Geoffrey Mutai stuns with a jaw-dropping 2:03:02 run in Boston (© Getty Images)
Boston Marathon champions Geoffrey Mutai and Caroline Kilel are the standout names lining-up for the inaugural B.A.A. 10K on Sunday 26 June 2011.
Highlighting the men’s field is 2011 Boston Marathon champion Geoffrey Mutai, of Kenya. At the 115th Boston Marathon on 18 April, the 29-year old Mutai ran the world’s fastest marathon in 2:03:02 (Downhill course:136.29m) with his sensational performance 57 seconds faster than the official World record time of 2:03:59 set by Haile Gebrselassie at the 2008 Berlin Marathon. Mutai has a 10km PB of 27:39 (2009).
Also returning to Boston will be Moses Mosop of Kenya and Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia, the runner-up and third place finishers at Boston this year. Mosop is coming off 25,000m and 30,000m World record performances* on the track earlier this month, and has a personal best in the 10km of 28:04 (2004). Gebremariam brings his road racing expertise back to Boston, trying to better his own personal best of 27:41 (2010).
Also in the men’s field are Kenyans Simon Ndirangu (27:49) and Samuel Ndereba (28:01), as well as 2009 B.A.A. Half Marathon winner Martin Fagan of Ireland.
The women’s field is led by 2011 Boston Marathon champion Caroline Kilel. The 30-year-old Kenyan returns to run her first race since winning the olive wreath in April. Joining her will be New Zealand’s Kim Smith, a 2008 Olympian and national record holder at 5km (14:59. Smith, whose personal best at 10km is 31:23, led the first 18 miles of the 115th Boston Marathon before a torn muscle forced her to drop out. Now healthy and recovered, the Providence College graduate is coming off of a sixth place finish in the New York Mini 10K, in which she ran 32:32.
Australian national record holder and three-time Olympian Benita Willis, the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country champion, has the fastest personal best in the field at 31:17. Gebremariam’s wife, Werknesh Kidane, 2003 IAAF World Cross Country champion, is also entered in the race.
The B.A.A. 10K includes a prize purse of $30,000 with $5000 awarded to the winners and equally distributed among the top male and female finishers. Race registration remains open at www.baa.org.
Organisers for the IAAF
*NOTE: 25,000m and 30,000m World records subject to the usual ratification procedures
