Tefera Takes Third in World-Class Healthy Kidney 10K Field
Leads local finishers with a breakthrough race
Central Park, New York, May 19—In a race with a formidable invitational field of world-class runners, a third-place finish by a local team member would seem unlikely. Not for Demesse Tefera, 24, of the Westchester Track Club (WTC), who has consistently placed in local races but hasn’t always led even his own team. His breakthrough, which came at an ideal time and in beautiful racing conditions, was a product of combined experience and daring.
Tefera, an Ethiopian who spent two years running for the Subaru corporate team in Japan and moved to New York in 2006, outran everyone except new course record-setter Dathan Ritzenhein of the United States and two-time defending champion Craig Mottram of Australia with a superlative 28:31 on Central Park’s rolling hills—14 seconds faster than his previous personal best of 28:45, which was run on a flat course in Japan.
“We knew he was in this kind of shape,” said Mike Barnow, WTC’s coach, after the race. “Demesse [pronounced “Demss”] is a world-class runner.” Barnow had even more to be pleased about: WTC’s men’s team, led by Tefera, Stephen Chemlany (11th, 29:43), Timothy Psitet (13th, 29:50), Genna Tufa (16th, 30:21), and Kassahun Kabiso (18th, 31:13) took the NYRR open team title with 61 points, ahead of West Side Runners (122) and Urban Athletics (172).
WTC’s Alemtsehay Misganaw, 26, extended her team’s dominance—and her own—by achieving the three-peat that Mottram barely missed. The only women’s winner in the race’s history, she led wire to wire over Caroline Bierbaum (2nd, 35:50) and New York Athletic Club’s Michelle Rorke (3rd, 36:04). Nike Central Park Track Club (CPTC) narrowed the gap on New York Athletic Club (NYAC) at the front of the 2007 NYRR team standings, putting a close-knit group near the front for an outstanding 44-point performance. CPTC was led by Katy Masselam (4th, 36:10), Andrea Costella, (8th, 37:51), Felice Kelly (9th, 37:53), Sarah Alaei (10th, 38:07), and Lauren Esposito (13th, 38:23). NYAC was second with 75 points, and Moving Comfort New York (MCNY) followed with 146.
The first seven male and first three female finishers have received invitations from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, the race’s sponsor, to compete in a 10K road race in their country in December of this year.
In the masters (40 and older) competition, Gordon Bakoulis, 46, of MCNY, easily led the women with her 38:35 and finished 15th female overall. Paul Thompson, 41, of Warren Street, continued his local dominance with an excellent 31:35 for 21st overall. A noteworthy battle was fought in the men’s 50-and-over division, in which Steve Calidonna of Taconic Road Runners edged CPTC’s Alan Ruben, 34:49 to 34:51—world-class performances for their age-group.
Tefera, always an exemplar of the modest understatement, reported that “the weather was good, and the race was good. I didn’t feel one hundred percent today.” This elicited a raised eyebrow from his teammate Chelamny, who exclaimed, “At 3K, they went crazy! I didn’t go with them—good thing, too!” He was referring to the mid-race challenge that Ritzenhein threw down and that was answered, predictably, by Mottram—and not so predictably by Tefera. While most of the formidable pack—including former world marathon record-holder Khalid Khannouchi—held back, Tefera responded. No one caught him. Instead, he caught and passed the six-time IC4A champion Richard Kiplagat of Kenya and held on to third place—and $3,000 in prize money.
The first race that Tefera ran in the United States was last year’s Healthy Kidney 10K. He’d almost literally just stepped off an airplane after a long day of travel and was in no condition to compete, and he dropped out during the race. With today’s performance, he has more than taken care of that unfinished business. Now he’s looking ahead to another new frontier: On November 4, he will run the ING New York City Marathon, against perhaps an even stronger field than he faced today, in his first serious attempt at the distance.
He’s unlikely to be intimidated.
Demesse Tefera of the Westchester Track Club finished third in 28:31.
