Athletics: Nelson Kiplagat Sprints to Victory at Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, Isabella Ochichi Wins

Catherine Ndereba and Her Brother Samuel were both 2nd Place

WASHINGTON, DC- Nelson Kiplagat battled harsh conditions and a pack of elite runners that stayed intact almost the entire race.

But in the end he outlasted them both.

Despite blustery winds and temperatures in the low 40s--not to mention a late arrival--Kiplagat sprinted away from fellow Kenyan Samuel Ndereba in the final moments to win the 32nd annual Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run in a time of 48 minutes, 12 seconds at West Potomac Park.

It is the first victory of the year for Kiplagat, a late entry in the event who did not arrive from Kenya until Saturday evening. He is the 12th Kenyan male in 13 years to win the Credit Union Cherry Blossom title. Ndereba finished two seconds behind with a time of 48:14 while countryman Reuben Chebii, who set the pace for most of the race, took third in 48:17.

The women’s race witnessed a dominating performance by Isabella Ochichi, a 24-year old Kenyan who set a personal-best time of 52:07. Ochichi bested countrywomen Catherine Ndereba, the sister of Samuel Ndereba, by almost a minute. Ndereba, a two-time winner of the Boston Marathon and a former world marathon record holder, finished in 53:00. Russians Victoria Klimina (53:08), Tatyana Petrova (53:31) and Olga Romanova (53:45), last year’s Credit Union Cherry Blossom winner, rounded out the top-five. Silver Spring, Md. resident Naoko Ishibe (57:47) placed 12th.

The winners each earned a total of $5,500 out of a $30,000 purse, the largest ever for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom.

“It was difficult because of the wind, especially around the fifth mile,” said Ochichi, who clocked a 14:53 5k last weekend in Carlsbad (CA), one of the fastest women’s 5k road times ever. “It seems like every race this year I’ve been showing improvement. I’d like to continue that.”

An 18-mile per hour headwind greeted the runners at the start of the race. Kiplagat, Chebii and Samuel Ndereba were in a pack of eight runners that broke away around the third mile and stayed intact until about the eighth mile. Japanese athletes Masato Ando (48:36), who finished fifth, sixth-place Tsuyoshi Nakano (48:49) and seventh-place Kazuo Ietani (49:15) pressured the Kenyan trio. Colombian William Naranjo (48:18), who placed fourth, was also in that group.

The three Japanese runners began to drop back after the eight-mile marker, but Naranjo stayed with the three Kenyans for another mile, until both he and Chebii began to falter. Kiplagat and Ndereba were neck and neck for the final mile before Kiplagat pulled away in the final 300 yards for the victory.

``This is my biggest win,” said Kiplagat. “It was just a sprint to the finish, but at the end I made sure I was relaxed and ready to go. All I wanted to do was stay with the other guys because they were very strong.”

Ochichi took the lead in the women’s race during the first mile and never relinquished it, opening a quarter mile advantage by the halfway point. Catherine Ndereba spent much of the race alone in second and fended of a late challenge from Klimina.

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile benefits the Children’s Miracle Network and to date has raised $325,000, a $135,000 increase over last year’s donation. The event is also funding two $4,000 grants for developing U.S. distance runners as part of the American Association of Running Clubs/Road Runners Club of America Road Scholars program.

Credit Union Miracle Day Inc., a partnership of Credit Unions and affiliated organizations, was the title sponsor for the third straight year. More than 500 Credit Union members served as volunteers and nearly 4,000 runners in field are Credit Union members.

Supporting sponsors included Gatorade, Navy Federal Credit Union and Metro Run & Walk. The race’s contributing sponsor was Fitness Image results.

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run is part of the 2004 National Cherry Blossom Festival from March 27 to April 11. The race will be televised on local ABC affiliate WJLA in a half-hour special at 12 noon Saturday, April 10th.

For additional information visit www.cherryblossom.org.