2011 Dodge RNR San Diego Marathon & Half Marathon: Deba Blazes 2:23:31, Fastest EVER for women in Golden State, Meb wins half marathon, by Bert Rosenthal, note by Larry Eder

Deba Blazes 2:23:31 at Dodge Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon

Keflezighi has homecoming triumph in half-marathon; Negari men’s marathon champion; Slaby’s women’s half-marathon winner

Buzunesh Diba, 2011 Dodge RNR San Diego marathon,

photo by PhotoRun.net

Byline: Bert Rosenthal, Competitor Group

SAN
DIEGO – (June 5, 2011) – Running competitively on the roads for the
first time in his hometown, Meb Keflezighi didn’t have time to
acknowledge all the well-wishers along his half-marathon route at
Sunday’s Dodge Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon & ½ Marathon to
Benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Instead, he rewarded them
with one of the most memorable races of his illustrious career.

Meb Keflezighi, 2011 Dodge RNR San Diego Half,

photo by PhotoRun.net

At
the second edition, Keflezighi delighted a cheering, happy crowd at the
SeaWorld finish line by winning handily in 1 hour, 2 minutes and 40
seconds, nearly three minutes ahead of runner-up Drew Polley (1:05:38).

Meb Keflezighi, 2011 Dodge RNR San Diego half,

photo by PhotoRun.net

As
much as the spectators reveled in Keflezighi’s victory, they also
marveled at Bizunesh Deba’s triumph in the women’s marathon. At the 14th
running, the 23-year-old Ethiopian burst across the finish line in
2:23:31, an event record and the fastest time ever run by a woman in
California. The previous state best was 2:24:52 by Joan Benoit (USA) at
the inaugural women’s Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles on August 5, 1984.
The Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon course is not record standard per
USA Track & Field rule because it drops more than 1 meter per
kilometer.

Terfa Negari, 2011 Dodge RNR San Diego Marathon,

photo by PhotoRun.net

The
men’s marathon winner was Terfa Negari also of Ethiopia in 2:11:18, and
the women’s half-marathon champion was Gina Slaby of Tucson, Ariz., in
1:16:33. While the performances by Deba, Negari and Slaby were
impressive, it was Keflezighi who intrigued the crowd the most.

The
UCLA grad led all the way, pulling away from Kenya’s Martin Lel after
four miles on the undulating, curvy course through the streets of San
Diego. Lel, a three-time winner of the London Marathon and the runner-up
of that event this year, shadowed Keflezighi through the early stages
of the race. Then, when Keflezighi ripped off a 4:24 spurt from mile
three to four, Lel was done. He struggled for another two miles before
dropping out. After that, it was Keflezighi against the clock.

“He
probably would have run a faster time if Martin (Lel) had been in good
shape and stayed in the race. His body might still not have recovered
from London,” said Bob Larsen, Keflezighi’s longtime coach. “The
downhills really favored Meb. Lel was struggling to stay with him. Meb
really surged on (Highway) 163, which was uphill. Then there was another
downhill and Meb surged again. Meb had it in his mind to test him.
Those surges put Meb in a dominant position.”

Keflezighi
pushed the pace from the outset, trying to test Lel’s physical
condition. “I was pushing very hard,” he said. “I was very aggressive.”

It
paid off in one of the most satisfying wins for Keflezighi, 36, the
2009 ING New York City Marathon champion and 2004 Olympic silver
medalist, who was also the first American male to reach the Games’
marathon podium since Frank Shorter took the silver in 1976 after
winning in 1972.

Lots
of the satisfaction came from the atmosphere surrounding the race. “It
was wonderful to win in my hometown,” he said. “It was my first time
running here. Lots of people were calling my name. I saw my high school
classmates. I recognized a lot of people.”

“It was my best time of the year,” Keflezighi continued. “It was a great day for me.”

“My
English teacher from high school once said I would run like the wind,”
he added, as the two fondly embraced just past the finish line.

Deba
also appeared to be running like the wind. Through 15 kilometers (9.3
miles) of the 26-mile, 385-yard marathon, she was on pace for a 2:15
marathon. At the half-marathon, her time was 1:09:53, compared to her
previous 13.1-mile best of 1:13. Although she slowed slightly over the
closing miles, she was still in command, beating countrywoman Misiker
Mekonnen (2:25:21) by nearly two minutes. She also bettered her previous
fastest time (2:26:34) at Los Angeles in March and ran even faster than
her husband’s (Worku Beyi) best time of 2:25:07.

“I will try harder to get the (family) record back,” Beyi said with an embarrassed smile. “I will not sleep anymore.”

For
Deba, who now lives in The Bronx, N.Y., the race comprised her sixth
win in eight marathons and established her as a solid contender for next
year’s Olympics in London.

In
contrast, the men’s champion Negari won for the first time in seven
marathons. After having finished second three times, Negari was so
elated that he kissed the ground just past the finish. He pulled away
from the field near mile 19.

“The
pace was easy and the pacemaker was no good,” he said, according to
Beyi, who served as his translator. “My body told me to go faster.”

Another
Ethioipian Tesfaye Sendeku finished second at 2:12:23, while Kenyan’s
Gilbert Chepkwony and Christopher Torotich placed third (2:12:50) and
fourth (2:14:18) respectively. American Luke Humphrey, who runs with the
Hansons-Brooks Distance Project in Michigan, finished fifth overall as
the top American with a new personal best time of 2:14:39.

Daniel
Tapia of Castroville, Calif. finished seventh with a personal best time
of 2:16:50, a qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials next
January in Houston. Also qualifying for the Trials was Humphries’
Hansons-Brooks teammate Sage Canaday, who finished eighth with a new
personal best of 2:16:52.

Slaby,
a supply corps officer in the U.S. Navy, said she had hoped for a
faster time. Nevertheless, she was pleased. “I hadn’t run the course
before and the hills slowed me down,” she said. “But it was a good
course. I liked it.”

Joanna Zeiger, 41, of Boulder, Colo. was runner-up in 1:19:03.

A
flurry of notable runners – part of the event record 26,219 finishers –
also relished in the sunshine-filled finish line. Cindy McCain, wife of
Arizona Senator John McCain, participated in the half-marathon in
support of the event’s benefiting charity, The Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society. Other celebrity participants included Tamra Barney, Real
Housewives of Orange County; Kit Hoover, Access Hollywood LIVE; Jenny
Masche, Raising Sextuplets; Don Jeanes, Transformers, and Jerry Sanders,
Mayor of San Diego.

The 15th Dodge Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego is set for Sunday, June 3, 2012.

14th Dodge Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon

San Diego, CA, Sunday, June 5, 2011