FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Keflezighi, Kastor Capture Dodge Rock 'n' Roll San Jose 1/2 Marathon Crowns
At 6th edition, Ten Athletes Qualify for the
2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Hosted by Houston in January
SAN JOSE, Calif. - (October 2, 2011) - On a perfect autumn morning in the
Bay Area, Olympic medalists and Mammoth Track Club teammates Meb Keflezighi
and Deena Kastor cruised to victory at the 2011 Dodge Rock 'n' Roll San
Jose Half Marathon. Keflezighi delighted a cheering crowd of well-wishers
along the 13.1-mile route by winning handily in 1 hour, 2 minutes and 17
seconds - over two minutes ahead of runner-up Giliat Ghebray (1:03:38) from
Union City.
Keflezighi led a lead pack of five runners through an opening mile of 4:35.
At mile 3 the 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist picked up the pace,
running a series of sub-4:40 miles to open up a sizable lead on the rest of
the field, one he held all the way to the finish line.
"We ran a pretty quick first mile of 4:35 and then after that 4:50 and
after that I picked it up," said Keflezighi, who won for the third straight
time in San Jose. "I was making good pace. It is kind of tough to run on
your own sometimes, but I am happy to be here and get a good tune-up. It
couldn't have been any better. A lot people were cheering 'Go Meb' and it
was just awesome. My Mom is here and my brother lives here, a lot of the
people are aware of what I have done and it's nice to have the course
coming back with the crowd. Running back the energy was awesome."
It paid off in a solid tune up for the 36-year-old Keflezighi, who also won
the 2009 ING New York City Marathon - the first American do so in 27 years.
His time tied Mo Trafeh as the second fastest American half-marathon of the
year.
"I run to win, which means challenge myself and don't hold back. It was
good today," added Keflezighi, who is preparing for the ING New York City
Marathon in November. "I feel like I gave my best effort to be able to keep
going, stay healthy and finish strong. People have different goals and
different aspirations to go and with 10,000 out here running it's awesome,
and it's awesome to see people fit and strong and it was a beautiful
California weather day."
As much as the spectators enjoyed Keflezighi's victory, they also were
treated to a comeback performance from Deena Kastor, the only American
woman to ever break 2:20 in the marathon, won the women's race in 1:12:23.
"It was just awesome," said Kastor, who is coming back from maternity leave
after giving birth to her daughter, Piper, in February. "San Jose really
came out and showed their true colors today - the communities that we ran
through, the neighborhoods everyone came out in their front yards cheering
on all of us runners. It was really great to have everyone out here
supporting the race this morning."
She continued: "I thought I could run around 1:11 or 1:12 today and I felt
good out there. It didn't take too much out of me so it will be good to get
back into training this week and use this as a stepping stone for the
Olympic Trials in January. The running community is really special in that
we can all be a part of this together-from the elite runners trying to post
qualifying times for the Olympic Trials to the people just out enjoying the
bands. We all know how to have a good time out there and San Jose was a
wonderful host for the event."
One of California's fastest road races, the Dodge Rock 'n' Roll San Jose
Half Marathon is the site of both the men's and women's half-marathon
records for the State of California.
Runners from all 50 states and 14 countries participated in this morning's
race, including a group of California's fastest runners, with ten athletes
qualifying for the Olympic Marathon Trials in January 2012 in Houston.
Three-time Super Bowl champion and race founder Roger Craig completed his
sixth straight San Jose race, along with San Jose resident and soccer star
Brandi Chastain.
All race participants enjoyed a wide variety of entertainment along the
tree-lined course, with bands and cheerleaders at each mile to keep the
energy high. The Finish Line Festival at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez in
downtown San Jose kept the party atmosphere going with free MGD 64 for all
of-age participants and a headliner concert with Big Head Todd and the
Monsters.
The Dodge Rock 'n' Roll San Jose Half Marathon will take place on Sunday,
October 7, 2012.
6th Dodge Rock 'n' Roll San Jose 1/2 Marathon
San Jose, CA, October 2, 2011
MEN
1) Meb Keflezighi (CA), 1:02:17, $2000*
2) Giliat Ghebray (CA), 1:03:38, $1000*
3) Sergio Reyes (CA), 1:04:20, $250
4) Moses Waweru (KEN), 1:04:31
5) Daniel Tapia (CA), 1:04:41, $250*
WOMEN
1) Deena Kastor (CA), 1:12:23, $2000*
2) Clara Peterson (CA), 1:15:23, $1000*
3) Brooke Wells (CA), 1:16:15, $500*
4) Julia Mallon (CA), 1:17:21
5) Jessica Brothers (CA), 1:18:40
*Includes Northern California based prize money
Complete results, photos and more at:
http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/san-jose
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