Roger Robinson

Roger Robinson at the New York Road Runners Mini Women's 10K

New York, Saturday June 12, 2010.

Published in "Running Times" On-Line (slightly modified) - www.runningtimes.com

Linet Masai (Kenya) stunned New York and the world exactly one year ago, when she won the 5000m at the 2009 Reebok Grand Prix track meet, a little-known 19-year-old overshadowing and outkicking the revered double Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia). Masai returned to New York Saturday, and won again, more predictably now that she is world 10,000m champion. But it was again a joy to watch. Dominating a stellar field (5 world championship winners, 10 Olympians) in the New York Road Runners Mini Women's 10K, she won in 30:48, averaging 4:58 miles on a course whose sharp hills notoriously drain the legs.

During the last year, Masai has made herself the leading edge of the new female Kenyan generation. She confirmed that in New York by emphatically beating fellow-Kenyan Emily Chebet, who surprised her in the world cross-country championship in Poland in March, where they went 1 -2. The only surprise on June 12 was we saw Masai race the hills of Central Park instead of the hi-tech track at Icahn Stadium, at the Adidas Grand Prix Diamond League meet (as it is now) later that day.

 "I just pushed. It was hard uphill but I tried to run my best."
—Linet Masai

"I was not invited," Masai said simply.

The dilatory track 5000m would have felt the impact of one of the 15:24 5K splits that Masai had run a few hours earlier across Manhattan in Central Park. Reportedly she found it a frustrating race to watch. You have to wonder about the reasons for giving Dibaba such an easy run in the very presence of the younger runner who beat her last year. In her American road racing debut, Masai (20) ran like a seasoned champion. She sat just off the fierce early pace set by Lornah Kiplagat (Netherlands) - first mile 4:56 slightly uphill. She astutely read the moment in the Harlem hills when Kiplagat felt her limited fitness. She took decisive control just as the big uphill began, at the 5K mark. And she moved relentlessly away from her nearest pursuers, Chebet and Worknesh Kidane (Ethiopia) through the next three miles.

"I just pushed. It was hard uphill but I tried to run my best. I knew the course record, and would like to have broken it," she said.

The course record 30:29, set in 2002 by Asmae Leghzaoui (Morocco), was thrown somewhat in question by Leghzaoui's drugs disqualification soon after. Many observers were hoping to see it beaten. Next best are 30:44 by Kiplagat (2002) and 30:47 by Paula Radcliffe (GBR, 2001). Masai is now the fourth fastest (including Leghzaoui) in the 39-year history of the world's oldest women-only open road race.

It would take a poet to describe Masai's lyrical running. Like a younger Lornah Kiplagat, she springs sinuously on fine, long, tapered legs, arms crossing high, and black braided hair bobbing behind. But it's not all flow. When she put her head down on the uphills, you could see how hard she was working. A last 800m in 2:27 up that infamous drag to Tavern on the Green does not come easy.

Chebet and Kidane looked even more workmanlike in the chase. Chebet's finishing speed gave her second, 31:13 to Kidane's 31:18. Since winning the world cross-country, Chebet (24) has been enjoying America, with seconds at the ING Bay to Breakers and Lilac Bloomsday, and a win at the Freihofer's Run for Women 5K. Kidane (28) in third was specially promising in the New York context. The 2003 world cross-country champion, she is married to Gebre Gebremariam, who won the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park a month ago, and was world cross-country champion in 2009. On Saturday they promised to return to the city to race the ING NYC Marathon together - "well, not together!" - an alluring prospect.

Kiplagat (36) was delighted with fourth (31:40). A major knee injury early in 2009 looked to have ended her distinguished career (former world road and cross-country champion, holder of the world half-marathon record, 4-time winner of the NYRR Mini). She worked as hard on rehabilitation as she invariably does on her training.

"Very few athletes would have done the work and come back like Lornah has. People don't know how amazing her race was today." That was the private opinion of Gerard Hartmann, the revered Irish physical therapist who oversaw her treatment. Hartmann also looks after Paula Radcliffe and Khalid Khannouchi, so his standards are high.

"I am happy. It's like beginning a new career. And, yes, I led to 5K because I want to run my way, not follow others," said Kiplagat.

Kim Smith (New Zealand) picked off those who hung too long to Kiplagat's pace, like Boston champion Teyba Erkesso (Ethiopia), and took fifth (32:15). In her first race since a tough Virgin London Marathon in April, Smith was content.

"Fine for half-fit," was the laconic kiwi's comment.

Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (36) said much the same. First American finisher, she was well satisfied with 11th place in 33:25 so early in her build-up, after her break-through 2:26:22 made her fourth fastest American marathoner ever at Rotterdam in April.

"I took some down-time after Rotterdam. I like to do shorter races for fun during build-up. They stop me from training too hard!" she said.

Looking ahead for American running, 13-year-old prodigy Alana Hadley, a seventh-grader in Charlotte, NC, coped maturely with her first exposure to big-time road racing, running 37:31. (The US age-record for 13 is 36:50, by Laura Kane in 1978.)

"I was not afraid in the race. I had a wonderful week meeting my heroines, like Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher," Hadley said. Radcliffe and Goucher were both at the race five months pregnant. But Hadley's youth limelight was stolen by Radcliffe's 3-year-old daughter Isla. As her mother (in company with NYRR CEO Mary Wittenberg) jogged toward the finish, Isla ducked under the barriers, greeted her mother with open arms and an ecstatic smile, and skipped and ran to the finish with her, blond hair flying. It was one of the day's best moments. Many of the runners accompanying Paula applauded, and the crowd loved it - including me, not usually a push-over for kiddy photo-ops.

"She enjoyed it two weeks ago in England when she walked and ran with me and my mother in a charity race - three generations," Radcliffe explained. Husband Gary Lough colluded by letting Isla go at the crucial moment.

"With Isla I ran right through pregnancy. I'll try the same this time, but only if things go right. I'm not dead set on it," Radcliffe said.

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