and her stomach
started acting up. She raced into a Port-A-Potty and went to the bathroom
in "20-30 seconds." Nevertheless she ran her third-best time.
"This is my comeback," said the Tacoma, WA resident who is relocating to
Jacksonville next month to work as a physician's assistant for Baptist
Health's Cancer Center. "There is a limit to aging. I'm not going to say
you can just get faster endlessly, but the limit is not as young as people
think. I'm continuing right now to get better and I think people put too
much emphasis on age, but if you focus on it then it can definitely
negatively affect you."
Mukundi, a 31-year-old married father of two who was running for the first
time in Miami, looked refreshed following his photo-finish win in the
half-marathon over Korir.
The two ran together the entire race, until Mukundi edged ahead on the
final stretch.
"We were side-by-side and he tried to overtake me at the end, but I was
prepared," said Mukundi, who hails from central Kenya where the climate is
similar to Miami.
"It was much warmer and more humid than from where I'm from in Kenya," said
the 26-year-old Korir. " I train at high altitude, roughly 8000 ft in
elevation.
"This whole week I was dealing with a painful toothache. The medication
made me vomit and it was tough to dig deep and push it because of the pain
in my stomach."
Myrand, the women's half-marathon winner, also found the transition to
Miami's warmth and humidity difficult.
The 33-year old nurse practitioner was using Sunday's half-marathon race as
a warmup for an April marathon in Rotterdam.
"It's my first time running in Miami and it was hot and really windy," she
said. "On an ideal day if I was in my peak condition I was hoping for 1:14
or under. Through the first couple of kilometers I thought that I might not
have it, but I just kept pushing along and tried to stick with the guys in
a couple of different packs."
Myrand is currently ranked No. 6 among Canadian marathoners, after placing
ninth in the Chicago Marathon in October.
"The running scene is an exciting challenge in Canada right now," she said.
"The past few years there haven't been many runners, but it's getting more
and more competitive now which is really motivating and exciting."
Among the several thousand Latin American runners-including large
contingents from Colombia, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Brazil,
Ecuador and Peru-were legendary Mexican marathoners German Silva and
Benjamin Paredes who started out running together during Sunday's Half
Marathon. The pair staged an epic battle at the 1994 New York Marathon when
Silva made a wrong turn and then recovered to win the race. Sunday, Parades
finished in front of his good friend by about five minutes with a time of
1:25:29. They led a contingent of more than 600 Mexican runners in the
race.
While the Fitbit Miami Marathon and Half Marathon is renowned as a test of
strength and will, it provided an escape and experience for others.
"I heard from my friends how good this race was, so I told my agent to put
me in," said Mukundi of his first time in Miami.
"I love to meet and interact with people from different cultures. I am in
love with this race. I'm coming back next year."
MEN'S MARATHON
1 Ezekiel Kipsang Ottawa 2:16:34
2 Jacob Chemtai Grand Prairie 2:19:11
3 Teklu Deneke Flagstaff 2:25:25
4 Tyler Andrews Cambridge 2:32:23
5 Andres Ruiz Malaver Bogota 2:34:59
6 Thierry Ini Casablanca 2:35:16
