Mexican Team Captures North American 5K Team Championship
CHULA VISTA, Calif. - (October 27, 2002) - Strong mid-race surges by both their men's and women's squads propelled the Mexican team to victory at Sunday's North American 5K Team Championship, headline event of the 14th Arturo Barrios Invitational 5K & 10K in Chula Vista, California.
Posted Monday, 28 October, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Audra Hoffmeyer, (858) 450-6510
MEXICAN TEAM CAPTURES NORTH AMERICAN 5K TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
CHULA VISTA, Calif. - (October 27, 2002) - Strong mid-race surges by both their men's and women's squads propelled the Mexican team to victory at
Sunday's North American 5K Team Championship, headline event of the 14th Arturo Barrios Invitational 5K & 10K in Chula Vista, California.
Using a cross country scoring format where the first two runners of each gender for each three-member team score, the Mexican men led by race winner
David Galvan and fifth place finisher Julio Valle tied the American men's squad with six points. But when Mexican national 1500 meter champion Dulce
Maria Rodriquez out-sprinted Canadian national 1500 meter champ Emilie Mondor for the women's win, with Mexican national 10K and marathon record holder,
Adriana Fernandez coming in third, the Mexican team scored a total of 10 points to take the title and $12,000 in team prize money. The U.S. finished
second with 16 points (2-4 men, 4-6 women) and received $6,000. Canada took third with 21 points (3-8 men, 2-8 women) and earned $3,000.
The Mexican men managed to maintain their position after Teodoro Vega - who miscounted the laps - kicked one lap too soon and faltered to seventh place.
Yet he was picked up by Julio Valle in fifth to go with Galvan's 13:47 win.
"I felt like I was at home with all the cheering," remarked Galvan of the Chula Vista crowd. "It was after the second lap when I pulled away, and
decided to win the race for my team."
The American women led by defending Arturo Barrios 10K champion Colleen De Reuck and Californian Sylvia Mosqueda went out at 4:57 for the first mile.
But it was Dulce Maria Rodriquez and Adriana Fernandez who took over in mile two, pushing hard to the front and separating themselves from the other
competitors except for young Canadian Emilie Mondor who did her share of leading with the two Mexicans.
It was only in the final 200 meters that Rodriquez and Mondor, the two national 1500 meter champions, pulled away from marathon superstar Fernandez
who was just weeks off her second place finish at the Berlin Marathon.
"At 4K I felt like I needed to pull away," stated women's champion Rodriquez. "It's very nice to run for my country and also for myself. I want the world
to know who I am. I have only been training three years."
"It is a big responsibility for me to run with the team," said Fernandez, third overall in 15:36.
The men went out at 4:25 for the opening mile under overcast skies and gentle breezes by the Chula Vista Harbor just miles from the Mexican border. Two
miles passed in 8:50 with Vega bolting too soon to the tape. But that move cut Galvan free from the pack, and he maintained his margin over American
Bolota Asmerom to the finish, 13:47 to 13:54. World-class miler Kevin Sullivan of Canada, fifth in the 2000 Olympic 1500, moved up solidly to take
third in 14:00, a road 5K personal best, but neither the Canadian men nor women had a runner in position to back up their leaders. Galvan and Rodriquez
each earned an additional $1300 for their victories.
In the people's 5K race, Tom Kloos [25] of Oceanside broke the tape for the third straight year, with a time of 14:37. E. Castillo Aripez [20] of
Ensenada was the first woman to cross in 18:29. San Marcos resident Nazario Romero [28] took first in the 10K men's people's race with a winning time of
30:28. Kathy Kasischke [26] of San Diego finished first on the women's side in 36:26.
FOX Sports NET will broadcast the North American 5K Team Championship on Friday, November 8 at 3:00pm and Monday, November 11 at 11:30am.
North American 5K Team Championship
Chula Vista, CA, Sunday, October 27, 2002
MEN
1. David Galvan, 29, Mexico, 13:47 $1300
2. Bolota Asmerom, 24, USA, 13:54 $700
3. Kevin Sullivan, 28, Canada, 14:00
4. Clint Wells, 27, USA, 14:01
5. Julio Valle, 30, Mexico, 14:05
6. Henry Dennis, 28, USA, 14:19
7. Teodoro Vega, 26, Mexico, 14:23
8. Jeremy Deere, 27, Canada, 14:26
9. David Milne, 26, Canada, 14:44
WOMEN
1. Dulce Rodriguez, 30, Mexico, 15:30 $1300
2. Emilie Mondor, 21, Canada, 15:32 $700
3. Adriana Fernandez, 31, Mexico, 15:36
4. Sylvia Mosqueda, 36, USA, 15:38
5. Nora Rocha, 35, Mexico, 15:42
6. Libbie Hickman, 37, USA, 15:49
7. Colleen De Reuck, 38, USA, 15:57
8. Lucy Smith, 34, Canada, 16:03
9. Courtney Babcock, 30, Canada, 16:17
Cross-country scoring - top two finishers from each team are scored.
Team/Score/Prize money
Mexico 10 $12,000
USA 16 $6,000
Canada 21 $3,000
*First place overall male and female each earn $1,300
*Second place overall male and female each earn $700
For Arturo Barrios 5K and 10K results and more race information, go to:
http://www.eliteracing.com
# # #
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services
USATF Road Running Information Center
5522 Camino Cerralvo
Santa Barbara, CA 93111
(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 696-6252
http://www.runningusa.org
http://www.usaldr.org
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