Yego, Kimutai Win Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
More than 17,800 participants celebrate 10th edition in San Diego

Viva San Diego  E-mail this page  Printer-friendly page

Posted Monday, 4 June, 2007

SAN DIEGO - (June 3, 2007) - With temperature in the low 60’s and overcast skies 17,800 runners assembled at Balboa Park in San Diego for the 10th running of the Rock N Roll Marathon. Rock and Roll music played on the P.A. system between pre-race between pre-race announcements. The mood was festive as race announcer and starter Mike Reilly guided runners into their corrals after a pre-race musical presentation by the Marine Corps Band.

Some 25 Elvis Presley impersonators assembled at the starting line for a photo with representatives from Saturn Automobiles, the official race vehicles. Meanwhile, Superman and Flash arrived and Coat man entered their corrals.

Honored Guests, Marine General Salinas and Mayor Jerry Saunders joined Mike Reilly on the starter’s platform. The race started as planned at 6:35 am as daylight arrived. It took 13 minutes and 14 seconds for the last runners to cross the starting line.

More than 3,000 runners are members of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. Many of these runners were running their first marathon or half marathon. Some walked, but all participants raised thousands for the cause. The Rock N Roll Marathon is the largest single source for fundraising for research to cure Leukemia and Lymphoma.

Kenyan Daniel Yego won the 10th Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in 2 hours, 9 minutes and 4 seconds, while countrywoman Hellen Kimutai followed suit as she crossed the finish line in 2:32:40. This was Yego's debut at the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and first career major marathon victory.

The event record of 2:08:33 (and the fastest marathon time in California), set by Philip Tarus in 1999, was under assault throughout the majority of the men's race. It was an all-Kenyan affair as the men maintained a 2:07 pace up to mile 17, as Yego, 27, and 2005 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon champion Christopher Cheboiboch pushed the pack challenged by countrymen Richard Maiyo and one of the pacesetters Joseph Chirlee.

Yego, looking strong, began to lace in intermittent charges, dropping Maiyo first. Approaching mile 22, Yego had opened a one-minute lead on his closest competition, Cheboiboch, but his shot at the course record began to dwindle as he ran mile 23 in 5:22.

"It would have been good to have someone with me," Yego said, in reference to maintaining course record pace in the final miles. Cheboiboch finished second in 2:10:58.

The women's race was tactical, led by Kimutai, Romanian Nuta Olaru and Ethiopians Worknesh Tola and Mulu Seboka.

No woman chose to take the lead as the pace fluctuated between a 5:40 and 6:04 per mile pace. At mile 17, Olaru dropped off the pack from an apparent side stitch and Svetlana Pretot, 35, who had been well back of the lead pack, took advantage of the conservative pace to join the leaders. Pretot surged at mile 24, dropping Seboka, but Kimutai remained steady.

With just a 10 second win over Pretot, Kimutai who has a personal best of more than 13 minutes over Pretot, bettered her second place finish at the 2006 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon to become this year's champion.

"I like the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon for all the wonderful cheering - it makes us stronger," Kimutai said.

The masters races (40 and over) were won by Russell Boore, 45, from Illinois and Rima Dubovik, 43, from the Ukraine in 2:36:21 and 2:36:50 (5th overall), respectively. Edwin Figueroa, 36, won the wheelchair race in 1:55:23.

10th Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
San Diego, CA, Sunday, June 3, 2007
MEN
1) Daniel Yego, KEN, 2:09:04, $20,000 plus vehicle
2) Christopher Cheboiboch, KEN, 2:10:58, $20,000
3) Sylvester Chebii, KEN, 2:12:00, $10,000
4) Joseph Chirlee, KEN, 2:12:10, $7500
5) Fred Mogaka, KEN, 2:14:00, $5000
6) Boaz Kimaiyo, KEN, 2:14:26, $2000
7) Richard Maiyo, KEN, 2:15:25, $1300
8) John Birgen, KEN, 2:15:49, $1200
9) Peter Muthama, KEN, 2:17:05, $1100
10) Moges Taye, ETH, 2:17:29, $1000

WOMEN
1) Hellen Kimutai, KEN, 2:32:40, $20,000 plus vehicle
2) Svetlana Pretot, FRA, 2:32:50, $20,000
3) Worknesh Tola, ETH, 2:32:59, $10,000
4) Mulu Seboka, ETH, 2:33:27, $7500
5) Rima Dubovik, 43, UKR, 2:36:50, $6000
6) Margaret Toroitich, KEN, 2:39:12, $2000
7) Olga Glok, RUS, 2:41:34, $1300
8) Anna Pichrtova, CZE, 2:42:29, $1200
9) Heather Killeen-Frisone, USA / CA, 2:42:47, $1100
10) Lilian Chelimo, KEN, 2:49:48, $1000
MASTERS MEN (40 and over)
1) Russell Boore, 45, USA / IL, 2:36:21, $1000
MASTERS WOMEN (40 and over)
1) Dubovik, see above
Complete results at: RnRmarathon.com

Sources for this story are from George LeCours of Coolrunning.com, Elite Racing and Running USA Media. All photos courtesy of George Lecours of Cool Running.

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