Kenyans swept the top three position in the men’s race, Americans went 1-2 in the women’s race, and presumably a wonderful time was had by all 28,253 finishers in the road race “happening” known as the Bay to Breakers in San Francisco, Sun., May 18.

This was the 103^nd running of this race, so it’s also one of the oldest footraces in the country. It was first run in 1912! Runners start at the northeast end of downtown San Francisco next to San Francisco Bay and run south until they reach the “breakers” at Ocean Beach on the Pacific Ocean. Hence the name – Bay to Breakers.

Geoffrey Kenisi, 27, led the Kenyan sweep in the men’s race as he covered the 12K course (7.46 miles) in 35:04 to finish ahead of his countrymen Emmanuel Bor, 26, the runner-up in 35:25, and Kevin Kipruto Kochei, 24, who was third in 35:53.

Three other Africans followed the Kenyan trio to the line – Afewerki Berhane Hidru, 21, Eritrea, 35:57; Aissa Dghougi, 32, Morocco, 36:26; and Nelson Oyugi, 21, Kenya, 36:41.

The first American finisher was Ben Bruce, 23, of Flagstaff, Ariz., who finished seventh in 37:01. Originally from San Diego, Calif., the tall, slender athlete (he’s 6’1”, 150 pounds) is an international-caliber competitor in the 3000-meter steeplechase and the 5000 meters. His steeplechase best is 8:19.10.

In the women’s race, it was an America duo, Diane Johnson, a Masters runner no less (she’s 43), and Sara Hall, 31, who finished 1-2 ahead of a slew of Africans who took the next five places.

Johnson, who’s from Midlothian, Va., ran 40:19 to win the Bay to Breakers for the second year in a row. She had won last year in 40:22.

Hall, who’s originally from Santa Rosa, Calif., and is now a professional runner living and training at altitude in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., finished second in 40:27.

Sophy Jepchirchir, 30, from Kenya rounded out the top three as she also dipped under 42 minutes, finishing in 40:49.

For Johnson, it was her first race since she finished 12th in the London Marathon on April 14. She spent several weeks taking it easy to recuperate from the London race, and said she had only begun training seriously for the Bay to Breakers 2½ weeks ago.

Johnson took the lead on Sunday right from the gun, but relinquished it going up the steep and demanding Hayes Street Hill, as several female runners picked up the pace end overtook her. Experienced veteran that she is, Johnson kept to her game plan.

“Right before the hill, there was a push, but I just kept with my stride, and my pace, to the top. The goal was to get my pace and start pushing once we got past the hill. That’s exactly what I did last year, and it’s what I did today.”

She made her move about half a mile after the hill, establishing a lead she would never relinquish, although she knew Sara Hall was gaining on her towards the end.

“Sara is an amazing runner, and she was definitely getting closer. I knew if she was with me in the last 100 meters, she’d have a good chance to beat me. I only had my strength to go on.”

And that strength gave her the victory and the $3000 prize for winning, as she reached the finish line eight seconds ahead of Hall.

“Considering I just came off a marathon, and I’ve only been training a couple of weeks, I felt good,” Johnson said afterwards. “There are always good runners here. It’s a little hard to get going, and this race feels like a sprint, but I’m really glad with how it went.”

One of the very good runners there on Sunday was Sara Hall, who won the US Women’s Cross-Country Championships in February over eight kilometers in St. Louis by a margin of mere inches over Molly Huddle, the American 5000-meter recordholder. And it’s not like Sara just started running well lately. Representing the United States, she won the 3000-meter steeplechase in 10:03 at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalahara, Mexico. The Stanford graduate, who specialized in the 5000 meters, the 3000-meter steeplechase and cross-country in college, is now making the switch to the roads. Later this year she hopes to run her first marathon.

Sara is married to US marathon and half-marathon recordholder Ryan Hall, who ran 2:04:58 to finish fourth in the 2011 Boston Marathon and has run the half-marathon in 59:43, also an American best. Sara and Ryan were married in September 2005. Both were California high school superstars and then became All-Americans at Stanford, which is where they met.  

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