Kenya: Mutai is Back in Boston for 10 Kilometres

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

Chris Mbaisi

17 June 2011

Boston Marathon champions Geoffrey Mutai and Caroline Kilel are the standout names lining-up for the inaugural B.A.A. 10km on June 26. Highlighting the men’s field is 2011 Boston Marathon champion Geoffrey Mutai, of Kenya. During the 115th Boston Marathon in April, the 29-year old Mutai ran the world’s fastest marathon in 2:03:02 (Downhill course:136.29m) with his sensational performance 57 seconds faster than the official world record time of 2:03:59 set by Haile Gebrselassie at the 2008 Berlin Marathon. Mutai has a 10km PB of 27:39 (2009).

Also returning to Boston will be Moses Mosop of Kenya and Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia, the runner-up and third place finishers at Boston this year.

Mosop is coming off 25,000m and 30,000m world record performances on the track earlier this month, and has a personal best in the 10km of 28:04 (2004). Gebremariam brings his road racing expertise back to Boston, trying to better his own personal best of 27:41 (2010).

Also in the men’s field are Kenyans Simon Ndirangu (27:49) and Samuel Ndereba (28:01), as well as 2009 B.A.A. Half Marathon winner Martin Fagan of Ireland.

The women’s field is led by 2011 Boston Marathon champion Caroline Kilel. The 30-year-old Kenyan returns to run her first race since winning the olive wreath in April. Joining her will be New Zealand’s Kim Smith, a 2008 Olympian and national record holder at 5km (14:59. Smith, whose personal best at 10km is 31:23, led the first 18 miles of the 115th Boston Marathon before a torn muscle forced her to drop out. Now healthy and recovered, the Providence College graduate is coming off of a sixth place finish in the New York Mini 10K, in which she ran 32:32.

Australian national record holder and three-time Olympian Benita Willis, the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country champion, has the fastest personal best in the field at 31:17. Gebremariam’s wife, Werknesh Kidane, the 2003 IAAF world cross country champion, is also entered in the race.The B.A.A 10K includes a prize purse of $30,000 (Sh2.7m) with $5000 (Sh445,000) awarded to the winners and equally distributed among the top male and female finishers.

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