Nicole Edwards Sifuentes will defend her Falmouth Mile title on August 13. Photo: Flotrack.org

The best Massachusetts high school runners are to complete in the Scholastic Mile.

From: Running USA

FALMOUTH, Mass. – (August 9, 2011) – Defending mile champion Nicole Edwards Sifuentes, who ran for Michigan, will face a tough challenge from the best field of female milers ever gathered at Falmouth. The 16th New Balance Falmouth Mile will be held on Saturday evening, August 13 at the Falmouth High School James Kalperis Track. The event, held in conjunction with the New Balance Falmouth Road Race the next day, is actually two events – one for invited world class milers and the other for Massachusetts high school athletes. The Kalperis Track is a Mondo surface and recognized as one of the fastest in the world.

Edwards Sifuentes, who won last year in 4:32.45 will have to outrun the 2008 U.S. Olympian and 2009 Falmouth Mile champion Erin Donohue from Haddonfield, N.J. who beat Edwards in 4:27.91. Donohue’s time was the fastest women’s mile in the world for 2009. Edward’s time of 4:29.33 was the fifth best in the world.

Other likely challenges should be from Stephanie Garcia, who ran for the University of Virginia and was fourth at recent USA Championships in the steeplechase, and has run a 4:34 relay anchor on a Virginia distance medley relay; Maggie Infield, Georgetown, has run a 4:34 relay anchor and is now completing her first year of medical studies; and Nichole Schappert, Villanova, is a two-time NCAA championships winner and owns a personal best 4:35.97 mile. Additional competitors and their 1500 meter times include - Sara Vaughn, University of Colorado, 4:08.74; University of California Riverside graduate, Brenda Martinez, 4:39.58;Meghan Peyton, University of Iowa, 4:40.5, and Erin Koch, American University, 4:46.19. The women’s event record of 4:25.27 was set by Suzy Favor Hamilton in 2002.

The men’s event has its largest field to date with 12 competititors. Those to watch are the 2009 Falmouth winner Will Leer, Oregon Track Club, who ran 3:57.28. Will was fifth in the USA Championships 1500 meters in Eugene. Adrian Blincoe, who ran for Villanova, was a 2008 New Zealand Olympian, and has run a 3:54.40, will be going to Daegu to represent the Kiwi’s in the 5000 meters. Two other challengers are Irishman and Florida State graduate, Ciaran O’Lionaird, who has been tearing up the 1500 meters in Europe, recently dropping his personal best by four seconds to 3:34.00, and A.J. Acosta, Oregon, who has run 3:53.76 and was eleventh at the recent USA Championships 1500. This is the first time Acosta has run on the East Coast.

The remaining athletes all have run sub-four minute miles at various times in their careers. They include - Liam Boylan-Pett, Columbia University, 3:59.40; Jake Bolas, Wisconsin, 3:58.4; Ben Bruce, Oregon Track Club, who last week ran the second-fastest American time in the steeplechase this year in 8:19.10; John Jefferson, Indiana, who ran 3:56.82 in the 2008 Falmouth mile; Jordan McNamara, Oregon, whose best is 3:56.82, and was tenth in the USA Championships 1500, and Craig Miller, Wisconsin, whose best is 3:58.41. Rob Novak, Seton Hall, who ran 3:59.70 and Jeff See, Ohio State, who ran 3:58.15 round out the field. The men’s event record is 3:56.45 set by Jon Rankin in 2008.

The winner of the New Balance Falmouth Mile takes home $2000, while the runner-up receives $1000, with $500 for third and $250 for fourth. If the men’s winner runs sub-4:00 and women’s winner runs below 4:33 they pocket another $1000. Any other men or women under the standard will be awarded $500.

This year marks the second edition of New Balance Falmouth Scholastic Mile. Last year, the girls’ and boys’ competitions featured top runners on Cape Cod and this year it has been expanded to feature top Bay State high school talent. Each high school athlete will outfitted in New Balance apparel.

The 114-year-old Boston Marathon is steeped in tradition. Photo: Box Scores.com

The annual race continues to grow in participation and popularity.

