Fantastic Finishes

Festus Langat and Aziza Aliyu take titles at the Run As One TGL Classic Presented by JPMorgan Chase

New York, Sunday, April 13—The “Run As One” part of this race’s name was taken to heart by the fastest competitors today in Central Park: The three leaders of the men’s race did run virtually as one until the final few yards, and the victory was decided by an ultra-slim margin.

As a spirited crowd cheered, Festus Langat of Kenya set a course record, winning the four-mile race in 18:21—just fractions of a second ahead of runner-up Dagne Alemu and third-place finisher 19-year-old Wegayehu Tefera.

The women’s race also saw three runners in a close fight to the finish, with the lyrically named Aziza Aliyu of the Westchester Track Club winning in 21:43. Aileen Conlon of the Nike Central Park Track Club (CPTC) finished in 21:46, and Firehiwot Tesfaye, an 18-year-old from West Side Runners, placed third in 21:49.

Langat and Aliyu each earned $1,000 for the victory. The second-place finishers got $600 apiece, and the third-place runners each made $400.

“I was not expecting a course record, not at all,” said a smiling Langat, who lives and trains in Pennsylvania. “I just tried my best to make a good time. I worked very hard in my training, and I was expecting a close race.”

But not even Langat expected the race to be as close as it was. “It was very, very tough,” he said. “For me, the weather was not good. It was very cold. But I came today in good shape. I’m very happy to win this race.”

Alemu and Tefera, the younger brother of accomplished professional runner Demesse Tefera of Ethiopia, are New York residents. So are Conlon—the winner of the Colon Cancer Challenge 15K on March 9—and Tesfaye.

The open team competitions were both won by strong CPTC contingents. In the men’s division, the Warren Street Social & Athletic Club (WS) and Urban Athletics followed; second and third on the women’s side went to NYAC and Moving Comfort New York (MCNY).

As an indication that the quality of running has improved in the Run As One TGL Classic in the past few years, look at these recent men’s winning times:

2005: 19:06

2006: 18:49

2007: 18:43

Today, the top three men broke 18:23, and the next two—Worku Beyi of WTC (18:34) and Philip Koech of Kenya (18:35)—also beat last year’s winning time.

The race began under an overcast sky with the temperature at 49 degrees—one day after the mercury had reached a high of 76. But the chill did not prevent runners from posting impressive times.

“I ran 22 minutes, which is close to my personal best, so I’m happy,” said Adam Kuklinski, 46, of the Polish Runners Club (PRC). “The marathon is my favorite race, but I use the other races as part of my training. I just love to run in Central Park. I definitely did not win in my age group, but I like the competition.”

Champions were crowned in age groups from pre-teens to octogenarians. Siblings Carlos and Karen Roa of WSX swept the 15-19 division; Carlos, 15, ran 21:43, and Karen, 17, ran 27:10. Orest Babyak of PRC was first among 40+ men in 20:42, and his teammate Piotr Karasiewicz, 46, wasn’t far back in 20:59, topping the 45-49 age group. Witold Bialokur, the coach of Witold’s Runners, won the 70-74 division in 28:11; Sab Koide of the Millrose Athletic Association ran 47:29 at age 84.

World-class age-group performances were run by Kathryn Martin of the Northport Running Club (24:26 at age 56) and Ginette Bedard of Howard Beach (32:30 at age 74). Grace Salant, 84, of New York won the 80+ division in 1:04:45.

The fastest three masters women came from the 45-49 group: Zofia Wieciorkowska of WS won in 24:00, followed by Gordon Bakoulis of MCNY in 24:17 and Yumi Ogita of CPTC in 25:43.

“I broke 26 minutes, so I did much better today than I thought,” said Ogita, 46, who works for a real estate company. “I have a daughter, a husband, and my work, but running is something that is my own. It’s only an hour a day, but it still makes a difference in my life. Running makes me happy.”

The sixth annual Run As One, TGL Classic honors former Chase Manhattan Bank chairman Tom Labrecque Sr., a nonsmoker who nonetheless died of lung cancer at age 62. The event raises funds to fight lung cancer while also raising public consciousness.

“Forty thousand people who are nonsmokers are diagnosed every year with lung cancer,” Tom Labrecque Jr. informed the crowd during the awards ceremony.

Many participants ran or walked in an accompanying 1.3-mile health walk in memory of loved ones who have lost their battle with cancer, while others took part in honor of cancer survivors in an event that brought forth the best in the human spirit.  

Aziza Aliyu breaking the tape to win in 21:43.