7 Vladimir TestinoLima 2:38:04
8 Nic Aubert Chicago 2:41:40
9 Aaron Anderson Gaithersburg 2:43:38
10 Niklas Sjoblom Kilchberg 2:43:57
11 Salvador Ruiz Gonzalez Lima 2:45:14
12 JESUS VALDIVIEZO PIURA 2:48:38
13 Karl EgloffQuito 2:49:45
14 Abdulmohsen Al Ali Boulder 2:49:56
15 Julio Vela Guatemala 2:51:25
16 Bartosz Warszawa 2:53:01
17 Kevin Navarro Palmira 2:53:35
18 Ignacio Mancisidor Key Biscayne 2:53:41
19 Juan Del Campo Guayaquil 2:53:56
20 VICTOR LAGARES Santo Domingo 2:54:55
21 Karl Hebert MONTREAL 2:54:59
22 Jeremy Cudel Miami 2:55:15
23 Hector Acosta Quito 2:55:21
24 Henrik Fredelund Hvidovre 2:55:34
25 AJ Ricketts Miami 2:55:55
WOMEN'S MARATHON
1 Kate Landau Tacoma 2:37:45
2 MARY Akor Hawthorne 2:45:53
3 Shannon Bain Muskegon 2:54:52
4 Tania Canterbury Fort Myers 2:57:39
5 Paola Fierro Bogota 3:01:11
6 Lana GobertNoord 3:06:55
7 Elyshia Oracki Washington 3:10:25
8 Allie Whitelaw Loxahatchee 3:11:56
9 Mari K. Finnerud Drammen 3:13:21
10 Brogan Abernethy Miami 3:13:31
11 Gabriela Castaneda Guatemala 3:13:59
12 Jennifer Castro Palm Bch Gardens 3:15:25
13 Claire LongNorth Miami Beach 3:15:46
14 Grace Dawson Miami 3:18:33
15 Marlene Persson Deerfield Beach 3:18:35
16 Alex Menendez Jersey City 3:21:58
17 Laureen Sarah Burian Heredia 3:22:00
18 Chelsea Factor Miami 3:22:56
19 Jazmin Abraham Saddle River 3:24:08
20 Olga Pogoreltseva Gainesville 3:24:16
21 Tiffany Chandler Fort Lauderdale 3:24:18
22 Lisa Cannella Tampa 3:26:24
23 Clarisse Jeckelmann Echandens 3:27:13
24 Kelli Jaco Sarasota 3:29:33
25 Rachel Mittel Passaic 3:29:37
MEN'S HALF MARATHON
1 ISAAC MUKUNDI Grand Prairie 1:06:50
2 Dominic Korir Colorado Springs 1:06:51
3 Fernando Cabada Denver 1:08:11
4 Luis Ortiz Torres Villalba 1:08:24
5 Abu Diriba New York 1:08:52
6 Flávio Guimarães Brasilia 1:09:55
7 Hugo Lombana Bogotá 1:09:58
8 John Hinkle Miami 1:10:17
9 Nacho Hernando Angulo Miami 1:11:18
10 Victor Delgado Bucaramanga 1:11:48
11 Luis Carlos Rivero San Marcos 1:11:52
12 Sean Grossman Deer Park 1:12:23
13 Francois Jarry Montreal 1:12:34
14 Nathan Kuck Miami 1:13:09
15 Dominik Notz Regensburg 1:13:10
16 César Díaz Hernández Santiago 1:13:41
17 Petrus Cesarion Arcahaie 1:14:08
18 CRISTIAN COLLAZO Orocovis 1:14:12
19 Nicolas Santos Bogota 1:14:36
20 Daniel Kirwa Gibsonton 1:14:53
21 Dmytro Molchanov Brooklyn 1:14:54
22 Recio Alvarez Santiago 1:15:03
23 Alberto Cruz Mexico 1:15:09
24 Miguel Cifuentes Bogota 1:15:15
25 Alvaro Gonzalez Miami 1:16:03
WOMEN'S HALF MARATHON
1 Melanie Myrand Montreal 1:19:10
2 Rachel Schilkowsky Providence 1:21:22
3 Margarita Petris Mexico City 1:22:32
4 Paola Bonilla Tello Cuenca 1:22:32
5 Monica Passu 1:23:02
6 Ashley Laureano-Rosado Toa Baja 1:24:39
7 Jo Butler Miami 1:25:34
8 Yahaira Ayala Lares 1:27:52
9 Alice Henley Fort Lauderdale 1:28:15
10 Alissa Lurie Philadelphia 1:28:35
11 Melissa Perlman Delray Beach 1:28:39
12 LAUREN LUDKA Boca Raton 1:28:42
13 Leandra Munson Miami 1:28:42
14 PAULINA PLASENCIA CRUZ Ciudad De Mexico 1:28:54
15 MARIA JOSE SILVESTRE Ezeiza 1:29:14
16 Kristen Galligan Gaithersburg 1:29:23
17 Ruby Riativa Salinas Bogota DC 1:30:19
18 Audrey Carroll New York 1:30:20
19 Rebekah Mayer Eden Prairie 1:30:31
20 Seidy Granados Solis Santa Ana 1:30:32
21 Kaitlyn Kelly Palm Bch Gardens 1:30:49
22 CARLA MORENO Fort Lauderdale 1:31:14
23 Barbara Rabanales Quetzaltenango 1:31:47
24 Juanita Acevedo Longmont 1:31:47
25 Maria F Cabrera Miami 1:31:51
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