Posted: July 7, 2006

Athletics: Past Champions Lel, Kiplagat Win Peachtree Road Race

By P.J. Christman

ATLANTA - (July 4, 2006) - Tara may have epitomized Georgian country life more than a century ago. But in 2006 Atlanta concrete was scorched by a couple of quintessential Kenyan villagers as well as one of their former fellow countrywomen now residing in the land of wooden shoes.

Kapsabet is a hilly, high-elevation area of Kenya having fostered such greats as Kip Keino, Ibrahim and Mbarak Hussein, Robert Cheruiyot and a continuing dynasty including this year's Boston Marathon champion, Rita Jeptoo. The region is known for its Nandi tribal running, training over tough, unrelenting hilly terrain. Even the incomparable Henry Rono grew up nearby.

Yet it is in the village of Kimteru from which our latest tale of thinclad exceptional exploits derives. There Jemima Jelagat was raised in the high-plains tradition of bipedal locomotion being valued more heavily than vehicular conveyance. Among her accomplishments this year are victories at the Get in Gear 10K, Race for Literacy 8K and Rite-Aid Cleveland 10K.

Over the 6.2 miles of sizzling concrete between Lenox Square and Piedmont Park, the Nandi from Kimteru was to confront Atlanta Olympic Games 10,000m bronze medalist Gete Wami and twice Peachtree champion Susan Chepkemei. And that does not even address the formidable Lornah Kiplagat, a Kenyan-born citizen of The Netherlands having collected four crystal peach trophies and a lot of ink over her perennially adventuresome tactic of going out hard and then daring anyone to overtake her.

But this year was different. Concealed under one of a pair of black knee stockings, a sore leg had been nettling Kiplagat. "I was training at Emory (University in Atlanta) and my calf started hurting," explained the Dutchwoman who in the past year earned silver medals at both the IAAF World Half-Marathon and World Cross Country Championships.

Yet Kiplagat is not the type to let such an importunity spoil another successful gallop down Peachtree Avenue, even when the leg began to act up in the final mile and villager Jelagat was still jousting with her through the vortex of Independence Day celebrants ringing cowbells and shouting themselves hoarse.

"It was getting intense," Kiplagat would relate regarding her uncooperative calf, "but we took it easy (in the last mile) and I stayed behind that lady."

Although she has a training camp for young Kenyan women in Iten-not far from Kimteru, Kiplagat had never met 'that lady' Jelagat, nor had raced against the woman 11 years her junior (32/21) who often trains in Tucson, Ariz. But lack of familiarity did not dissuade Kiplagat from being wary enough of her younger adversary to kick to a 31:13 to 31:15 win and her fifth Peachtree title.

"I had to sprint," Kiplagat said while wringing water out of her black stockings. "And for an old lady to sprint is tough," she punctuated with a staccato laugh.

So the villager from Kimteru almost upset the reigning queen of Piedmont Park.

And yet it was to be another from Kimteru that would run the second-fastest time ever recorded in Peachtree history, and on a day not too different from what one experiences while breathing deeply for 27 minutes in a sauna.

When Martin Lel came into this year's race, it wasn't as if he was without credentials, inasmuch as he has a title from each of the ING New York City and Flora London Marathons as well as a 2004 Peachtree victory. However, after an impressive string of victories at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, Crescent City Classic 10K, Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K and Bay to Breakers 12K, tall defending champion Gilbert Okari as well as a host of talented others were eager to demonstrate summer fitness over 10 kilometers of Georgian pavement.

The first mile was as moderate as sipping a mint julep under a dogwood tree. But by the second, the Kenyan armada looked like they could make Macon quickly, if necessary.

Yet the pyrotechnics were only just beginning. Last year's diminutive 3rd placer William Chebon Chebor began to attack the remaining largely downhill first half with an astonishing 4:08 third mile (12:50). Then even climbing Hospital Hill in a slowish 4:45 (17:35) the five leaders from Kenya still came within 11 seconds of Josphat Machuka's world 4 mile record from the Steamboat Classic.

"I told Chebon to push," Lel would explain, "because the pace was so slow."

It was on another protracted climb in the fifth mile, however, that Lel strung out the field with a 4:27 taking him by the mile placard in 22:02 - a time faster than either Phillimon Hanneck's 22:05 WR split from 1993 at the Crescent City Classic or Ismael Kirui's 22:08 WR from the same year in Dublin. And many would argue that the net drop at Peachtree is more than offset by the heat, humidity and long ascents.

"It was likely if I struck on the hills, there would be no response," smiled Lel of the sort of surprise he relishes. "I like hills and tough courses."

No one was going to stop the man from Kimteru rocketing to a 27:25, a clocking only the extraterrestrial Joseph Kimani has exceeded on the course with his 27:04 in 1996.

