Kiplagat wins fourth New York Mini 10K

Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands won the 36th running of the NYRR New York Mini 10K this morning in Central Park by blasting away from the field in the first mile and holding on for a commanding victory. Her winning time of 32:10 put her eight seconds in front of runner-up Kim Smith of New Zealand, who in turn finished three seconds ahead of third-placer Mara Yamauchi of Great Britain. Warm, humid conditions slowed the times, putting Asmae Leghzaoui’s 30:29 event record (2002) significantly out of reach.

Kiplagat, the 2007 World Cross Country Champion and 2006 World Road Running Champion, previously won this race in 2006, 2005, and 2003 and was second in 2002 and 1997 and fifth in 1999. Only Grete Waitz and Tegla Loroupe, with five victories each, have more impressive histories at the Mini, which is the world’s original women-only road race, founded by NYRR in 1972.

“What has always kept me coming back to this race is the atmosphere,” said Kiplagat, 33, who is arguably the best road racer in the world, with more than 70 career victories. “I wanted to run a fast time, but I realised at halfway that it wasn’t going to be a good time today.” Kiplagat’s splits of 15:39/16:31 indicate the lack of pressure she felt in the second half of the race. She savored her victory, high-fiving spectators in the final metres.

Smith, 25, making her Mini debut, used the second half of the hilly course to whittle away at Kiplagat’s lead. She was rewarded with a finish ahead of such luminaries as Benita Johnson of Australia (fourth, 32:21), Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia (fifth, 32:26), and Kenya’s Hilda Kibet (sixth, 32:36). Smith, who holds multiple New Zealand records, had shown excellent form a week earlier in another runner-up finish, a 15:15.22 5000 meters at the Reebok Grand Prix.

“I’m not a very experienced road racer, so to finish second in this race, against this field, is encouraging for me,” Smith said.

Yamauchi was also pleased with her result and her ability to close hard. “Last week I got pipped at the line in a race [the Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K] and got fifth, and I was really mad,” she reported. “After that I told myself I’d fight all the way to the finish this week. From miles three to five it felt quite hard, but I just tried to dig in and keep pushing.”

The three top finishers are all headed to the IAAF World Championships in Osaka. Kiplagat plans to contest the 10,000 metres and Smith is leaning toward that event as well; Yamauchi will run the Marathon.

NYRR President and CEO Mary Wittenberg saluted running pioneer and Mini co-founder Kathrine Switzer, who was on hand at the award ceremony. “Thirty-five years ago Kathrine and Fred [Lebow] were ahead of their time when they started this race,” she said, “but even they didn’t know just how important this race would continue to be.”