Nelson Oyugi, 22, of Kenya repeated as the men’s champion in the America’s Finest City Half-Marathon in San Diego, Calif., Sun., Aug. 17, as he ran 1:05:17.

Tesfaye Alemayehu, 30, a transplanted Ethiopian now living in Antioch, Calif., and himself a former winner of this race, was the runner-up in 1:05:40.

Christopher Kipyego, 40, of Kenya rounded out the top three as he ran 1:05:50 to finish third.

Oyugi had won this race last year in a course record 1:01:59 with Alemayehu finishing third in 1:02:06. The times in general this year were much slower because of the heat and humidity the runners had to endure. Alemayehu’s time when he won this race in 2012 had been 1:03:44.

After crossing the finish line on Sunday in San Diego’s most prestigious race, Oyugi knelt down to offer a prayer.

“I just give thanks,” he explained. “I feel good. The heat was tough so I knew that a record was not coming.”

He pulled away from Alemayehu over the last mile after leading all the way with the Ethiopian a step behind.

“Myself, I don’t like to be behind,” said Oyugi, who trains in Santa Fe, N. Mex. “My experience helped. I knew the course and the place to race toward the end.”

The third-place finisher Christopher Kipyego, who, like Oyugi, trains in Santa Fe, N. Mex., turned 40 this year, and at San Diego he finished just 30 seconds off the 32-year-old Masters record for this race despite the tough conditions. Not only that, he stayed with the leaders for the first 10 miles.

Coming off a second-place finish (2:11:57) earlier this year at the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn., three years after winning that event, he said of Sunday’s race, “I was going for the record. I train with very strong guys, and that helps. The weather here had an effect, but I enjoyed it all.”

Commenting on his athletic future now that’s he’s turned 40, he said, “I want to continue running because I’m still good” – and certainly no one would deny that good he still is!

Lindsey Scherf, 27, former Harvard and University of Oregon distance star, won the women’s race in 1:14:33, with another American distance standout, Brianne Nelson, 33, of Golden, Colo., who’s a full-time runner and mom (she has two daughters, Riley, 5, and Reese, 3), finishing second in 1:14:46.

Sarah Kiptoo, 25, of Kenya, finished third in 1:15:11.

Kiptoo had led the women’s race for the first seven miles before Scherf moved ahead, eventually prevailing by 13 seconds over Nelson.

“I’m used to the warm conditions, being from North Carolina,” Scherf said afterwards. “So if I just ran within myself, that was the best tactic for me.”

Kiptoo’s time of 1:15:11 was a two-minute improvement from last year when she placed seventh in 1:17:20.

“This is better, so maybe I win next year,” she remarked afterwards. “I’m best in downhill, so that’s why I was leading early. When I got to the uphill, I felt the heat most. I’m pleased with the result.”

Comments

Must have been one tough race. Ujena Fit Club member Tesfaye placed second in 1:05:40. Congrats!
Bob Anderson 8/18/14 5:29 pm