So while one villager from Kimteru, Kenya, finished runner-up, another earned a second Peachtree Road Race title.

"Jemima Jelagat is from my village," Lel related. "I have been training with her in my village." Doubtless Lornah Kiplagat will now recognize Jelagat in future as well.

Another rekindled friendship involved race week assigned roommates Mario Macias of Zacatecas, Mexico and now Adams State College and Alamosa, and recent U.S. 25K record-setter of Mexican extraction, Fernando Cabada.

"We used to race against each other in high school," said Peachtree 8th-place finisher Macias, who went to California's Delano High School when Cabada was running at Buchanan High School in Clovis. "We (also this year) raced against each other at Mt. SAC and the California 10 Mile."

"This is my victory lap for the season," added Cabada. "Only a 45-minute flight from the tri-cities (of eastern Tennessee). Now it's chill, and then train and surprise a few people in the fall."

While Macias is still working on obtaining a U.S. citizenship, a U.S. citizen by birth with Mexican parents summed up her enthusiasm for spending her 4th of July at Georgia's great concrete road-eo to Hot 'Lanta by the Allman Brothers and other Southern anthems blaring along the course: "I mean, when do you get a chance to be a part of the biggest celebration?" Elva Dryer asked rhetorically. "I don't know if it's the people of the South or the people of Peachtree, but everyone is so friendly. I think that's what running does: it brings out the best in people."

37th Peachtree Road Race: PRRO Championship - Atlanta, GA, Tuesday, July 4, 2006

MEN
1) Martin Lel, KEN, 27:25, $15,000
2) Wilson Kiprotich Kebenei, KEN, 27:49, $7500
3) William Chebon Chebor, KEN, 27:54, $3000
4) Gilbert Okari, KEN, 27:59, $2500
5) Micah Kogo, KEN, 28:02, $2000
6) Samuel Rongo, KEN, 28:15, $1500
7) Ridouane Harroufi, MAR, 28:30, $1000
8) Mario Macias, MEX, 28:47, $800
9) Nephat Kinyanjui, KEN, 29:04, $700
10) Andrew Letherby, AUS, 29:10, $600
11) Karim El Mabchour, MAR, 29:14, $500
12) Ernest Meli Kimeli, KEN, 29:15, $400
13) Nicholas Murei, KEN, 29:18, $300
14) Jason Lehmkuhle, USA/MN, 29:22, $1250*
15) Simon Wangai, KEN, 29:43, $200
16) Fernando Cabada, USA/VA, 29:44, $500*
17) Joe Driscoll, USA/NC, 29:48, $300*
*includes U.S.-only prize money

MASTERS Men (40+)
1) Sean Wade, 40, USA/TX, 30:47, $1500
2) Paul Aufdemberge, 41, USA/MI, 31:16, $1000
3) Oleg Strizhakov, 42, RUS, 31:44, $500
4) Dennis Simonaitis, 44, USA/UT, 31:54, $300
5) Brian Pope, 43, USA/MS, 32:47, $200

WOMEN
1) Lornah Kiplagat, NED, 31:13, $15,000
2) Jemima Jelagat, KEN, 31:15, $7500
3) Gete Wami, ETH, 31:55, $3000
4) Susan Chepkemei, KEN, 31:57, $2500
5) Natalya Berkut, UKR, 32:13, $2000
6) Kathy Butler, GBR, 32:24, $1500
7) Lidiya Grigoryeva, RUS, 32:24, $1000
8) Luminita Talpos, ROM, 32:28, $800
9) Madai Perez, MEX, 32:34, $700
10) Katie McGregor, USA/MN, 32:44, $1600*
11) Elva Dryer, USA/NM, 32:51, $1000*
12) Dorota Gruca, POL, 32:52, $400
13) Amy Yoder Begley, USA/IN, 32:56, $600*
14) Lidia Simon, ROM, 33:17, $250
15) Kristin Nicolini, USA/MN, 33:32, $200
16) Constantina Tomescu-Dita, ROM, 33:49, $100
17) Jenny Crain, USA/WI, 34:10, $50
18) Dana Coons, USA/VA, 34:25, $50
*includes U.S.-only prize money

MASTERS Women (40+)
1) Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova, 45, RUS, 34:32, $1500
2) Sylvia Mosqueda, 40, USA/CA, 34:52, $1000
3) Tere Stouffer, 40, USA/TN, 35:22, $500
4) Zinaida Semenova, 44, RUS, 36:02, $300
5) Patty Murray, 40, USA/CO, 36:11, $200

For more Peachtree results, go to: AtlantaTrackClub.org

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232; Fax = (805) 659-0016
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.RunningUSA.org.

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