The history of the Boston Marathon is incredible. Over 114 years ago, the race started as a local running event with only 18 entries. Fast-forward to now and it is one of the largest marathons in the world with 20,000 participants and 500,000 spectators.

The race has also served as a window into current social issues. One example was pointed out in the book “Going the Distance” by co-authors Richard A. Johnson and Robert Hamilton Johnson. During the Korean War, South Korean athletes who wanted to take part in the 1950 edition of the Boston Marathon were rumored to have been given temporary draft deferments in order for them to train for the marathon. With the U.S. in the middle of the war, this angered Walter A. Brown, President of the B.A.A (Boston Athletic Association) who refused entry to the athletes.

“While Americans soldiers are fighting and dying in Korea, every Korean should be fighting to protect his country instead of training for marathons. As long as the war continues there, we positively will not accept Korean entries for our race on April 19,” he said.

For More: Box Score News

Photo: Running USA

The event takes place over two days.

From: Running USA

Clarence DeMar won his first Boston Marathon 100 years ago. Photo: Boston.com

He won the race a total of seven times.

After Clarence DeMar ran his first Boston Marathon in 1910, his doctor told him he had a weak heart and that he shouldn’t even walk up the stairs let alone run 26.2 miles. DeMar ignored the doctor.

That next year, he won the race.

Ironically, the doctor ended up dying of cardiac arrest, while DeMar went on to win a total of seven Boston titles.

“I’ve always insisted that the physician had been listening to his own heart, not mine,’’ DeMar liked to say.

The 100th anniversary of his first win will be commemorated this year. Besides these Boston titles, the Melrose, Mass. native had also won an Olympic bronze medal at the 1924 games.

DeMar was always running. He ran back and forth to work, completed marathons at the Brockton Fair, and took part in 44-mile runs from Providence to Boston on St.Patrick’s Day.

And besides running, DeMar had many other talents. He was a scoutmaster, reverend, family farmer, typesetter, and scholar.

For More: Boston.com

Most real estate agents showing homes in Hopkinton, Massachusetts have to do a lot of back pedaling when they are asked by clients about the Boston Marathon. After all, every Patriot’s Day, the tiny town is the home to nearly 50,000 transient runners.

But this wasn’t the case when Boston Globe writer and editor Jennifer Graham was house hunting. Graham is a serious runner. She writes that she considers Hopkinton the “Holy Grail of real estate.”

Graham mentions all the nice perks of living near the start. For example, elite runners stay there and practically every year, the Kenyans visit her son’s elementary school.

“The day I walked into my fourth-grader’s bedroom and heard him playing the Kenyan national anthem on his recorder was the day I knew I wanted to live here forever,” she writes.

In another anecdote about how close she feels to the runners, Graham recalls a woman who ran past her after the race had started with a pair of black sweats. She tossed them to Graham and her neighbor, Bob, asking if they could please mail them back to her and that $5 was in the back pocket along with her address.

The two ended up arguing about who would mail the pants back to the woman.

For More: The Boston Globe

Since the mid-1970s, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) has given out free Boston Marathon bibs to communities that line the race’s historic course. According to an article on The Boston Globe’s Web site, these bibs are usually given to people or organizations who pledge to raise money for charity.

In addition to these free bibs, the BAA also provides cash contributions to these communities to help offset the costs of hosting the race.

In the current economic climate, communites are taking a hard look at both the amount of money received from the BAA as well as the process for handing out the bibs.

For example, this year Natick Township sought an increase to their contribution. The BAA agreed, upping it from $32,000 to $35,000. And instead of giving the free bibs directly to police and fire departments, town administrators are requesting the bibs be given to them for dissemenation.

“Initially we were looking to up their cash contribution, then we started to explore other ways our communities could better benefit,” said Natick’s town administrator, Martha White. ”We came up with the idea of getting invitational entries to town administrators.”

For More: The Boston Globe

A recent Fox undercover investigation has exposed a runner of fraud. John Cloutier, a corrections officer in Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in a Suffolk Superior Court on Wednesday of worker’s compensation fraud.

