Ndereba, Kogo take Falmouth
FALMOUTH -- As she crested a hill in the third mile of the Falmouth Road Race yesterday, Kate O'Neill heard the crowd shouting encouragement behind her to three-time winner Catherine Ndereba -- and everything changed.
O'Neill, a 2004 US Olympian in the 10,000 meters, was glad to be back running after two years of intermittent injuries. The 27-year-old Milton native was feeling great, moving smoothly in her 11th Falmouth 7-miler, and enjoying the cheers of friends and family. And she was surprised to be ahead of Ndereba. In a race of more than 10,000 runners, even the elite men and women start in a crowd, and it's easy to lose track of competitors, particularly for the women. O'Neill just assumed Ndereba, the 2004 Olympic marathon silver medalist from Kenya, a four-time Boston Marathon champion, and the most intimidating runner in the field, was up ahead somewhere.
But she wasn't.
"They call her Catherine the Great for a reason," said O'Neill.
But it was O'Neill running in a lead pack of three in the first mile, not Ndereba. Ndereba was holding back. By the fourth mile, Romanian Luminita Talpos, winner of last week's Beach to Beacon 10K, had taken charge. O'Neill was on her heels, as was another American, Sara Slattery. Ndereba was there, too, a few steps back, quiet but present.
It's in the fifth mile where things start to come apart in Falmouth. The course takes a sharp left turn away from the shore as it skirts Falmouth Harbor, then two sharp right turns as it curls around the end of the harbor. In that stretch, Ndereba passed the pack and darted away to victory in 36 minutes 31 seconds. Talpos was second in 36:40, and O'Neill third in 36:52.
"I just tried to hold on as long as I could," said O'Neill. "It ended up being a bigger gap than I'd like, but it's progress. Every year I get a little better. I'd like to think I'm on an upswing. I'm just really happy to be healthy and I think I can keep building on this."
It was in the fifth mile when Micah Kogo resolved a tense stand-off with Meb Keflezighi, sprinting away from the US 2004 Olympic marathon silver medalist to win the men's race in 31:53.
Keflezighi crossed the line second 20 seconds later .
Kogo, who ran a 26:35.63 10,000 meters on the track last August, is ranked No. 1 in the world in the 10,000 meters on the roads. His speed is no secret and he said he didn't want to run in the front, "because I could be caught and used," he said. But the big pack ran the first mile in only 4:45.
"At 2 miles, it was a slow pace," said Kogo, who is just 21. "I don't like a slower pace and I started to move, so then I could see anybody in front and I could follow a bit, to hide."
By Mile 5, the men's lead pack, which had started with a clot of at least 15 runners, had been whittled to two: Keflezighi and Kogo, both running Falmouth for the first time. Keflezighi looked strong and determined, answering every surge as the lead pack wound though the hills and forests of the first 3 miles.
Tom Nyariki took the lead after choosing not to slow for a water stop, but Keflezighi led the pack back to him. Simon Wangai pulled in front on Surf Drive, but Keflezighi again pushed the pace to reel him in.
At the end of the stretch along the shore, after the fastest mile of the race at 4:27, only Keflezighi, Kogo, and Nelson Kiplagat were in contention. Kiplagat began wobbling at about 5 miles, and Kogo tried to pull away. Keflezighi clung to Kogo's heels, only losing ground on the two quick right turns just before the Mile 6 mark.
The sharp turns took some of the edge off Keflezighi's race. "I looked back a little and he gained ground on me," said Keflezighi.
Once he had gained a few yards of space, Kogo used his track speed to leave Keflezighi behind.
"I was fearing because I didn't know when in the last mile he would kick," said Kogo, "but I was feeling I could do it. I know from my hill training in Kenya, lot of hills and forests."
"I came here to give my best show," said Keflezighi, who was satisfied with the progression of his training as he concentrates on getting ready for the Nov. 3 US marathon Olympic trials. "After he made the last move, I was running for second place. It doesn't matter if you're 5 or 15 seconds back.
"He's a little sharper. But it's my personal record for 7 miles by 14 seconds." 