by Larry Eder
Lucas Rotich overcame a strong challenge by Micah Kogo, the 2007 champion, and Magdelena Lewy Boulet won the women’s race, the first American women to do so since 2003 (Jenn Rhines), in the 2011 version of the New Balance Falmouth Road Race.
A long term sponsorship with New Balance will allow the iconic race to celebrate its 40th anniversary next year in fine fashion. This year, with cloudy, windy conditions, and near 100 percent humidity, the crowd of 11,000 plus championed the seven mile course in one of the true rights of New England summer.
Magdelena Lewy Boulet, 2011 NYRR Mini, photo by PhotoRun.net
Along with that, New Balance held a media summit, where many of the top sports editors and freelancers were shown New Balance footwear and apparel, and met with some of the key players in the resurging New Balance Athletics shoes. New Balance is on a role, with some key awards from both the Running Network and Runners World, and increasing support from the retail community.
But for today, it was all about the NB Falmouth Road Race. Last night, the NB Falmouth road mile and nine American men under the magical four minute barrier, which RBR believes may be the largest number of Americans in one race under four minutes in some time (yes, we are checking).
Full results are linked below and we look forward to seeing many of you there in 2012!
Mass. – For the first time since Jennifer Rhines won in 2003, an
American, Magdalena Lewy Boulet, 38, of Oakland, Calif., bested the
women’s field with a time of 36:58. With that performance, Lewy Boulet
scored a $20,000 payday; $10,000 for first places in both the overall
and American divisions. Lucas Rotich, 21, of Kenya finished on top in
the men’s division in 31:37, four seconds over fellow countryman Micah
Kogo, 25. At last weekend’s Beach to Beacon 10k, the results were
reversed, with Kogo’s nine-second win over Rotich.
skies, light wins off the beach and temperatures in the low 70s greeted
the field of 10,696 official starters running the scenic seven-mile
course from Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights Beach.
pack of four, Lewy Boulet, Diane Nukuri-Johnson, 26, of Burundi,
four-time Falmouth winner, Catherine Ndereba, 38, of Kenya, and
American, Janet Cherobon Bawcom, 32, of Atlanta, Ga., went through the
first mile in 5:07. At mile two with a split of 10:18, the pack dropped
Cherobon Bawcom. The remaining women traversed the course with
unofficial mile splits of 15:43 (three miles), 21:02 (four miles), and a
five-mile time of 26:23. At the six-mile mark with a time of 31:39,
Lewy Boulet put in her surge. “I decided I had to commit right now,”
and commit she did, finishing in a time of 36:58. Second-place finisher,
Nukuri-Johnson, who finished in 37:13, attempted to match the surge,
but as she said after the finish, “I tried to go with her, but just
didn’t have it, I decided to hold my place.” Third and four place
finishers, Ndereba (37:24) and Cherobon Bawcom (37:37) employed the same
place holding strategy.
six-mile breakaway marked the men’s division. At the first mile 4:38
split, the twenty-man pack included Rotich, Kogo, two-time Falmouth
finisher, Edward Muge, 28, of Kenya, course record holder, Gilbert
Okari, 31, of Kenya, and Americans Brian Olinger, 25, of Columbus,
Ohio., Adbi Abdirahman, 34, of Tuscon, Ariz., and Chris Barnicle, 24, of
Newtonville, Mass. At the 9:07 two-mile split, the pack dwindled to
six. From the three-mile split of 13:35, four men remained, Rotich in
green and Kogo in white running shoulder to shoulder just ahead of
Olinger in white and Muge in green who were doing the same. The two
pairs passed four-mile mark in 18:03 and the five-mile in 22:34 and were
seen talking to each other as they ran stride for stride. Rotich made
his move at the 10k mark of 28:05 and never looked back.
asked what was being discussed between them, Rotich who was making his
Falmouth debut, said that he was getting advice from Kogo, the 2007
Falmouth champion. That advice proved valuable in the win. Muge put in
his own surge to finish third in 32:02 to Olinger’s 32:16. Olinger, a
steeplechase specialist who has taken time off from the sport due to a
plantar injury and who also made his Falmouth debut took home fourth
place money of $1,500 plus the $10,000 first place American purse. He
credited both running stride for stride with Muge as well as the
incredible crowd support along the course as contributors to his
success.
Schabort, 47, of Cedartown, Ga., Falmouth winner in 2008 and 2009 as
well as course record holder, notched his third win in 24:16 over
eight-time Falmouth champion, Craig Blanchette, 43, of Battle Group,
Wash., (26:41) and four-time winner Tony Nogueira, 43, of Glen Ridge,
N.J., (26:56). Jessica Galli, age 27, of Savoy, Ill., recorded her
sixth win on the women’s side in 31:57.
again Olympian and three-time Falmouth winner Bill Rodgers, age 63, of
Sherborn, Mass.; two-time winner, as well as Olympic Marathon Gold and
Silver Medalist, Frank Shorter, age 62, of Boulder, Colo.; and Joan
Benoit Samuelson, 54, of Freeport, Maine ran scenic course. The
legendary father-son team, Dick and Rick Hoyt celebrated their 32nd Falmouth finish.
The New Balance
Falmouth Road Race was established in 1973 and has become one of the
premier running events of the summer season. Each year the race draws
an international field of Olympians, elite athletes and recreational
runners out to enjoy the scenic 7-mile seaside course. The non-profit
Falmouth Road Race organization is dedicated to promoting health and
fitness for all in its community. Proceeds from the race each year
support youth athletic programs in the town of Falmouth and other
nonprofit community groups.