Last May, the news organization discovered that Cloutier had been running marathons and half marathons while he was out of work due to injury.

The corrections officer had said he was so hurt, he required a tax-free paycheck for the rest of his life. When appearing before a judge on Wednesday, Cloutier admitted that he had run the Disneyworld marathon and half marathon in 2009 as well as a half marathon at Disneyland that same year.

Prosecutor David Andrews had this to say about the defendant: ““From the date of his injury in July of 2008 through 2009 the defendant never disclosed to the Department of Correction or any of his treating medical providers that he ran in any of these races, trained for such races, or engaged in any type of strenuous exercise.”

For More: My Fox Boston

Dawn Nunes: newly minted runner. Photo: South Coast Today

She now “freaking loves” to run.

Several years ago, Dawn Nunes of Dartmouth, Mass., couldn’t even run a mile without huffing. The mother of four with two jobs wasn’t pleased with her shape. “I could not do it without even huffing,” she recalls. “It was ridiculous.”

This is no longer true for the 42-year-old. This Sunday, Nunes plans to run a half marathon in New Bedford. She is also planning to run the Boston Marathon next month.

Her journey as a runner is an inspirational one. Since she began taking running seriously, Nunes has dropped 50 pounds.

“Two-and-a-half miles turned into 5 miles turned into 8 miles and then before you know it, in October she ran the Amica half marathon,” said her friend, Jackie Francisco. “All she had to do was tell herself she could do it.”

Francisco helped convince Nunes to take up running, asking her to run a 2.5-mile time trial at a local running club.

Nunes is thankful for her friend’s persistence. “She hounded me and hounded me,” said Nunes. “…Just to appease her I went. I freaking loved it!” 

For More: South Coast Today

When two-year-old Owen Simmons of New Bedford, Massachussetts passed away in 2009, his parents, Heather and Andy, didn’t expect the goodness that would result from the tragedy. Owen had a disease called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which is a leading cause of death in infants and toddlers. After Owen died, Andy’s work collegue at the New Bedford Police Department, Stephen Taylor, decided to do something to fight SMA.

And so he ran.

Taylor took part in the Western States 100 Mile Ultramarathon in order to raise money for a foundation that raises money for SMA research.

Inspired by his run in the desert, Taylor assembled a group of local runners to run the New Bedford Half Marathon to continue the fundraising effort. “Through Facebook and people we know, we have close to 100 runners who will be doing the half to honor Owen and raise money,” Taylor said.

One of the runner’s is Owen’s mother, Heather, who will be taking part in her first half marathon. “It’s been tough because I’m in nursing school full time so I’ve had to get my runs in when I can,” she said. “I’m up to 10 miles so far and I think the adrenalin and the emotion of the day should help me through.”

For More: South Coast Today

When Norma Shulman decided to watch the 2007 Boston Marathon, she didn’t expect to get knocked down by the police. This unfortunately happened to the 65-year-old woman from Framingham, Massachusetts. At the marathon, Shulman was watching the race from behind a white line when a motorcycle driven by Sgt. Dennis Bertulli collided with her, pushing her to the ground.

On Friday, a jury at the Middlesex Superior Court found the police officer guilty of negligence and awarded Shulman $15,500 in damages.

According to an article posted on Boston.com, Shulman also sued the Bertulli and the investigating officer, Lt. William Cederquist, for civil rights violations. She said the police tried to blame her for the accident. However, the jury ruled against her on that claim.

“Regardless of the verdict, we did the right thing by pursuing this issue,” Shulman said. “They tried to cover it up and blame it on me.”

Concerning the jury’s finding of negligence, state police spokesman David Procopio had this to say: “We respect the jury’s decision but disagree with its finding that the department was negligent, and believe the facts presented to the court support our position: this incident was an unfortunate accident.”

For More: Boston.com

As if it isn’t already hard enough to train for a marathon, this winter’s record snowfall and frigid temps are making it even more difficult. Alex McKinney from Canton, Massachusetts is one runner who has been getting out on the roads and putting up with the wintry mess.

