Posted: June 1, 2004

Athletics: Big Payday For U.S. Men At Bolder Boulder 10-K

From David Monti

(c) 2004 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

Crime may not pay, but winning the Celestial Seasonings Bolder Boulder 10-K International Team Competition sure does, especially if the team is from the United States.

The three-man American team of Meb Keflezighi, Abdi Abdirahman and Alan Culpepper scored a scant 19 points to edge the mighty Kenyans by just two points, giving the home country the first men's team victory since the team concept was launched at Bolder Boulder in 1999. The Kenyans had won the team competitionn the last four years in a row.

Keflezighi, the U.S. record holder for 10,000m and a member of Team USA California, finished second overall to Kenyan Paul Koech, 29:30 to 29:19 in windy conditions in Boulder's thin air. Abdirahman finished eighth in 30:10, with Culpepper one place and four seconds behind in ninth place.

Thanks to special Olympic development funds available only to Americans, the U.S. team banked a collective $52,300, with Keflezighi's share coming in at $20,500 in both individual and team winnings. Abdirahman made $16,000 and Culpepper $15,800. The big bang came from the team earnings: $15,000 for the first team plus $30,000 in Olympic development funds.

The U.S. women's team of Nicole Hunt, Katie Blackett and Nikole Johns didn't do nearly as well. They finished last in a field of ten teams with 75 points, and earned no individual or team prize money.

Madai Perez of Mexico won the women's race in 34:24, leading her team to first place over Poland, 19 points to 28. The Kenyan women finished a distant sixth with 42 points.

NOTE: Look for detailed results in tomorrow's RRW --Ed.

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