Ethiopian’s strong finish easy to track
The longer Ali Abdosh ran with the leaders in yesterday’s 11th BAA Half Marathon, the better the odds were the 24-year-old Ethiopian speedster would be a big factor in the closing mile.
Easily the best track runner in the field with personal bests of 12:56 for the 5K and 27:04 at 10K, Abdosh had no equal when it came down to kicking for the finish line inside White Stadium.
The slight Ethiopian put his speed to good use.
Abdosh accelerated away from Kenyans Sam Chelanga and Gilbert Okari in the final half mile to capture the popular race around the scenic Emerald Necklace in 1 hour, 3 minutes, 36 seconds. Chelanga was five seconds back while Okari took third with a 1:03:48.
In the women’s race, Janet Cherobon-Bawcom, a cardiac nurse from Rome, Ga., surged ahead of defending champion Caroline Rotich at eight miles to win by more than a minute in 1:11:58. Rotich finished strong in 1:13:33 and Arlington’s Heather Cappello was just 11 seconds back in 1:13:33.
In all, 5,253 runners started in the event, which goes from Franklin Park past the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Pond, Olmstead Park and back to Franklin Park.
It was clear from the start that strategy would be the key to winning the men’s race. A pack of 10 jostled through the downhill opening mile at 4:42. The pack dropped to seven by the fifth mile (24:13) where Abdosh began to force the pace. Abdosh continued to push hard, clocking a swift 4:42 and passing 10K in 29:56. Abdosh, Chelanga, Okari and Samuel Ndereba (fourth, 1:04:01) were together through the 11-mile mark after a 4:43 mile and were still within striking distance of each other before Abdosh made his final move approaching the stadium with a half mile remaining. “It was very hot conditions, but to my advantage I am healthy at 5K and 10K,” said Abdosh, who plans on competing in both events at the 2012 Olympics. “It was very hard.” Abdosh is looking forward to defend his title next year, but his next trip to Boston will come this winter when he competes in the 3,000 meters at the Boston Reebok Indoor Games. Cherobon-Bawcom didn’t need to rely on her kick in the closing stages of the race. After running with Rotich and Cappello in the early miles, she forced the pace and drew clear of the pack by the eighth mile. “I knew I was in good shape,” said Cherobon-Bawcom. “I went out fast and it was the three of us. We kept going back and forth, Caroline and I.” Cherobon-Bawcom made her break on the uphills near Jamaica Pond and was never challenged again. “There were some masters in front of me and I ran with them the rest of the way. I looked back and she (Rotich) wasn’t anywhere. I put my head down and went through the 10th mile. There were two more hills before the finish and you have to press through that, and that’s what I did.” Cherobon-Bawcom will also run in today’s Tufts Health Care 10K for Women. “I’m going to get up, stretch and go down there and have fun,” she said.
http://www.bostonherald.com
Easily the best track runner in the field with personal bests of 12:56 for the 5K and 27:04 at 10K, Abdosh had no equal when it came down to kicking for the finish line inside White Stadium.
The slight Ethiopian put his speed to good use.
Abdosh accelerated away from Kenyans Sam Chelanga and Gilbert Okari in the final half mile to capture the popular race around the scenic Emerald Necklace in 1 hour, 3 minutes, 36 seconds. Chelanga was five seconds back while Okari took third with a 1:03:48.
In the women’s race, Janet Cherobon-Bawcom, a cardiac nurse from Rome, Ga., surged ahead of defending champion Caroline Rotich at eight miles to win by more than a minute in 1:11:58. Rotich finished strong in 1:13:33 and Arlington’s Heather Cappello was just 11 seconds back in 1:13:33.
In all, 5,253 runners started in the event, which goes from Franklin Park past the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Pond, Olmstead Park and back to Franklin Park.
It was clear from the start that strategy would be the key to winning the men’s race. A pack of 10 jostled through the downhill opening mile at 4:42. The pack dropped to seven by the fifth mile (24:13) where Abdosh began to force the pace. Abdosh continued to push hard, clocking a swift 4:42 and passing 10K in 29:56. Abdosh, Chelanga, Okari and Samuel Ndereba (fourth, 1:04:01) were together through the 11-mile mark after a 4:43 mile and were still within striking distance of each other before Abdosh made his final move approaching the stadium with a half mile remaining. “It was very hot conditions, but to my advantage I am healthy at 5K and 10K,” said Abdosh, who plans on competing in both events at the 2012 Olympics. “It was very hard.” Abdosh is looking forward to defend his title next year, but his next trip to Boston will come this winter when he competes in the 3,000 meters at the Boston Reebok Indoor Games. Cherobon-Bawcom didn’t need to rely on her kick in the closing stages of the race. After running with Rotich and Cappello in the early miles, she forced the pace and drew clear of the pack by the eighth mile. “I knew I was in good shape,” said Cherobon-Bawcom. “I went out fast and it was the three of us. We kept going back and forth, Caroline and I.” Cherobon-Bawcom made her break on the uphills near Jamaica Pond and was never challenged again. “There were some masters in front of me and I ran with them the rest of the way. I looked back and she (Rotich) wasn’t anywhere. I put my head down and went through the 10th mile. There were two more hills before the finish and you have to press through that, and that’s what I did.” Cherobon-Bawcom will also run in today’s Tufts Health Care 10K for Women. “I’m going to get up, stretch and go down there and have fun,” she said.
http://www.bostonherald.com
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