A 38-year-old physical therapist, McKinney will be completing his fifth Boston Marathon.

“There are certainly times when you have to be quick,” he said about his outdoor runs. “I find myself thinking ‘How high is that snow bank?’ in case I have to jump it.”

Four-time Boston champion, Bill Rodgers knows all about winter marathon training. In 1978, he won the marathon several months after the infamous “Blizzard of ’78″ that crippled the city.

“I think all the New Englanders, Midwesterners and Canadians should be given a mile or two head start for having to deal with this,” he said, joking. “The Californians and Kenyans and Ethiopians aren’t dealing with the same conditions as us.”

Rodgers suggests runners back off in the winter in order to avoid missing the marathon due to injury.

For More: Standard.net

Nick Willis of New Zealand and Americans Galen Rupp and Anna Pierce have been added to the already stellar fields at the 2010 Reebok Indoor Games, to take place February 6th in Boston, Mass. Among the athletes already heading to Boston is Ethiopian double Olympic gold medalist Tirunesh Dibaba, where she will compete in the women’s 5000m.

Willis took home the silver medal in the 1500m at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The Kiwi star will run in the 1-mile run at the Reebok Games, a race we won in 2009. Rupp’s indoor personal best of 13:18.12 for 5000m is the current American record and he will look to take his first professional victory over that distance in Boston. Pierce, coming off a season where she was ranked #1 in the United States over 800m, will take on the 1000m distance. With her combination of sub-2:00 800m speed and sub-4:00 1500m strength, Pierce could very well have a shot at the American record of 2:34.19, set by Jen Toomey in 2004.

For more information, including tickets, visit the event’s website: www.BostonIndoorGames.com.

The Boston Athletic Association has announced that Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi will run in the 2010 Boston Marathon. Hall placed third at the race last year and followed that up with a top-5 finish at the New York City Marathon. Keflezighi came back from 18-months of injury to win the 2009 New York City Marathon.

Ryan Hall will run his second consecutive Boston Marathon. Photo: ASI

Below is the official press release confirming the news:

BOSTON, MA, December 18, 2009—In celebration of its 25th anniversary as the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon, John Hancock Financial today announced the signing of top Americans, Meb Keflezighi and Ryan Hall, for the 114^th running of the race on April 19, 2010.

Keflezighi and Hall have proven themselves as two of the best distance runners of all time. They have the talent and credentials to challenge Boston’s world-class field as they each seek to become the first male American winner since Greg Meyer in 1983. At previous Boston Marathons, each has placed third: Hall in 2009 and Keflezighi in 2006.

Fresh from his historic marathon win in New York City is Keflezighi, a two-time Olympian and American record holder in the 10,000m. Keflezighi won the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Marathon and holds multiple national titles.

“Boston has a great tradition not only to the running community but also to the rest of the world,” said Keflezighi. “It has always been my ultimate goal to win the Boston Marathon.”

This has been a banner year for Keflezighi who improved his personal best to 2:09:15 with his New York City win and also claimed national titles in cross country, seven miles, half marathon and the marathon.

“Winning in New York was a huge personal triumph and the victory belongs to my family and support team,” said Keflezighi. “I am glad I can help move the continued resurgence of U.S. distance running to the next level. I am living the American dream and feel blessed.”

Hall carries his own impressive qualifications as the second fastest American marathoner of all time with a 2:06:17 personal best. Only former world record holder Khalid Khannouchi has posted a faster U.S. mark. Hall holds American records in the 20K and half marathon. He was first at the 2007 U.S. Olympic Trials, shattering the event record by more than a minute, and went on to place 10^th at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Marathon.

“As soon as I finished the 2009 Boston Marathon, I knew I wanted to be back for the 2010 race,” said Hall. “The energy of the crowds far exceeded my expectations, the course was even more challenging than I anticipated, I hurt more than I have hurt in any other race, yet participating in the Boston Marathon was thrilling beyond my greatest expectations.”

