Campos, Reddy Top Fields at Army Ten-Miler
By Steve Nearman, Running USA wire
Posted Monday, 6 October, 2008
ARLINGTON, Va. - (October 5, 2008) - The focus this season for Veena Reddy has been the ING Amsterdam Marathon, just two weeks away, as she attempts to improve upon the 2:38 she ran at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in April.
So she took a short drive yesterday from her Centreville home to the Pentagon in Arlington, for a hard tempo run at the 23rd edition of the Army Ten-Miler.
The 29-year-old professional architect laid down near dead-even five-mile splits en route to a surprising victory in 58:08.
"I looked at the times from last year and thought if nobody shows up, I'd win," said Reddy, 15th at the Olympic Trials in Boston. "But I didn't come here expecting to win."
On the contrary, Reginaldo Campos, Jr., a private in the Brazilian Army, not only planned on winning in his second attempt but he and his coach made plans for Campos' last 100 meters.
It appeared Reddy, a Wesleyan grad, was out of the running early as Mesert Kotu, a 26-year-old Ethiopian on the Foot Solutions Elite Racing Team, reached five miles 20 seconds ahead of Reddy in 28:44.
But Kotu, still recovering from her third place finish at the Quad Cities Marathon (2:45:10) in Illinois last weekend, sprinted the first quarter-mile with the men and by six miles she was tiring.
"I passed her at eight miles," Reddy said. "When I caught her, she surged but I knew she was hurting." Reddy then put 37 seconds on Kotu by the tape. Beijing Olympian Gabriela Trana of Costa Rica was third in 59:08.
Defending race champion Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova, 47, of Russia was 10th in 1:01:22.
The men's defending champion, Jose Ferreira of Brazil, was in the mix for the first half, but when Campos surged hard a mile later, the six-pack including Ferreira quickly disintegrated. Ferreira ended up fifth in 50:03.
The young-looking 21-year-old Campos, nipped at the wire last year by Ferreira, was not going to be had a second time. "Last year, I waited too long and finished second," he said through an interpreter. But as he pulled further away from teammate Josueldo Nascimento, 2008 American University grad Steve Hallinan was working his way from fourth into second with two miles to go.
"It was kind of strange but people were cheering 'Go USA' to me during the race," said Hallinan, a 3:44 1500 meter speedster. "I felt like I have the weight of the country on me." But he had too much real estate to close over the 14th Street Bridge, finishing some 13 seconds behind in a personal best 49:12.
With the race well in hand near the end, Campos cruised down the ramp off the bridge and cut hard right into the Pentagon Parking Lot with the finish line in view. Then he suddenly veered off course to the far rail and grabbed a huge balled-up cloth from his coach.
Unfurled, the cloth was the green, yellow and blue Brazilian flag, which Campos held high over his head as he rolled down the final stretch of the nation's largest 10 mile footrace.
"We planned the flag while we were driving to the race," Campos said.
The Brazilians, who swept 1-4 and sixth place in miserably hot conditions last year, placed 1-3-5-9 this time around.
The cool, clear, windless morning was a welcome relief to some 19,088 starters and 18,850 finishers of the more than 27,000 who registered.
23rd Army Ten-Miler
Washington, DC, Sunday, October 5, 2008
MEN
1) Reginaldo Campos, Jr. (Brazil), 48:59
2) Steve Hallinan (Washington, DC), 49:12
3) Josueldo Nascimento (Brazil), 49:39
4) Philip Sakala (VA), 49:45
5) Jose Ferreira (Brazil), 50:03
6) Brian Butzler (WI), 50:39
7) Birhanu Wukaw (Ethiopia), 50:47
8) David Riddle (AL), 50:51
9) Marcelo Vecchi (Brazil), 51:01
10) Omar Chavarria (Mexico), 51:05
WOMEN
1) Veena Reddy (VA), 58:08
2) Mesert Kotu (Ethiopia), 58:45
3) Gabriela Trana (Costa Rica), 59:08
4) Michelle Kelly (CO), 59:29
5) Emily Potter (VA), 59:40
6) Melissa Tanner (MD), 59:52
7) Lauren Manero (VA), 59:53
8) Amy Baker (VA), 1:00:26
9) Alisa Harvey, 43, VA, 1:00:57, top master
10) Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova, 47, Russia, 1:01:22
Deeper results at: www.ArmyTenMiler.com
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