FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Karen Boe
801-412-6060
Haregot, Gruca Win Salt Lake City Marathon, Set Course Records
Record Field of Nearly 9,000 Runners Enjoy Marathon and 5K
SALT LAKE CITY - (April 23, 2005) - Under a partly cloudy sky and a
backdrop of shining snow-capped mountains on Saturday, Araya Haregot of
Ethiopia and Dorota Gruca of Poland set course records - 2:15:14 and
2:30:08 - with their victories at the second annual Salt Lake City
Marathon. Each champion took home $25,000.
Nearly 4,000 participated in the 26.2-mile race that wound through Utah's
capital, while another 5,000 competed in the Wells Fargo 5K that was staged
simultaneously.
With the rising sun cresting the Wasatch Range at 7:00am, American running
great Joan Benoit Samuelson, Olympic Marathon gold medalist at the 1984 Los
Angeles Games, started the field from under the Olympic Legacy Bridge, a
reminder of Salt Lake City's host role for the 2002 Winter Games.
Although the tough, hilly first half of the course slowed the field, they
made up for it on the flatter, second half. At the 19-mile-mark, a knot of
eight male runners from Ethiopia and Kenya began to fall apart as the
runners tested one another with brief surges. Ethiopia's Araya Haregot and
Kenya's Elly Rono finally broke away for good with three miles to go.
Haregot, who trains in Albuquerque, N.M., and wasn't bothered by Salt Lake
City's elevation of more than 4,000 feet, dropped Rono with less than a
mile to go and finished before a boisterous, cheering crowd in The Gateway
in a course record 2:15:14. Rono, running his first marathon at altitude,
finished in 2:15:36, while Michael Kumatai was third in 2:16:14. Joe
Wilson, of Ogden, Utah, was the top American, finishing 11th in 2:28:31.
"My strategy was to break up the group. I tried three times, but it didn't
work," said Haregot.
Running stride for stride the last three miles, Haregot and Rono jostled
elbows and shoulders time and again despite the broad boulevard. "We were
shoulder-to-shoulder to read each other, how each feels, their breathing,
their strategy," explained Haregot.
"No one was willing to lose between the two of us," added Rono, who trains
in Chapel Hill, N.C. "Most marathons, by mile 24 you know who is going to
win, but this marathon, you didn't know who was going to win until the last
400 meters."
The woman's race wasn't nearly as competitive. Poland's Dorota Gruca left
the rest of the women behind at mile 7 and cruised to victory in a course
record 2:30:08. Anna Pichrtova of the Czech Republic was second in 2:34:47.
"The first half was tough. I passed the half-way point at 1:16 and I was
disappointed," Gruca, who trains in Las Cruces, N. M., said of the slow
pace.
But with the hills behind, she surged through the final 13 miles.
"A few miles before the end, I knew I could break the record," she said.
"If I had someone running with me, I could have run faster."
Becky Sondag of Casper, Wyo., was the first American women, finishing
fourth in 2:54:01.
The Wells Fargo 5K got underway at 7:30am with Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky
Anderson among the runners. The course followed the last section of the
marathon route and ended at the Olympic Legacy Plaza at the Gateway.
A Kenyan duo, Abraham Chebii and Sammy Kipketer, set a quick pace in the
men's division, reeling off a series of sub-4:30 miles. Chebii won in a
record 13:43, with Kipketer - the 5K world record holder - just five
seconds behind.
The women's 5K was won by Moroccan Asmae Leghzalui in 15:14 with Russian
Tatyana Petrova second in 15:46.
The road races anchored a festive atmosphere that reigned over Salt Lake
City during the weekend and which included the inaugural Ken Garff Volvo
Bike Tour of the city and the IHC MaraFit Kids' healthy lifestyle program.
Athletes and fans alike were treated Friday evening to a free outdoor
concert by The Romantics, well-known for their party tune, "What I like
About You," at the city's Gallivan Center while enjoying the Fitness Expo
and Fazoli's Pasta Party.
While the Romantics also performed Saturday at the finish line at the
Olympic Legacy Plaza in The Gateway, later that night a post-race concert
featuring Third Eye Blind at the Delta Center lured marathon, bike tour and
5K participants, all of whom had received a free ticket to the concert.
Race Director Greg Reid couldn't have been any happier with the staging of
the races.
"I want to thank all runners and our awesome team that put their heart and
soul into this race," said Reid afterwards. "They took care of
participants' every need. We put together a tremendous course that is ideal
for beginners and fast for elites. This was such a great race and bodes
well for the long-term success of this event."
Chris Devine, owner of marathon organizer Device Racing, was thrilled with
the day's results.
"The Salt Lake City Marathon is a dream come true. The support of Mayor
Rocky Anderson and all the citizens of Salt Lake, coupled with the
world-class elite athletes we attracted, is a phenomenal testimony to the
future of this event," said Devine.
Devine Racing also stages the Los Angeles and Las Vegas Marathons, as well
as the Chicago Half-Marathon.
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