Meb Keflezighi will run Boston for the first time since 2006. Photo: PhotoRun.net

Last year Hall was the aggressive early leader taking a seasoned field through 5K in world record pace. He stayed with the leaders throughout the race, but Deriba Merga of Ethiopia prevailed as the winner.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to come back as part of the John Hancock Elite team and try to master the course that mastered me last year,” added Hall. “I will be one year stronger this April and more importantly one year smarter.”

Both men train with Mammoth Track Club in Mammoth Lakes, California, and have been longtime residents of the state. Hall is originally from Big Bear Lake and graduated from Stanford as a three-time All American in cross country and NCAA champion in the 5,000m. Keflezighi is from San Diego and graduated from UCLA as a four time NCAA champion. In head-to-head marathon competition, Hall has out run Keflezighi 2-1. In their respective third place finishes at Boston, Hall ran a 2:09:40 in 2009 and Keflezighi ran a 2:09:56 in 2006.

With necessary experience on the course and plenty of motivation to become the first American champion in 27 years, the Keflezighi-Hall match up should prove exciting. “Meb and Ryan are among the very best and brightest stars in U.S. distance running,” said Guy Morse, executive director of the B.A.A. “Meb has led the resurging American men since he won the silver medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004, and Ryan’s full potential at the marathon distance is yet to be realized. We look forward to providing the stage for both of them to continue their success and development.”

“John Hancock is committed to securing the strongest fields of runners from around the world for the Boston Marathon each year. It is an added bonus to have Meb and Ryan, two outstanding U.S. runners, as top contenders in the field for the 2010 race,” said Jim Boyle, President of John Hancock Financial Services. “We know they will only add excitement to what is always a thrilling race. Marathoning is a global sport and the prominence of U.S. runners among the world’s elite is a terrific development for fans and for the sport.”

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial Corporation

Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 22 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia, and primarily through John Hancock in the United States, the Company offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$436.5 billion (US$407.1 billion) as at September 30, 2009. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as ‘MFC’ on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under ‘945’ on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at www.manulife.com.

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers a broad range of financial products and services, including life insurance, fixed and variable annuities, fixed products, mutual funds, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at www.johnhancock.com.

2009 Stone Cat 50 Mile winner Brian Rusiecki. Photo by: Mark Bentsen.

Written by: Bryon Powell

Fast fields, fair skies, and temperatures climbing into the forties contributed to a course record day at this weekend’s Stone Cat 50 mile run, held in Willowdale State Forest, not far from the Massachusetts Bay. This classically New England race (it’s sponsored by a local brewery and organized, in part, in the attic of a mom-n-pop grocery) has become the de facto New England trail 50-mile championships.

The men’s field was a virtual Who’s Who of New England ultrarunning, including Leigh Schmitt (returning Stone Cat champion), Kevin Sullivan (5^th place at the 2009 Western States 100), Brian Rusiecki (2009 Vermont 50 mile champion), Jack Pilla (2009 Vermont 100 champion), and David Herr (a perennial top-three finisher at Stone Cat). After the first of four 12.5 mile laps all five of these runners came through as a pack with Todd Walker not far behind. Such a sight is unusual at an ultra and speaks to the competitiveness of the field.

Sullivan, a lawyer from Andover, Massachusetts, barreled through the race’s midpoint with a 20-second lead on Schmitt. Rusiecki ran within a minute of Schmitt with Herr and Pilla hanging not far behind.

Not long after the start of lap three, Kevin Sullivan was walking back to the start/finish. He had injured his calf and was dropping out of the race. It was now a two-man race. Massachusetts residents Schmitt and Rusiecki continued their battle on the course’s even mix of single-track and old carriage road.

After staying within a minute of one another through 45 miles, Rusiecki finally broke away from Schmitt with 5 miles to go. Rusieck ended up beating Leigh by five minutes (6:27:55 to 6:32:06). In the process, Rusiecki broke the old course record by two and a half minutes.

