Abdirahman Repeats as USA Men's 10K Champion at Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K
Race record of 31,158 entrants and more than 24,000 finishers celebrate 9th edition; Billy Weldon wins AT&T Dash for the Cash

E-mail this page  Printer-friendly page

By Jim Estes, USATF, and Sports Backers
Posted Monday, 7 April, 2008

RICHMOND, Va. - (April 5, 2008) - Abdi Abdirahman (Tucson, Ariz.) successfully defended his 2007 title at the USA Men's 10K Championship Saturday in Richmond. Abdirahman, 31, out-ran fellow Olympian Dan Browne (Portland, Ore.), running 28 minutes, 32 seconds for his second consecutive 10K road title. This year's national championship was hosted by the Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers in conjunction with the 9th Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K.

The field of nearly 20 U.S. men started under cloudy skies with occasional light rain. As they passed the first mile in 4:40, Abdirahman had established his place at the front of the pack with Browne, Fasil Bizuneh (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and the rest of the field in close pursuit.

The race was down to three men heading into the second mile with Abdirahman, Browne and Bizuneh 20 meters up on the field. By three miles, Bizuneh fell off the lead as Abdirahman and Browne began their race to the finish.

At four miles, Abdirahman opened a small lead on Team Running USA's Browne though the two-time Olympian wouldn't be completely clear of him until just after five miles. Over the final mile, Abdirahman would extend his lead to four seconds to take the 2008 title and his 6th U.S. road title overall.

"I like this course," said Abdirahman. "It's a flat course, very fast. I'd like to come back and race it again."

Bizuneh held on to third, running 29:03 while Josh Moen (Readlyn, Iowa) finished fourth in 29:06 and Ryan Sheehan (Rochester Hills, Mich.) rounded out the top five in 29:17.

The fourth largest 10K in the U.S. with a race record of 31,158 entrants and more than 24,000 finishers this year, Ukrop's Monument Avenue offered a national championship purse of $25,000 with Abdirahman earning $7500 as the U.S. champion.

In the Open women's race, 32-year-old Kenyan Leah Kiprono won the $2000 first prize with her 32:19. Richmonders Cheryl Anderson (34:22) and Maria Elena Calle (35:14) were second and third respectively.

Billy Weldon, of Glen Allen, Va., captured the $2500 bonus purse as winner of the AT&T Dash for the Cash. Weldon, an everyman runner who was selected at random from Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K registrants, was given a 2.8-mile head start and the opportunity to claim the cash if he bested the field. He crossed finish line almost two minutes ahead Abdirahman, who had teased him to watch out at a press conference the day before. This is only the second time in four attempts that the Dash for the Cash runner has claimed the prize.

The USA 10K Championship was also the fourth stop on the 2008 USA Running Circuit (USARC) for men. Andrew Carlson (Bloomington, Minn.) currently leads the USARC with 27 points, Bizuneh sits second with 26 and Browne third with 24 points.

The USARC, a USA Track & Field road series, features USA Championships from 5K to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. For more information on the USARC, visit: USATF.org

9th Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K: USA Men's Championship
Richmond, VA, Saturday, April 5, 2008

MEN
1) Abdi Abdirahman (AZ), 28:32, $7500
2) Dan Browne (OR), 28:36, $4000
3) Fasil Bizuneh (AZ), 29:03, $3000
4) Josh Moen (IA), 29:06, $2500
5) Ryan Sheehan (MI), 29:17, $2000
6) Clint Wells (CO), 29:20, $1500
7) Fernando Cabada (CO), 29:30, $1250
8) Macharia Yuot (PA), 29:38, $1000
9) Josh Eberly (CO), 29:40, $750
10) Alan Culpepper (CO), 29:44, $500
11) Paul Jellema (MI), 29:47, $500
12) Michael Smith (AZ), 29:53, $500

WOMEN
1) Leah Kiprono (KEN), 32:19, $2000
2) Cheryl Anderson (USA / VA), 34:22, $1000
3) Maria Elena Calle (ECU), 35:14, $800
4) Atalelech Ketema (ETH), 35:15, $600
5) Jeanne Collonge (USA / VA), 38:31, $400
6) Jackie Kosakowski (USA / VA), 38:43, $200
7) Meg Letherby (US? / CO), 39:35, $100

Deeper results at: www.SportsBackers.org

 E-mail this page
 Printer-friendly page