Ominami twins finish 1-2; event record field of over 7,600
August 20, 2007 - From Running USA wire. By Patrice Malloy - Photo gallery!
SAN DIEGO - (August 19, 2007) - Spectators probably had thought they had seen it all during the 30 editions of the EAS America's Finest City Half Marathon in San Diego.
Sightings have included two Oprah Winfrey finishes (1993 and 2000), three U.S. bests, one Masters world best and 150,000-plus participants from all over the globe.
But on the event's sun-soaked 30th birthday on Sunday, they may have thought that they were seeing double when identical twins Hiromi and Takami Ominami of Japan ran by them, placing first and second in the women's division, respectively.
Nelson Kiplagat of Kenya and Hiromi Ominami claimed their first AFC victories and $1500, Kiplagat finishing in 1 hour, 4 minutes and 25 seconds and Ominami clocking 1:12:49.
In the men's race, the familiar sight of swift Africans in the lead was not a surprise to the spectators who lined the scenic point-to-point course. Kiplagat, Tesfaye Girma (ETH) and Richard Kemeli (KEN) reached the first mile in 4:52 with Josphat Ndeti (KEN) trailing just 50 yards back.
Dropping their competitors by the third mile, Girma and Kiplagat passed the 10K point at 29:09 and ran side-by-side until Mile 9 when Girma dramatically fell off pace. With the exception of a slower pace up the course's infamous 6th Avenue hill, Kiplagat never faltered and continued to the finish unchallenged.
Despite winning the race, Kiplagat was not all smiles. "I wanted to go for the course record (1:02:24), but I had a problem with my back," he said. "The downhills made it tighten up. The course is very hard."
"I wasn't tired," said Girma referring to his sudden slowdown. "It was my stomach."
Finishing second in 1:06:20, Girma's gutsy performance - and first race on US soil - earned him $1000.
In the women's race, Hiromi Ominami led from the start,
leaving her twin, Takami, to fend for herself. The first born of
the two - by a 10-minute margin - Hiromi finished about two
minutes ahead of her sister who ran 1:14:58. Magdalena
Lewy-Boulet, 34, of Oakland, Calif. finished third (1:15:22)
with Kenyan Evelyn Lagat fourth (1:16:39).
Dubbed as "marathoning's fastest siblings," the Ominami twins are rarely matched up against each other. "They are rivals," said Masahiko Takahahashi, their coach who says he limits the races they run together to minimize sibling rivalry. "They are more supportive of one another during training when they don't race together."
Hiromi, who owns a 1:08:45 personal best, has been the fastest of the pair after Takami suffered a knee injury two years ago.
A record of 9,502 runners from 46 states and 14 countries entered the sold-out half-marathon and accompanying AFC 5K - the highest number of entrants in the event's 30-year history.
The event benefits the Cabrillo National Monument Foundation and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and has raised over $2 million for non-profit organizations. The event is produced by Neil Finn Sports Management, Inc. of San Diego.
30th EAS America's Finest City Half Marathon
San Diego, CA, Sunday, August 19, 2007
MEN
1) Nelson Kiplagat (KEN), 1:04:25, $1500
2) Tesfaye Girma (ETH), 1:06:20, $1000
3) Josphat Ndeti (KEN), 1:06:41, $750
4) Richard Kimeli (KEN), 1:07:49, $500
5) Francis Githama (KEN), 1:07:54, $300
Masters (40+): Iain Mickle (USA / CA), 1:17:16, $300
WOMEN
1) Hiromi Ominami (JPN), 1:12:49, $1500
2) Takami Ominami (JPN), 1:14:58, $1000
3) Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (USA / CA), 1:15:22, $750
4) Evelyn Lagat (KEN), 1:16:39, $500
5) Sally Meyerhoff (USA / AZ), 1:16:39, $300
Masters (40+): Mary Alico (USA / CA), 1:24:14, $300