Vermonter Jack Pilla, age 51, was third overall and the first master in 6:51:49. Pilla passed fellow Vermont runner, David Herr, on a climb in the final mile. Herr finished fourth and was the final runner to break seven hours with a time of 6:52:20.

The Women’s Race

Two runners dominated the women’s field at the Stone Cat 50. Through the first two laps, Amy Lane and Aliza Lapierre ran together. Lapierre, who

2009 Stone Cat 50 Mile women's winner Aliza Lapierre. Photo by: Mark Bentsen.

lives in Williston, Vermont, had previously won the Stone Cat 50 in 2007. Lane, of Westfield, Massachusetts placed second at last year’s Stone Cat.

Lapierre broke free from Lane on the third lap. At that point, the only thing that could have kept Lapierre from winning was catastrophic injury. That wouldn’t have been a first for Lapierre, who broke her femur at mile 48 of the 2005 Stone Cat 50, her 50-mile debut. On that day, she had to be carried from the woods.

Not so on Saturday. Lapierre sped on to the win by more than 35 minutes. She also broke the existing course record by 45 minutes with a time of 7:19:15.

Lane held on to second place en route to a sub-eight-hour finish (7:54:40).  Ten minutes back, an 8:04:20 earned Vermonter Susan Dodge third overall woman and top master.

The Marathon

Gil’s Athletic Club, the running club that puts on the Stone Cat 50, also caters to the marathon crowd with the concurrently run Stone Cat Marathon. Bay Stater Ben Nephew won the men’s race with a 10-minute course record of 2:54:45. Courtney Bell from nearby Salem won the women’s marathon in 3:58:48.

Sean Quigley, right, won the 2009 Mayor's Cup. Photo: PhotoRun.net

INDIANAPOLIS – Sean Quigley has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after winning the 20th Mayor’s Cup Cross Country 8 km Championship Sunday at Franklin Park in Boston.

A Braintree, Mass. native, Quigley won the men’s 8 km race in a lean over 2008 champion Jacob Korir, finishing in 23 minutes, 54 seconds to Korir’s 23:55.  It was the closest finish in the race’s 20 year history.

Now in its eighth year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

Winners: January 6, Mason Finley; January 13, Amber Campbell; January 20, Josh Cox; January 27, German Fernandez; February 3, Ashton Eaton; February 10, Shalane Flanagan; February 17, Galen Rupp; February 24, Dexter Faulk; March 3, Terrence Trammell; March 10, Diana Pickler; March 17, Galen Rupp; March 24, Sumi Onodera-Leonard; March 31, German Fernandez; April 7, Cyrus Hostetler; April 14, Curtis Beach; April 21, Kara Goucher; April 28, Mason Finley; May 5, Chris Derrick; May 12, Natalie Willer; May 19, Will Claye; May 26, Nadine O’Connor; June 2, Tyson Gay; June 9, Dwight Phillips; June 16, Galen Rupp; June 23, Kami Semick; June 30, Dawn Harper; July 7, Raevyn Rogers; July 14, Ryan Crouser; July 28, Anton Krupicka; August 11, Rita Hanscom; August 19, Christian Cantwell; August 26, Trey Hardee; September 1, Dathan Ritzenhein; September 9, Sanya Richards; September 15, Carmelita Jeter; September 23, Tyson Gay; Jamie Donaldson; October 7, Meb Keflezighi; October 14, Dathan Ritzenhein; October 21, Amy Palmiero-Winters; October 27, Sean Quigley.

About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world’s oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.

For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org

Sean Quigley, right, won the 2009 Mayor's Cup. Photo: PhotoRun.net

Courtesy of Boston Athletic Association

BOSTON – Sean Quigley, 24, originally from Braintree, Massachusetts, won in a lean over last year’s champion Jacob Korir, of Kenya, to win the 20th Mayor’s Cup Cross Country 8k Championship at Boston’s Franklin Park on Sunday in a time of 23 minutes, 54 seconds.  Quigley, a graduate of LaSalle University in Philadelphia and who now runs for Puma, returned to the course where he won the MIAA Division II (state) championship in 2002 while attending Archbishop Williams High School and beat a talented field of 144 finishers on a picture perfect day (sunny, 60-degrees F).

