SEARE, HAMBESE WIN BOSTON 5-K IN SPRINT FINISHES

The men’s race featured many pace and leader changes, and the 20-year-old Seare was in the thick of it the entire time.  After the leaders split the first kilometer in a sluggish 2:55, Seare took the lead and was followed by Britain’s Henry McLuckie.  The pace stayed tepid through the first mile (4:39), and not a single athlete had been dropped from the 20-man elite field.

“The pace was a little slow at the beginning,” Seare told Race Results Weekly with translation help from his manager, Hawi Keflezighi.  “So, I started surging.  I wanted to surge so they wouldn’t out-kick me (at the end).  I wanted to take the kick out of the other runners.”

Seare, Canada’s Thomas Fafard (Brooks), Kenya’s Amon Kemboi (Puma Elite Running), Britain’s Patrick Dever (Puma Elite Running), and Biya Simbassa (Asics) were in the front at 2-K (5:42) when Seare surged again and the leaders went through 3-K in 8:26.  At that point Dever and Kemboi started to work together to break the race open.

“When we hit that 3-K I just said, drop the hammer straight away,” Dever told reporters.  “I knew Amon would be right there with me.  Our coach (Alistair Cragg) is always telling us, when you’re making moves like that, try not to think too much.  Just turn the brain off and go for it.”

Kemboi and Dever’s surge brought the race through two miles in 9:01 (4:22 for the second mile), and that cut the field to just four: Kemboi, Dever, Seare and Simbassa.  That set up an all-out, straight-line, 800-meter sprint on Boylston Street to the finish.  Simbassa slipped off the back first and would finish fourth in 13:40.  Seare started to lose touch, too, but he was really just gathering himself for the final sprint.

“I was exhausted after all the surging,” Seare said.  “But, I knew they would be more exhausted and beat-up.  I felt like I had the energy to go.”

Seare sped past Kemboi and Dever to get the win, and Dever got second (13:35) and Kemboi third (13:37).  Max Turek of Canada rounded out the top-5 in 13:52.

Although Seare is young, he has already performed well at top events.  He ran an Eritrean record for 10-K in Valencia last January (27:21), and finished tenth at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in the 3000m in March.  This was his first race in the United States, and he was clearly pleased to record a win on Boylston Street.

“I am very happy and I would love to come back to win again,” said Seare.

The women’s race was only decided in the final 200 meters.  Hambese simply out-legged both Kenya’s Grace Loibach (Nike) and Taylor Roe (Puma Elite Running) to get the win.  Loibach passed Roe just a few meters from the tape to take second in 14:55 to Roe’s 14:57.  Ethiopia’s Tsigie Gebreselama (On) took fourth in 15:01, followed by compatriot Lemlem Hailu (Nike) in 15:02.

“It was so nice,” said Hambese, who got translation help from the U.S.-based Gebreselama.  “I’m so very happy.”

Roe, who had set USATF records at 10-K, 15-K and 10 miles two weekends ago at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-Mile in Washington, D.C., definitely felt that huge effort in her legs today.

“I mean, I did what I could today,” said Roe, who set a personal best.  “This one was more about just like racing, try out some different tactics.”  She continued: “I definitely went out too early, I would say.  I mean, I don’t regret it; strung out the field and got it going.  We live and we learn and we sharpen up for track.”

In the elite wheelchair competition, Switzerland’s Marcel Hug got his third win in a row in 10:02.  Eden Rainbow Cooper of Great Britain successfully defended her title in the women’s race, clocking 12:08, just one second ahead of 8-time Paralympic gold medalist Tatyana McFadden.  Both wheelchair winners earned $2500 in prize money

According to Boston Athletic Association officials, 9137 athletes finished today’s race, about the same as last year (entries for this event are capped).