by Larry Eder
Sean Quigley and Jacob Korir at finish of BAA Mayors Cup XC, photo by PhotoRun.net/Lisa Coniglio.
The 20th version of the BAA Mayors Cup had the closest race in its history, on the men’s side, with Sean Quigley and Jacob Korir only separated by two seconds!
Photos courtesy of Lisa Coniglio/PhotoRun.net and story from Jack Fleming, BAA.
Homegrown Sean Quigley Wins Boston Mayor’s Cup
in Closest Race in Event’s 20-year history.
Irene Kimaiyo victorious in Women’s Championship.
Irene Kimaiyo wins 2009 BAA Mayor’s Cup, photo by PhotoRun.net/Lisa Coniglio.
BOSTON – Sean Quigley, 24, originally from Braintree, Massachusetts, won in a lean over last year’s champion Jacob Korir, of Kenya, to win the 20th Mayor’s Cup Cross Country 8k Championship at Boston’s Franklin Park on Sunday in a time of 23 minutes, 54 seconds. Quigley, a graduate of LaSalle University in Philadelphia and who now runs for Puma, returned to the course where he won the MIAA Division II (state) championship in 2002 while attending Archbishop Williams High School and beat a talented field of 144 finishers on a picture perfect day (sunny, 60-degrees F).
Quigley and Korir – along with Andrew Ledwith, Timothy Ritchie, Patrick Mellea – ran together for four miles until the duo separated themselves from the other co-leaders on the final loop and the course’s landmark Bear Cage Hill. Quigley did not lead during the race but timed his finish perfectly, outsprinting Korir. A close, but clear finish gave the local kid the victory, and he recorded the same winning time as did Korir in 2008. Korir finished one second behind as runner-up (23:55), while Ledwith followed in third (23:57).
Quigley was an NCAA All-American and placed ninth at the 2008 US Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at 10,000 meters, his professional debut.
New Balance Boston was led by Roland Lavallee, scored 75 points, and won the men’s championship team competition. The host Boston Athletic Association was second (78 pts.) and Genesee Valley Harriers was third (96 pts.) among the 11-team field.
Start of Men’s race, photo by PhotoRun.net/Lisa Coniglio.
In the women’s 5-kilometer championship race, Irene Kimaiyo, a 26-year old native of Kenya who runs for the female winning club Riadha, based in Maryland, outpaced Virginia’s Samia Akbar. Kimaiyo’s time was 16:39, 13 seconds better than Akbar’s 16:52, who was fifth at the Mayor’s Cup last year. Riadha – victorious with 43 points – placed three runners among the top four, as Delilah Dicrescenzo (17:05) was third and Serena Burla (17:16) was fourth. There were 95 finishers and eight teams in the contest. New Balance Boston (53 pts.) was the runner-up team and the B.A.A. was third (53 pts.).
The Mayor’s Cup has witnessed Olympians, world cross country team members and running legends participate over its hill and dale since the first race in 1990. During the last 20 years, the event has grown from a single race which started on the adjacent golf course to a full slate of six races – including an open, experiential race and three youth races – on a track of dirt and grass which is synonymous with cross country in the United States. Similar to the B.A.A.’s Boston Marathon which began with a field size of 15 starters and 10 finishers in 1897, the first Boston Mayor’s Cup two decades ago included only a few dozen harriers. Now, with the support of the same Boston Athletic Association and its partner adidas, the Mayor’s Cup is the pre-eminent cross country racing opportunity for clubs and teams on the East Coast. Since that first year, the race has been nurtured through its development by its single meet director, Steve Vaitones, who was presented with a memento of special recognition of the milestone by the B.A.A. following the day’s races. Vaitones is the managing director of USA Track & Field – New England.
Irene Kimaiyo, Steve Vaitones (USATF NE Manager), Sean Quigley, photo by PhotoRun.net/Lisa Coniglio.
