Originally published June 28, 2009 at 12:00 AM | Page modified July 1, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Comments (0)
E-mail article
Print
Share
Elija Nyabuti wins Rock 'n' Roll Seattle half-marathon
Kenyan breaks the state record by finishing in 1:05.14, while Ethiopian Berhane Adere wins women's race
Seattle Times staff reporter
PREV
DANIEL HOUGHTON / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Half-marathon racers cross the finish line in downtown Seattle after running the 13.1 miles from Tukwila.
Elija Nyabuti
Elija Nyabuti finished the men's 13.1-mile half-marathon before some runners even got across the starting line.
That shows the magnitude of the field of 25,000 runners at the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon, which started runners in 36 different groups.
The Kenyan finished the half-marathon in 1 hour, 5 minutes, 14 seconds.
Pat Rizzo finished second in 1:05:34, a personal best, and stayed with Nyabuti until the ninth mile. "He dropped me even though I ran two straight 4:55 miles," said Rizzo, who lives in Detroit. "That shows you his wheels were moving."
Berhane Adere, a former world champion from Ethiopia, pulled away in the final mile of the women's half-marathon and won in 1:11.19, 71 seconds off the state record.
Isley Gonzalez, who just graduated from Washington State, was the first American finisher in her first women's half-marathon. Just months after racing college opponents, she found herself in a race with the world-renowned Adere, who won the prestigious Dubai Marathon just last year, and Nuta Olaru, a former Olympian from Romania who finished second Saturday.
Gonzalez finished in third nearly 9 minutes behind Adere, who has won the Chicago Marathon twice and is using the prize money from racing to build a hotel in Ethiopia.
Adere arrived in Seattle on Thursday afternoon, and her 14-year-old son, Alem, watched the race aboard a flatbed truck that stayed ahead of the leaders in the marathon.
The marathon course diverged from the half-marathon course between the eighth and ninth miles, so Alem couldn't see his mother finish. Someone aboard told him his mother had won.
"Really?" he said.
Yep. There wasn't all that much doubt about it. Adere stayed with Olaru until the final mile and then pulled away, winning by 24 seconds.
Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company
NEW - 8:52 PM
Michigan high school wins first game after star player dies
NEW - 9:30 PM
NW Briefs: Eastern Washington dismisses Kirk Earlywine as men's basketball coach
'Gift' lifts Carl Edwards to title in Las Vegas
Iditarod mushers set out for Nome
911 audio: Caseworker reports Josh Powell has locked children inside his home
911 audio: Caseworker reports Josh Powell's house on fire with children inside
911 audio: Sister of Josh Powell reports disturbing emails
Chuck Cox reacts to Powell home fire, death of his grandsons
Sheriff's update: Josh Powell spread gasoline in home fire, sent goodbye emails
Don Bateman, inventor of Ground Proximity Warning System
Pierce County sheriff reacts to Powell home fire
Price of Protection: A victim speaks out
Price of Protection: Inside the Special Commitment Center
Open Houses
|
Find all open houses.
|
nwautos
Turismo upgrade "Gran Turismo 5: XL Edition" for PlayStation 3 has features such as new car-tuning settings, new NASCAR vehicles, better replay video...
Post a comment
- Lakewood cop accused of embezzling $150K meant for slain officers' families
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- Agency set to investigate handling of 911 call about Josh Powell
- Quick decisions: How Washington hired its new football staff
- Historic day for gay marriage as another fight looms
- Justin Wilcox's versatile defensive style is the right fit for Huskies | Jerry Brewer
- It's Terrence Time: Enigmatic Ross leads Huskies
- Social worker recounts minutes before Powell fire
- $25B settlement reached over foreclosure abuses
- Club promoter convicted in brutal 2010 murder of Des Moines prostitute
- Gay-marriage bill passes House, awaits Gregoire's signature 436
- Historic day for gay marriage as another fight looming 350
- Sheriff's office unhappy with 911 dispatcher in caseworker's call 283
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising 238
- Source: NY, California to sign mortgage settlement 225
- Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color 170
- Oregon live game thread 155
- Pac-12 picks ... including the UW game 140
- Worker: Josh Powell told son he had 'surprise' 83
- Council members get briefing on arena proposal, minus details 79
- State Medicaid program to stop paying for unneeded ER visits
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- One man's audacious pursuit of sailing history
- Darren Berg gets 18-year sentence for Ponzi scheme
- Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color
- $25B settlement reached over foreclosure abuses
- A wandering gene's destructive path | Book review
- 'Gauguin and Polynesia': dazzling mix-and-match | Art review
- UW opening incubator facility for startups
- Controversial principal at Lowell Elementary takes job in Tacoma
