Basweti and Price take SunTrust Richmond Marathon titles

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By Mike McCormick, Sports Backers
Posted Monday, 17 November, 2008

RICHMOND, Va. - (November 15, 2008) - On Saturday morning, Jynocel Basweti of Kenya won the 31st SunTrust Richmond Marathon in 2 hours, 22 minutes, 22 seconds and claimed the marathoner's hat trick, three marathon victories in three months.

"This is my first year training like this," said Basweti, who beat last year's SunTrust Richmond Marathon winner Mohamed Awol (2:24:51) by two and a half minutes. Basweti, the 2006 Quad Cities Marathon winner, also won the Quad Cities Marathon in September and the Denver Marathon in October and trains in Albuquerque.

"I'm tired from New York City," said Awol, a New Yorker who was 13th at the ING New York City Marathon this year. Lynchburg, Virginia's David Cheromei of Kenya, second in a dramatic photo finish with Awol at last year's SunTrust Richmond Marathon, again finished behind him for third place at 2:28:04.

Kristin Price, of Raleigh, N.C., won the women's Open division in 2:45:02. Price, a former Richmond resident, found her familiarity with the course helpful on a blustery day. "I really like the course," she said. "Well, I think I like it except for the wind." Price had lived in Richmond for a few months in 2004 to train with University of Richmond cross country coaches Steve and Lori Taylor. Hirot Legesse, of the Bronx, was second in 2:26:24 and Phebe Ko, of Baltimore, was third at 2:46:57.

In the inaugural McDonald's Half Marathon, Ethiopia's Derese Deniboba of the New York's Westchester Track Club won the day's closest race, eking out a 1 second victory over Elijah Kitur, 1:06:50 to 1:06:51. Tesfaye Girma, also of the Westchester Track Club, was third at 1:06:54. "Yes, he's a friend," Deniboba said of countryman Girma, "but that's running."

The women's Open division was won by Ethiopian Alemtsehay Misganaw in 1:18:34. Kenya's Maria Busienei, of Charleston, W.V., was second at 1:20:51, and Malika Mejdoub, of Morocco, was third (1:21:40).

The day's largest event with 5,111 participants was the NTELOS 8K. Robert Letting of Kenya claimed first place in the men's race at 22:42, while countrymen Julius Kiptoo was second (22:59) and Nicholas Kurgat third (23:06). Kenyan Jane Murage, of Boyersford, Pa., won the women's Open division in 25:48. New Yorkers Salome Kosgei (26:04) and Buzunesh Deba (26:35) were second and third respectively.

Overall the three events - the NTELOS 8K, the McDonald's Half Marathon and the SunTrust Richmond Marathon - had 14,046 entrants, while the Richmond Times-Dispatch Kids Run drew 555 registrants to Sports Backers Stadium last night on a drizzly Friday evening for a one mile fun run.

31st SunTrust Richmond Marathon
Richmond, VA, Saturday, November 15, 2008

MEN
1) Jynocel Basweti (KEN), 2:22:22, $2500
2) Mohamed Awol (ETH), 2:24:51, $1500
3) David Cheromei (KEN), 2:28:04, $750
4) Frimin Kipchoge (KEN), 2:28:05, $500
5) Paul Rugut (KEN), 2:28:09, $250

WOMEN
1) Kristin Price (USA / NC), 2:45:02, $2500
2) Hirot Legesse (ETH), 2:46:24, $1500
3) Phebe Ko (USA / MD), 2:46:57, $750
4) Mumuye Gurma (ETH), 2:50:03, $500
5) Yihumish Delelecha (ETH), 2:52:45, $250

Inaugural McDonald's Half-Marathon
MEN
1) Derese Deniboba (ETH), 1:06:50, $1000
2) Elijah Kitur (KEN), 1:06:51, $500
3) Tesfaye Girma (ETH), 1:06:54, $250
4) Genna Tufa (ETH), 1:07:09, $150
5) Matthew Barresi (USA / VA), 1:10:11, $100

WOMEN
1) Alemtsehay Misganaw (ETH), 1:18:34, $1000
2) Maria Busienei (KEN), 1:20:51, $500
3) Malika Mejdoub (MAR), 1:21:40, $250
4) Elizabeth Knize (USA / VA), 1:21:59, $150
5) Serkalem Abrha (ETH), 1:23:07, $100

9th NTELOS 8K
MEN
1) Robert Letting (KEN), 22:42, $1000
2) Julius Kiptoo (KEN), 22:59, $500
3) Nicholas Kurgat (KEN), 23:06, $250
4) Joseph Ngetich (KEN), 23:11, $150
5) Andrew Lemoncello (GBR), 23:12, $100

MASTERS Men (40+)
1) John Hinton, 46, NC, 26:04, $250
2) Mark Stickley, 46, VA, 26:26, $150

WOMEN
1) Jane Murage (KEN), 25:48, $1000
2) Salome Kosgei (KEN), 26:04, $500
3) Buzunesh Deba (ETH), 26:35, $250
4) Everlyne Lagat (KEN), 26:37, $150
5) Amy Rudolph (USA / RI), 26:39, $100

MASTERS Women (40+)
1) Alisa Harvey, 43, VA, 29:21, $250
2) Joan Nesbit Mabe, 46, NC, 30:10, $150

Complete results at: RichmondMarathon.com