Rudolph Among Star-studded Field to Take the Line at Falmouth
11:36 PM Tue, Aug 08, 2006 | Permalink
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Projo Running BlogProvidence Journal sports writer Carolyn Thornton blogs the Rhode Island running scene. |
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Providence's Amy Rudolph will be among an extremely talented field at Sunday's Falmouth Road Race. Here's a look at the top contenders, courtesy of Running USA wire: The 34th renewal of the Falmouth Road Race is set for Sunday, Aug. 13, and the field of 10,000 will feature the defending champion and course record holder, a host of former winners and several Olympians and Hall of Famers. Many of the world's best distance runners and thousands of recreational runners will meet at the drawbridge in Woods Hole at 10 a.m. Sunday for the scenic, seven-mile run to the beach in Falmouth Heights. The proud history of the race as a "must-run" stop on the national circuit was assured earlier this spring when CIGNA, an employee-benefits company, agreed to be the principal sponsor for the first time. Falmouth offers a lucrative prize money package totaling $90,300. First place in the men's and women's Open divisions is worth $10,000 and the top U.S. men's and women's finishers will win $5000 each. Okari will be looking to become only the third man in the history of the race to claim three victories. "Boston Billy" Rodgers was the first three-time Falmouth champion; he triumphed in the second Falmouth in 1974, and then went back-to-back in 1977-78, when he was the dominant force on the American roads. Rodgers' hat trick was matched by John Korir of Kenya, who won in 1999, 2001 and 2003. Korir and Rodgers will both be in Sunday's race, Korir as a front-of-the pack threat and the 58-year-old Hall-of-Famer Rodgers competing as a grand master, along with two-time Falmouth winner Frank Shorter. Korir is running well this season and has an exceptional record at Falmouth. Besides his three wins, he was third last year and in 2004 and has twice finished second. Last week, he was fifth in the Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Okari started the season well with five victories in a row. He was fourth in the Peachtree 10K in Atlanta on July 4 and in his most recent races he was third at the Bix seven-miler July 29 in Davenport, Iowa and fourth last weekend in the Beach to Beacon. Also scheduled to compete in the elite men's field is former champion James Koskei of Kenya. He was seventh last year and won Falmouth in 2002. A newcomer to watch is 19-year-old Lawrence Kiprotich of Kenya, who made a big splash is his U.S. road racing debut when he upstaged a star-studded field in winning the Bix race two weeks ago. Last week, he was second at Beach to Beacon. Mbarak Hussein, a native of Kenya and now a U.S. citizen, returns as the defending Masters champion. The 41-year-old from Albuquerque, N. M., was also the first U.S. finisher in 2005 and an impressive eighth overall. Another U.S. runner to watch is Team Running USA's Ryan Shay of East Jordan, Mich., 10th in the Open race last year and the second American. The women's field is equally impressive, highlighted by the return of Falmouth favorite Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, a three-time winner. Defending champion Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands will miss the race as she competes at the European Championships. Kiplagat holds the Falmouth course record at 35:02, set in 2000. Ndereba, a former world record holder in the marathon and the silver medalist in the marathon at the 2004 Olympics, won Falmouth in 1996, '98-99. She was also three times the runner-up (2000-02). She most recently won a half-marathon (72:56) in Bogata, Columbia. A pair of Russians, who both train out of Germantown, Md., figure to challenge Ndereba. Alevtina Ivanova was second here last year and won Falmouth in 2004. She is also coming off a strong effort last weekend when she won the Beach to Beacon, running 31:26 to break Ndereba's five-year-old course record. Olga Romanova also has been running well this season. She was fourth at Falmouth in 2005 and seemingly had the 2003 race won until she collapsed 100 yards from the finish line. The international flavor also includes Miho Ichikawa of Japan, fifth at Falmouth in 2005. U.S. women will be well represented by Olympians Colleen De Reuck, Elva Dryer, Amy Rudolph and Carrie Tollefson. The oft-decorated De Reuck is a Falmouth favorite. She has won the Open division twice and finished second four times. Now 42, she has won the Falmouth Masters division twice and last year was seventh overall. De Reuck became a U.S. citizen in 2000 and has represented both her native South Africa and the U.S. in Olympic Games. Dryer was third at Falmouth in 2004 and ran in the 10,000 meters at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She was fifth last week in Maine. Rudolph, a former Providence College star and two-time Olympian at 5000 meters, earlier this summer won the national 10,000 meter title at the USA Outdoor Championships. The versatile Tollefson ran the 1500 meters at the 2004 Olympics and has won several national titles. Before running Sunday, she is scheduled to compete in the Falmouth Mile on Saturday night at Falmouth High School. Along with Hussein and De Reuck in the masters division, New Zealand Olympian Sean Wade is making his Falmouth debut as a 40-year-old. He has already won masters races this summer at Peachtree, Bay to Breakers and the Utica Boilermaker. The favorite in the wheelchair race is Tony Nogueira of Glen Ridge, N.Y., shooting for his fifth straight win. Falmouth Professional Field with Bib # MASTERS Men (40+) WOMEN MASTERS Women (40+) 
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