Aaron Davidson, 30, from Lenexa. Kan., won the Double 15K, the featured race at the Overland Park Double Racing Festival in Overland Park, Kan., Sun., June 28, completing the 10K leg in 32:52 (5:18 per mile pace) and the concluding 5K leg in 15:59 (5:09 pace) for a combined time of 48:51.

In winning, he turned the tables on Samuel Kosgei, 30, of Uganda, who won this race last year but had to settle for second this time as he posted an aggregate time of 50:55 (34:05/16:50).

Davidson, who had been third last year behind Kosgei, also won the Double Victory Cup on Sunday for the best age-graded performance in the race as his 48:51 gave him an 84.24 score.

Sam LeVon, 25, finished third on Sunday with an aggregate time of 55:40 (37:31/18:09).

A highlight of the men’s race was the performance of 26-year-old Kyle Lefeber. He drove seven hours from Chicago to get to the race and subsequently reclaimed the men’s Double 15K world record while carrying a full-sized American flag.

He had originally set the record in Indianapolis last year, Will Adams then broke it, but on Sunday in Overland Park, Kyle covered the 10K in 45:46 (7:22 per mile pace) and the 5K in 23:00 (7:25 pace) – try doing that while carrying a large flag on a standard! – for a new record time of 1:08:46.

Another performance that stood out in Overland Park was the run by 63-year-old Steve Cryer, who traveled to Kansas all the way from the San Francisco Bay area to finish first in the 60 and over age category in 1:06:50 (44:04/22:46). He is a veteran of Double Racing, having previously run numerous Doubles in California.

The women’s winner in the Double 15K in Overland Park was Susan Tanui, 28, who covered the 10K in 38:26 (6:11 pace) and the 5K in 18:53 (6:05 pace) for an aggregate time of 57:19.

Sara Ibbetson, 34, was second in 59:58 (39:57/20:01), and Janell McKinney, 29, third in 1:01:25 (41:20/20:05). 

Held on a beautiful two-loop course with only a couple of small hills, this was the third annual Double 15K in Overland Park, the city where Bob Anderson, creator of the Double, was living when he started Runner’s World magazine back in the ‘50s while only a senior in high school.

Yes, he was there again on Sunday, finishing second in his age group, 65-69, with an aggregate time of 1:15:09.

He said afterwards, “People had fun. We had beautiful weather. And I talked to quite a few runners who have now done all three Overland Park Doubles, which was encouraging to hear.”

The program in Overland Park on Sunday also featured a Double 8K, where Elisha Kipruto, 20, and Masters runner Cindy Cameron, 50, emerged as the winners.

Kipruto posted an aggregate time of 25:52, running the 5K in 15:52 and the 3K in 10 minutes flat, to win by a sizeable margin over Masters runners Eric Woody, 40, and Ciro Ortega, 45, who finished second and third respectively. Woody posted an aggregate time of 32:27 (19:47/12:40), and Ortega’s combined time was 33:53 (20:43/13:10).

Cameron won the women’s race in 33:01 (20:14/12:47), which actually placed her third overall. She had finished third last year in the women’s race of the Double 15K in Overland Park.

The runner-up to Cameron in the Double 8K on Sunday was Alicia Firstbrook-Stott, 35, who posted an aggregate time of 36:34 (22:21/14:13), which placed her fifth overall in the race. Katie Rohrbacker, 22, finished third in 39:40 (24:15/15:25) and she was eighth overall.

As those familiar with Double Racing know, the Double truly has something for everyone, even people who race walk. John Anderson, 72, race walked the Double 15K in Overland Park, covering the 10K in 1:15:55 and the 5K in 40:22 for an aggregate time of 1:56:17, which placed him 107^th overall – and perhaps more significantly, ahead of quite a few runners!  

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