Quigley and Korir – along with Andrew Ledwith, Timothy Ritchie, Patrick Mellea – ran together for four miles until the duo separated themselves from the other co-leaders on the final loop and the course’s landmark Bear Cage Hill.  Quigley did not lead during the race but timed his finish perfectly, outsprinting Korir.  A close, but clear finish gave the local kid the victory, and he recorded the same winning time as did Korir in 2008.  Korir finished one second behind as runner-up (23:55), while Ledwith followed in third (23:57).

Quigley was an NCAA All-American and placed ninth at the 2008 US Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at 10,000 meters, his professional debut.

New Balance Boston was led by Roland Lavallee, scored 75 points, and won the men’s championship team competition.  The host Boston Athletic Association was second (78 pts.) and Genesee Valley Harriers was third (96 pts.) among the 11-team field.

In the women’s 5-kilometer championship race, Irene Kimaiyo, a 26-year old native of Kenya who runs for the female winning club Riadha, based in Maryland, outpaced Virginia’s Samia Akbar. Kimaiyo’s time was 16:39, 13 seconds better than Akbar’s 16:52, who was fifth at the Mayor’s Cup last year.  Riadha – victorious with 43 points – placed three runners among the top four, as Delilah Dicrescenzo (17:05) was third and Serena Burla (17:16) was fourth. There were 95 finishers and eight teams in the contest.  New Balance Boston (53 pts.) was the runner-up team and the B.A.A. was third (53 pts.).

About the Mayor’s Cup

The Mayor’s Cup has witnessed Olympians, world cross country team members and running legends participate over its hill and dale since the first race in 1990.  During the last 20 years, the event has grown from a single race which started on the adjacent golf course to a full slate of six races – including an open, experiential race and three youth races – on a track of dirt and grass which is synonymous with cross country in the United States.  Similar to the B.A.A.’s Boston Marathon which began with a field size of 15 starters and 10 finishers in 1897, the first Boston Mayor’s Cup two decades ago included only a few dozen harriers.  Now, with the support of the same Boston Athletic Association and its partner adidas, the Mayor’s Cup is the pre-eminent cross country racing opportunity for clubs and teams on the East Coast.  Since that first year, the race has been nurtured through its development by its single meet director, Steve Vaitones, who was presented with a memento of special recognition of the milestone by the B.A.A. following the day’s races. Vaitones is the managing director of USA Track & Field – New England.

Full results:
http://www.coolrunning.com/results/09/ma/Oct25_20thAn_set1.shtml

American Rebecca Donaghue placed second overall. Photo: PhotoRun.net

American Rebecca Donaghue finishes a strong second on the women’s side.

Nineteen year-old Ethiopian Tilahun Regassa took the overall title at the 2009 Cigna Falmouth Road Race in Falmouth, Mass. Tilahun won in dominating fashion, even waving to the crowd mid-race, with a time of 31:41, good fourth fastest all-time. On the women’s side Ethiopian Mamitu Daska took the title in 36:23, improving upon her fourth place finish in 2008.

Americans had a great day, lead by up-and-coming star Rebecca Donaghue. Donaghue, a native of Massachusetts, took second overall in the women’s race with a time of 37:14. The top American male finisher was former Olympic marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi. Meb placed fifth overall with a time of 32:12, over a minute ahead of Massachusetts native Jonathan Riley. The Brookline, Mass. native was the American runner-up in 33:15.

Race Photos

For More: Falmouth Road Race

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“Tola defeated a very strong men’s field last year to become Falmouth’s first Ethiopian winner, while 41-year-old Masai put on a memorable show to defeat a strong group of much younger women,” said John Carroll, the race’s co-director and elite athlete coordinator. “This year we have another excellent field featuring some very talented athletes who would like to win Falmouth.”

Tola has had several impressive victories over the past year, including the 2008 New York City Half-Marathon and the Healthy Kidney 10k in Central Park, N.Y., with a course record 27:48.

