New American Female Record Set at 37th Annual Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run
Meyerhoff Breaks Three-year-old Mark; Harroufi and Chepkurui Repeat as Champions in Men's, Women's Races

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Posted Monday, 6 April, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC -- Sally Meyerhoff made history at Sunday's 37th annual Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run, setting the American record for a women's-only race.

The 25-year-old Phoenix, Ariz. native posted a time of 54 minutes, 38 seconds, breaking the old mark of 55:42, set by Turena Johnson Lane in 2006.

That record-setting performance was part of a great day of racing under ideal conditions on a mild, sunny day in the District. One year ago, Moroccan Ridouane Harroufi and Kenyan Lineth Chepkurui celebrated their first visits to the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run with victories in the male and female races.

The experience was so much fun the duo made a return appearance on Sunday morning on the Washington Monument Grounds. And -- while they did so in vastly different ways -- both runners defended their titles.

Harroufi, 27, broke away from a tight pack of six runners in the final 500 yards to finish with a first-place time of 45 minutes, 56 seconds. He became the first competitor in a decade to break the 46-minute mark.

The final group of male runners included 19-year-old Ethiopian Feyisa Liesla, who demonstrated great poise for a teenager down the stretch. Liesa placed just two seconds behind Harroufi at 45:58. Kenyan Silas Sang, 31, was right there with them, finishing third at 45:59.

Karim El Mabchour, 26, was fourth (46:00) and Kenyans Stephen Chemlany (46:08) and Cosmas Koech Kimuati (46:08) placed fifth and sixth respectively.

The women's race, meanwhile, featured no such drama at the finish line. Chepkurui, a 21-year-old Kenyan, pulled away from a pack of 16 runners just after the eight-mile mark. She finished with a time of 53:32, which was 23 seconds ahead of Belianesh Zemed Gebre (53:55) and 26 seconds ahead of Ethiopian Teyba Naser (53:58). Naser's performance was notable considering she had just finished second in the highly competitive Cooper River Bridge 10K Run in Charleston, S.C. on Saturday.

Countrywoman Abebu Gelan (54:26) led the next group, which included two-time Olympic silver medalist Catherine Ndereba (54:27) and 2003 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile champ Olga Romanova (54:32) in fifth and sixth place.

The top American male was Jason Hartman (48:03), a Boulder, Colo. resident who earned 14th. Arlington's Bert Rodriguez (51:07) was the best Washington, DC-area male finisher at 22nd place. Amanda Trotter (57:11), also of Arlington, was the top local female. Runners competed for the largest purse in event history - $40,000 in prize and bonus money.

One familiar face among the starters was Bethesda runner Ben Beach, who participated in his 37th consecutive Cherry Blossom race. An editor at The Wilderness Society, Beach is the only runner to have finished every year since the race started in 1973. He also will start his 42nd consecutive Boston Marathon on April 20th.

A 400-runner satellite race organized for U.S. troops serving in Iraq began simultaneously with the start of the mass race at 7:40 a.m. The organizing committee provided t-shirts and bib numbers for the event at Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq and promised a free entry into the 2010 race for any soldier competing in the event at Camp Victory who wants to participate next year.

Also in this year's field were approximately 25 runners from "Students Run LA," who raised $25,000 to make the trip from Los Angeles to participate. The group consists of at-risk high school and middle school students who commit to a rigorous running program and meeting strict academic standards to help escape the hard-scrabble life of inner-city Los Angeles. Event organizers waived the entry fees for the student-athletes, who were making their first visit to the Nation's Capitol.

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run also serves as the Road Runners Club of America's 10 Mile National Championship. The race will be televised on WJLA ABC Channel 7 in a half-hour special at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 11 and on NewsChannel 8 at 1:00 p.m. the same day.

The title sponsoring Credit Union Miracle Day Committee is a partnership of over 70 Credit Unions and affiliated organizations, partners and event participants. Nearly $1 million was raised for the Children's Miracle Network this year. Approximately $400,000 of that money will go to Washington, DC's own Children's Hospital. More than 600 Credit Union members served as volunteers and over 6,200 race entrants were Credit Union members.

Supporting sponsors include Gatorade Endurance Formula, Navy Federal Credit Union, and Metro Run & Walk. The event is part of the Professional Road Running Association (PRRO) Circuit and the 2009 National Cherry Blossom Festival held from March 28 to April 12. This year's festival celebrates the 97th anniversary of the gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the citizens of the United States and Japan.

Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run Results

MALES (OVERALL):
Gun Prize
Time Money

1 1 Ridouane Harroufi 27 45:56 7500
2 9 Feyisa Liesla 19 Ethiopia 45:58 4000
3 13 Silas Sang 31 Kenya 45:59 2000
4 29 Karim El Mabchour 26 46:00 1500
5 81 Stephen Chemlany 26 Kenya 46:06 1000
6 83 Cosmas Koech Kimuati 23 Kenya 46:08 900
7 17 Philemon Terer 24 Kenya 46:28 800
8 19 Samuel Ndereba 32 Kenya 46:58 700
9 7 Kiplimo Kimutai 27 Kenya 47:03 600
10 25 Lee Troop 36 Australia 47:43 500

FEMALES (OVERALL):
Gun Prize
Time Money

1 2 Lineth Chepkurui 21 Kenya 53:32 7500
2 22 Belianesh Zemed Gebre 21 Ethiopia 53:55 4000
3 34 Teyba Naser 22 Ethiopia 53:58 2000
4 6 Abebu Gelan 19 Ethiopia 54:26 1500
5 4 Catherine Ndereba 36 Kenya 54:27 1000
6 16 Olga Romanova 28 Russia 54:32 900
7 26 Sally Meyerhoff 25 USA 54:38 800
8 58 Neriah Asiba 31 Kenya 54:39 700
9 24 Aziza Ayilu Ethiopia 54:43 600
10 56 Alevtina Biktimirova 26 Russia 54:46 500

Full results are available on the race website at http://www.cherryblossom.org/results/resultsindex.htm

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