By T. Patrick O'Dowd
Providence, Rhode Island, USA - Charlie Breagy who hails from Dunleer is the co-race director for the Harvard Pilgrim 5k. Breagy is also the race director for the prestigious Ras na hEireann cross country race. Like at the Ras, he manages to get first rate athletes with a minimal budget. While Europeans scoff at American races insinuating the Kenyans that compete on the US roads are second tier, that was not the case here. The race included many runners fresh off the European track circuit. The field had two Kenyans with sub 13-minute 5k credentials and four others under 13:30!
The pre-race favourite was Luke Kipkosgei who boasts personal bests of 27:22 (10k) and 12:57 (5k) both on the track. Kipkosgei won last year's Goodwill Games 10k.
The Irish connection only begins with Breagy as the co-race director is Mick O'Shea. O'Shea was Irish Olympian in the 5,000 metres in 1980. The duo managed to bring the reigning men's and women's Irish Cross Country champions to the race. Seamus Power (Kilmurray/Ibrickane A.C.), the Inter County Champion and Bandon's Breeda Dennehy Willis, the Inter Club Champ.
Seamus Power
Photos by T.Patrick O'Dowd
The race was delayed some 14 minutes with all the runners on the starting line because some suicidal eejit threatened to jump off a building around the 2 kilometre mark. The race started and after only 300 metres there was a lead pack that had gapped the remainder of the field. The group was comprised of seven African runners and Ireland's Seamus Power. The under-raced Power has only competed in a few road races at home and has won them handily. Hoping to qualify for a time bonus or to steal the race, Kenyan John Kariuki took an early lead hitting the half at 2:04! He coasted, appeared to wait for the pack like a track pacer and strolled through the mile at 4:16. The other seven runners including a persistent Power passed the mile six seconds later. Kipkosgei laboured to catch Kariuki but eventually did. From there the race was tactical as the lead bunch passed two miles in 8:53. Kariuki paid the price for his early antics and faded. With 500 metres remaining John Korir (Kenya) caught the remaining four runners by surprise with a glorious sprint. Korir opened a 10 metre gap before his rivals could react and held off the fast closing dash of Sammy Ngeno who placed second by a second. Korir covered the flat five kilometre course in 13:38.
Seamus Power was visibly fatigued and pleased. He gathered enough to smile as he walked out of the finishing chute. He told irishrunner.com, "I thought I better go out hard and not to relax and get stuck in a rut in the back so I just stuck in behind them [Kenyan pack]. I struggled a lot in the second mile. I was 4:22 for the first mile and 8:58 for two. I gave it a shot. I need more races like this. Near the end a few of the Kenyans were hurting as bad as I was. I just couldn't close like that."
Ivy League College rivals Neville Davey from Brown University and Killian Lonergan who ran at Harvard dueled the final mile with Mayoman Davey running 14:44 for eighteenth and Dubliner Lonergan placing twentieth in 14:49.
In the women's race Kenyans Jane Ngotho and Theresa Wanjiku shared the early lead with Ngotho pulling away to win by ten seconds in 15:15.
Breeda Dennehy Willis &
Geraldine Hendricken
Breeda Dennehy Willis was not sharp as she has missed more than a month of training with a plantar injury. The same injury that kept her from competing at the Irish track championships in July. While Willis has raced a lot in the past year it has been a relatively rare occurrence for Geraldine Hendricken from St. Laurence O'Toole AC. Hendricken is well known in Providence despite her recent low profile. She was a national collegiate champion and an All-American ace while she competed for nearby Providence College under the tutelage of Ray Treacy. Hendricken ran a brilliant race placing seventh in 16:21 and said, "I am very pleased and surprised." Breeda Dennehy Willis ran a respectable 16:28 for ninth but didn't share the excitement.
Harvard Pilgrim 5k 19 September 1999, 11:30 a.m. Sunny 70 degrees F Providence, Rhode Island Race Director: Charlie Breagy Sponsor: Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare of New England Course Records: Men Ismael Kirui 13:20 (1997) Women Elana Meyer 15:10 (1994) MEN'S RESULTS 1 JOHN KORIR ($3,000) 29 KEN 13:38 2 SAMMY NGENO ($2,000) 26 KEN 13:39 3 PATRICK IVUTI ($1,500) 23 KEN 13:43 4 LUKE KIPKOSGEI ($1,000) 25 KEN 13:45 5 ANTHONY KORIR ($700) 29 KEN 13:49 6 TSUNAKI KALAMORE ($600) 25 RSA 13:58 7 JOHN KARIUKI ($500) 28 KEN 14:06 8 SEAMUS POWER ($400) 28 IRL 14:07 9 MARK MORGAN ($300) 27 GBR 14:13 10 JOHN TUTTLE ($750)* 40 USA 14:21 11 MATTHEW SMITH ($150) 25 GBR 14:22 12 PAUL MWANGI 32 KEN 14:27 13 JOHN MWAI 28 KEN 14:33 14 ELIJAH KITUR 27 KEN 14:35 15 MARK COOGAN 29 USA 14:39 16 PAUL MBGUA 32 KEN 14:42 17 NIGEL STIRK 27 GBR 14:43 18 NEVILLE DAVEY 24 IRL 14:44 19 MARK DONAHUE ($500)* 40 USA 14:46 20 KILLIAN LONERGAN 24 IRL 14:49 *Received Master's Prize Money MASTER'S 1 JOHN TUTTLE ($750) 40 USA 14:21 2 MARK DONAHUE ($500) 40 USA 14:46 3 AMIT NEEMAN ($350) 41 ISL 14:58 4 SIMON KARORI ($300) 40 KEN 15:13 5 BARRY HARWICK ($250) 44 USA 15:28 WOMEN'S RESULTS 1 JANE NGOTHO ($3,000) 29 KEN 15:15 2 THERESA WANJIKU ($2,000) 25 KEN 15:25 3 DEENA DROSSIN ($1,500) 26 USA 15:35 4 EUNICE SAGERO ($1,000) 21 KEN 16:08 5 JUDI ST HILAIRE ($750)* 40 USA 16:16 6 MIHO KAKEHATA ($700) 26 JAP 16:18 7 GERALDINE HENDRICKEN ($600) 28 IRL 16:21 8 NADYA GUSELSCHIKOVA ($500) 29 RUS 16:24 9 BREEDA DENNEHY WILLIS ($400) 28 IRL 16:28 10 TETYANA POZDNYAKOVA ($500)* 44 RUS 16:32 11 GABRIELLE O'ROURKE ($300) 32 NZL 16:38 12 NANCY TINARA ($350)* 40 CAN 16:44 13 RACHEL SAUDER ($150) 22 USA 16:46 14 AKI FUJIKAWA 26 JAP 16:51 15 DANUTA MARCCYK 26 POL 17:06 16 BETH WHITNEY 32 USA 17:13 17 LEE DI PIETRO ($300)* 41 USA 17:27 18 MARY LAMMI ($250)* 43 USA 17:28 19 LAURIE FEIT-MELNICK 34 USA 17:31 20 KRIS ANNE KANE 35 USA 17:49 *Received Master's Prize Money MASTER'S 1 JUDI ST HILAIRE ($750) 40 USA 16:16 2 TETYANA POZDNYAKOVA ($500) 44 RUS 16:32 3 NANCY TINARA ($350) 40 CAN 16:44 4 LEE DI PIETRO ($300) 41 USA 17:27 5 MARY LAMMI ($250) 43 USA 17:28