Keflezighi, of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., shadowed Tola for six miles before finishing in second place. It was the second straight year that Keflezighi was runner-up in Falmouth, and the best finish, along with his 2007 effort, by an American man since Ed Eyestone was second in 1990.

In winning the silver medal for the United States in the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics, he became the first American man to medal in the event since Frank Shorter took the silver in 1976. Keflezighi is also the U.S. record holder for 10,000 meters at 27:13.98 and has won numerous U.S. championships.”I had a great time in Falmouth last summer. Everyone treated me so well and I’m excited to come back,” said Keflezighi. “I’m running pretty well and looking forward to racing.”

Also in the men’s elite field will be Edward Muge of Kenya, who led for more than six miles in the 2008 race until he was forced to stop due to heat exhaustion. His countryman, Boaz Cheboiywo, third last year, is also entered and has said he is coming here to win.

Other men’s contenders include U.S. Olympian Jorge Torres of Boulder, Colo., and last year’s second American and sixth overall, James Carney of Longmont, Colo. Moroccan Riduane Harroufi, two-time Bolder-Boulder 10k champion and winner of the recent Boilermaker 15k in Utica, N.Y., is also expected to run well, along with former Falmouth champions Gilbert Okari and James Koskei; Samuel Ndereba of Kenya, who was fourth last year; and world-class marathoners Felix and Richard Limo, running their first Falmouth. Both men have run under 2:07 for the 26.2-mile distance.

On the woman’s side, the ageless Masai will face her stiffest challenge from women half her age. Mamita Daska of Ethiopia, fourth last year, will give a strong run against the defending champ. Kenyan Edna Kiplagat, who was second in the recent Crazy 8s, Kingsport, Tenn., is also expecting to run well.

Other top challengers will include U.S. Olympians Kate O’Neill, Palo Alto, Calif., 11th in 2008, two-time Falmouth winner and four-time Olympian Colleen De Reuck from Boulder, Colo.; and two-time Olympian Elva Dryer of Gunnison. Colo. Two other strong U.S. women are Renee Metivier Baillie, Flagstaff, Ariz., fifth last year, who recently ran a personal best 5,000 meters in Liege, Belgium; and Rebecca Donaghue, State College, Penn., 10th in 2008, who also set a personal best at the same 5,000 in Liege.

The seven mile course begins in the quaint village of Woods Hole, rolls past the spectacular Nobska Lighthouse, and continues along Martha’s Vineyard Sound to finish at the ball field in Falmouth Heights.

Winner of the men’s and women’s races receive $10,000. The first U.S. man and woman will also receive $5,000. In all, over $90,000 in prize money will be awarded. The top 10 U.S. citizens will win $29,600 for their efforts. A $1,000 bonus also is available for any runner who breaks an open course record.

The race was founded in 1973 by Tommy Leonard after watching Frank Shorter win the Olympic Marathon. Leonard was honored as Citizen of the Year by the towns of Holyoke and Falmouth this spring. He also received the Boston Athletic Association’s Patriot Award at ceremonies during the week before the Boston Marathon.

Olympic gold and silver medalist Frank Shorter will be in Falmouth to run, along with gold medalist Joan Samuelson and Olympian Bill Rodgers.

This will be CIGNA’s fourth year as the title sponsor. The Philadelphia-based employee benefits company has extended its commitment to the race through 2010.

Steve will answer questions and discuss matters relating to the marathon, specifically Boston. Jones was runner-up in Boston in 1987. In 1984, he ran his first competitive marathon in Chicago, winning with a time of 2:08:05 and breaking the world record, formerly belonging to his training partner, Australian Rob de Castella. Jones won the London Marathon in 1985 and achieved his career best marathon time of 2:07:13 upon winning the Chicago Marathon in 1985. This time remains the quickest by any British runner.

Jones is a career Reebok athlete, and he will be raffling off some of the latest Reebok shoes at the store and signing posters. Refreshments will be served. This is an opportunity to ask questions of a marathon legend.