Healthy Kidney 10K Athlete Bios

Worku Beyi
Ethiopia
Age: 21

The easygoing Beyi, a resident of the Bronx, is one of the dominant racers on the New York City and Northeast running scenes. A training partner of fellow Healthy Kidney 10K entrant Demesse Tefera, Beyi won the New York Colon Cancer Challenge 4-Mile earlier this year. He set his 10K PR of 28:43 at the 2007 Cooper River Bridge Run. Beyi’s wife, Bizunesh Deba, is also a top local road racer.

Andrew Carlson
United States
Age: 26

Carlson, of Bloomington, MN, finished an extremely close second to Jorge Torres in the Central Park Challenge (which served as the USA 8K Championship) on March 15. His previous Central Park visit produced a course-record victory at the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run (4 miles) on January 1, and between those races he won the USA 15K Championships on March 8 in Jacksonville, FL. At the University of Minnesota, Carlson ran 5000 meters in 13:44.64 and 10,000 meters in 28:56.59.

Marilson Gomes dos Santos
Brazil
Age: 30

Gomes was the surprise winner of the ING New York City Marathon 2006; he defeated a stellar field including the then–world record-holder, Paul Tergat, and the Olympic champion, Stefano Baldini. A superstar in his sports-mad country, he won the prestigious São Silvestre Road Race (over four-time Boston Marathon champion Robert K. Cheruiyot) on New Year’s Eve 2006 and established South American records over 5000 and 10,000 meters in one three-day span in June of that year.

Abderrahim Goumri
Morocco
Age: 31

When Goumri made his marathon debut in 2007 at London, he surprised everyone by finishing a close second to Martin Lel. He has run two more excellent marathons since then, finishing second at the ING New York City Marathon 2007 (again to Lel) and third at the 2008 Flora London Marathon in a Moroccan record 2:05:30. He placed third in the 2007/2008 World Marathon Majors competition. Goumri is the sixth-fastest marathoner of all time, and is one of only three men (the other two are Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat) to run under 12:51 for 5000 meters and 2:06 for the marathon. His 10,000-meter PR is 27:02.62.

Jason Hartmann
United States
Age: 27

Hartmann has had success in Central Park: On March 15, he finished third in the Central Park Challenge, which served as the USA 8K Championship, and in November 2007, he finished 10th in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon in a personal-best 2:15:27. He represented the United States at the 2005 IAAF World Half- Marathon Championships. Hartmann is an alumnus of the University of Oregon, where he was an All American in cross country and track. He lives in Eugene, OR, and trains with 2008 U.S. Olympic marathon team member Dathan Ritzenhein.

Richard Kiplagat
Kenya
Age: 27

Kiplagat hails from Marakwet, Kenya, where he attended the same high school as Olympic medalists Moses Kiptanui and Reuben Kosgei. He was a 10-time All American at Iona College and earned both undergraduate and masters’ degrees. He won the 2006 CVS/pharmacy Downtown 5K in Rhode Island. Last year he won the 2007 Cooper River Bridge Run 10K in South Carolina and ran his 10,000-meter personal best of 28:06.43. Kiplagat was fifth in the 2007 Healthy Kidney 10K in 28:41.

Andrew Lemoncello
Great Britain
Age: 25

Lemoncello is one of the best runners in Scotland’s history, having won 19 national championships to date. He has also won two United Kingdom championships in the steeplechase, and his 8:23.74 is the second-fastest all-time steeplechase performance by a Scot. While attending Florida State University, he set school records in the steeplechase, 5000 meters, and 10,000 meters. He is now a member of the McMillan Elite training group in Flagstaff, AZ.

Patrick Makau
Kenya
Age: 23

Makau ran 58:56 to win the Vattenfall Berlin Half-Marathon last year, which made him the third-fastest man in history over that distance, only one second away from Haile Gebrselassie’s best. Makau is having an excellent year in 2008—he has won an amazing four major half-marathons—and he will start the Healthy Kidney 10K with an excellent shot at the title. He set his 10K personal best of 27:27 in 2007.

Josh Moen
United States
Age: 26

The 10K is Josh Moen’s specialty; he set his personal best for the distance (28:40) on the track in 2006. A 10-time NCAA All American and five-time NCAA champion at Wartburg College in Waverly, IA, Moen is now a member of the Hansons-Brooks team. His 1:04:37 personal best at the 2007 USA Half-Marathon Championships shows an aptitude for longer distances.

Demesse Tefera
Ethiopia
Age: 25

Tefera was a surprising third (in a PR of 28:31) at last year’s Healthy Kidney 10K behind course record-setter Dathan Ritzenhein and two-time defending champion Craig Mottram. Fifth in the inaugural 2006 NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE, the Ethiopian native is one of the Northeast’s dominant racers. A resident of the Bronx and the 2006 and 2007 NYRR Fred Lebow Runner of the Year, Tefera has run 13:45 for 5K.