Healthy Kidney 10K - Professional GalleryMay 16, 2009 [Race Coverage] [Results] |
| Under a foggy sky that broke into rain early in the 2009 Healthy Kidney 10K, Tadese Tola of Ethiopia ran 27:48 to smash the Central Park record of 28:08, set at this event in 2007 by U.S. Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein. Defending champion Patrick Makau of Kenya was a distant second in 28:28, and his countryman Boaz Cheboiywo was a close third in 28:31. Eighteen men broke 30:00—the most in the event’s history. |
 A world-class field, including six 2008 Olympians, burst off the line at 9:00 a.m. |
 Tola was in command from the start, but he had defending champion Patrick Makau keeping him company in the early stages. |
 After halfway, Tola was alone and running against the clock. |
 Tola, only 21 years old, chopped 20 seconds off Dathan Ritzenhein’s 2007 Central Park record. |
 Makau, who ran his first marathon last month in 2:06:14, was the runner-up this year. |
 Boaz Cheboiywo of Kenya, a late entry to the race, finished strong for third, only three seconds behind Makau. |
 Wegayehu Girma Tefera of Ethiopia took fourth for the second year in a row—but he ran 28:40, slashing 40 seconds from his 2008 time |
 Stephen Chemlany of Kenya, 16th last year, ran 28:41 to take fifth, only one second behind Tefera. |
 Worku Beyi of Ethiopia, NYRR’s 2008 Fred Lebow Runner of the Year, ran 28:42 for a very close sixth place. |
 Haron Lagat of Kenya finished in 28:43 for seventh place, only one second behind Beyi. |
 Irish Olympian Martin Fagan was eighth in 28:45. |
 Tesfaye Girma of Ethiopia ran 28:46 for ninth place—a mere six seconds behind the fourth-place finisher! |
 Abraham Ng’etich of Kenya ran 28:57 to round out an extremely talented top ten. |
 The first American finisher was three-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, who was 11th in 29:02. |
 Right behind Abdi was his friend and fellow U.S. Olympian Anthony Famiglietti, 12th in 29:07. |
 Abderrahime Bouramdane of Morocco, who was fifth in the ING New York City Marathon 2008, took 13th in 29:15. |
 New Zealand Olympian Adrian Blincoe, a 5000-meter track specialist, was 14th in 29:28. |
 The third American across the line was Edwardo Torres, 15th in a time of 29:49. |
 Abede Tsegaye Halefom of Ethiopia finished 16th, one second behind Torres, in 29:50. |
 2008 USA 15K champion Andrew Carlson was 17th in 29:57. |
