Posted: August 30, 2004

Athletics: Maiyo, Malot Win Crim 10 Mile Titles

FLINT, Mich. - (August 28, 2004) - Kenyans Linus Maiyo and Leah Malot won the 28th Crim 10 Mile Race. Maiyo and Malot each won a $5,000 share of Crim's $42,750 purse. Weather conditions delayed the start of the race 30 minutes as a thunderstorm and rain covered the Flint area. At the 8:30 start, there was light rain with a temperature of 66 degrees and high humidity.

Maiyo, 21, running in his first Crim won with a time of 48:06. He battled countryman Isaac Arusei over the last half of the course by maneuvering from one side of the course to the other as Arusei followed.

"We were trying to drop each other and at the seven mile mark I tried to pull away," the Crim champion said.

Maiyo, the runner-up at Bix 7 Mile and Crazy 8s 8K this year, had a seven-second lead heading into the last mile and never looked back as he turned onto the red bricks and sprinted under the arches in downtown Flint to the finish line. For the first two miles, a group of 25 runners led the race. By the five-mile mark the lead group was down to ten runners. Six runners emerged from the Bradley Street hills ahead of the trailing pack.

"The rain reduced the humidity some and I felt good the whole way. This is a very fine course," Maiyo continued.

Arusei finished second in 48:19 and Patrick Nthiwa finished third at 48:37 just edging American Brian Sell of Rochester Hills, Mich. who finished a strong fourth (48:38).

Kenyan Leah Malot, 32, running in her second Crim (second place in 2003), pulled ahead at the nine-mile mark to win with a 54:35.

"I was cold in the beginning and it was a little windy which makes it harder to breathe. After three miles it was perfect. We ran side by side until I got the lead at the nine-mile mark," said Malot.

Russian Galina Alexandrova finished second in 54:45 and Dorota Gruca of Poland (55:55) placed third.

Among the Masters runners (40 and over), Chris Toepfer, 41, of Chicago, Ill., won in 56:48. Eric Stuber, 41, finished second (57:11) and Bob Drapal, 59, (58:56) finished third. With a time of 56:31, Tatyana Pozdynyakova, 49, from Ukraine won her seventh Crim masters title, finishing fourth overall. Last year's masters winner, Ramilia Burangulova, 43, from Russia finished second in 1:00:59, tenth overall. American Karen Kemmis, 43, was third (1:05:44).

Brian Sell was also the top Michigan runner (48:38), while Brooks-Hansons teammate Clint Verran, 29, of Rochester Hills, was 9th overall (49:39).

Top Michigan female runners were Betsy Frens, 29, Kalamazoo, in 58:58, (seventh overall), Denisa Costesca, 28, Wixom, second with a time of 59:47, (eighth overall) and Monica Hostetler, 28, of Rochester Hills (1:00:03) placed third, ninth overall.

Tony Iniguez, of Bolingbrook, Ill. won the wheelchair event with a time of 40:46. Joshua George of Herndon, Va. finished second (44:30) and Chad Johnson of Corydon, Ind. finished third (46:21). John Brewer was the top quad finisher with a time of 1:10:06. Miriam Nibley of Champaign, Ill. won her second Crim female wheeler race in a row with a 51:13.

For the first time in Crim history, handcrank chair racers participated. Glen Ashlock was the top finisher with a time of 39:51. Jimmy Green (44:50) finished second and Steve Trahey (44:52) finished third.

The premier 10-mile race, which continues to grow as one of the most popular races in the nation, set another record with over 7,224 participants. The family of races, which also includes a 8K run and walk, a 5K run and walk, a one-mile run and walk, the Lois Craig Invitational for Special Olympics and the Teddy Bear Trot drew over 13,744 participants. This year over 3,500 volunteers came together to make this event another success.

28th Crim Festival of Races 10 Mile - Flint, MI, Saturday, August 28, 2004

MEN
1) Linus Maiyo, Kenya, 48:06, $5000
2) Isaac Arusei, Kenya, 48:19, $2500
3) Patrick Nthiwa, Kenya, 48:37, $2000
4) Brian Sell, USA/MI, 48:38, $1500 plus $800 (MI)
5) Wilson Kipruto Komen, Kenya, 48:41, $1000
6) John Kagwe, Kenya, 48:57, $800
7) John Kariuki, Kenya, 49:08, $600
8) Samuel Ndereba, Kenya, 49:16, $400
9) Clint Verran, USA/MI, 49:39, $250 plus $400 (MI)
10) Joseph Kamau, Kenya, 49:41, $150

MASTERS MEN (40+)
1) Chris Toepfer, 41, USA/IL, 56:48, $1200
2) Eric Stuber, 41, USA, 57:11, $900
3) Bob Drapal, 59, USA, 58:56, $500

WOMEN
1) Leah Malot, Kenya, 54:35, $5000
2) Galina Alexandrova, Russia, 54:45, $2500
3) Dorota Gruca, Poland, 55:55, $2000
4) Tatyana Pozdnyakova, Ukraine, 56:31, $1500
5) Vicky Gill, Great Britain, 56:40, $1000
6) Gladys Asiba, Kenya, 58:00, $800
7) Betsy Frens, USA/MI, 58:58, $600 plus $800 (MI)
8) Denisa Costesca, Romania, 59:47, $400
9) Monica Hostetler, USA/MI, 1:00:03, $250 plus $400 (MI)
10) Ramilia Burangulova, Russia, 1:00:59, $150

MASTERS WOMEN (40+)
1) Pozdnyakova, 49, Ukraine, 56:31, $1200
2) Burangulova, 43, Russia, 1:00:59, $900
3) Karen Kemmis, 43, USA, 1:05:44, $500

Complete results are available on the Crim's website at www.crim.org.