Full results on www.coolrunning.com at
http://www.coolrunning.com/results/09/ma/Oct25_20thAn_set1.shtml
20th Annual Boston Mayor’s Cup
Cross Country and Youth Races
Presented by the B.A.A. and adidas;
Directed by USA Track & Field – New England
and Boston’s Centers for Youth and Families
Sunday, October 25, 2009; Franklin Park, Boston
Boston Mayor’s Cup – Men’s Championship 8k Results
Individual (144 finishers)
Men
1. Sean Quigley, Puma 23:54 ($600 + $300 for USA)
2. Jacob Korir, Riadha 23:55 ($300)
3. Andrew Ledwith 23:57 ($200)
4. Timothy Ritchie 24:02 NCAA eligibility
5. Lucas Meyer, B.A.A. 24:10 ($150 + $200 for USA)
6. Patrick Mellea 24:19 ($100 + $100 for USA))
7. Ruben Sanca 24:23
8. Justin Lutz 24:34
9. Matthew Withrow 24:40
10. Roland Lavallee, New Balance Boston 24:41
Boston Mayor’s Cup – Men’s 8k Championship
Team Results
1. New Balance Boston 75 pts. ($500)
2. Boston Athletic Association 78 pts. ($300)
3. Genesee Valley Harriers 96 pts. ($100)
4. New York Athletic Club 98 pts.
5. Manhattan Track Club 102 pts.
6. Syracuse Chargers 118 pts.
7. GBTC 131 pts.
8. Dartmouth College 202 pts.
9. Central Mass Striders 273 pts.
10. Bellmore Striders 279 pts.
11. Tufts University 298 pts.
Boston Mayor’s Cup – Women’s 5k Championship
Individual Results (95 finishers)
1. Irene Kimaiyo, Riadha 16:39 ($600)
2. Samia Akbar, Reebok 16:52 ($300 + $300 for USA)
3. Delilah Dicrescenzo, Riadha 17:05 ($200 + $200 for USA)
4. Serena Burla, Riadha 17:16 ($150 + $100 for USA)
5. Jenn Donovan, New Balance Boston 17:23 ($100)
6. Katie Decamillo 17:34
7. Alissa McKaig, ZAP Fitness 17:48
8. Kristin Anderson, Riadha 17:49
9. Mallory Champa 17:53
Boston Mayor’s Cup – Women’s 5k Championship
Team Results
1. Riadha 43 points ($500)
2. New Balance Boston 53 pts. ($300)
3. Boston Athletic Association 53 pts. ($100)
4. Syracuse Chargers 98 pts.
5. Greater Boston Track Club 115 pts.
6. Boston College 148 pts.
7. Genesee Valley Harriers 194 pts.
8. Westchester Track Club 218 pts.
Boston Mayor’s Cup – Franklin Park 5k Results (356 finishers)
Men
1. Antony Taylor 16:04
2. Mike Hawk 16:07
3. Gabe Barr 16:26
4. Miles Richardson 16:29
5. Sam Greenberg 16:44
Women
1. Samantha Chase 19:51
2. Jenna Moen 19:59
3. Alyssa Brigham 20:01
4. Caroline Melhado 20:40
5. Katie Ellinger 21:00
Boston Mayor’s Cup Youth Races (1.1 miles)
10-years old and under (88 finishers)
Boys
1. David Principe, Jr. 6:40
2. Joseph Weston 6:46
3. Troy Sliney 6:21
Girls
1. Chloe Taylor 6:32
2. Audrey Betts 7:33
3. Maille Riley-McNary 7:34
Boston Mayor’s Cup Youth Races (1.1 miles)
11-12 years old (88 finishers)
Boys
1. Isaiah Savage 6:42
2. Todd Cushing 6:47
3. Thomas O’Donoghue 6:48
Girls
1. Sonya Jampel 6:40
2. Julia Kern 6:42
3. Maya Halprin-Adams 6:52
Boston Mayor’s Cup Youth Races (1.1 miles)
13-14 years old (55 finishers)
Boys
1. Geoffrey Pendergass 5:55
2. Robert Desisto 5:56
3. Luke Babcock 5:59
Girls
1. Phoebe Morse 6:16
2. Maddy Berkson 6:18
3. Colleen Sands 6:29
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