May 14, 2011
World record-holder Leonard Patrick Komon of Kenya won the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in 27:35, chopping seven seconds off Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam's 27:42 course record from last year and earning the $20,000 Zayed Bonus. With the $25,000 first-place prize, Komon's payday was the highest for the winner of any non-marathon race in the United States. Komon led wire-to-wire, going out in a 4:17 first mile and pulling away before 5K. Micah Kogo outdueled Joseph Ebuya for second place by one second, 27:55 to 27:56; they completed a Kenyan sweep of the podium spots. A total of 7,557 finished the race in cool, overcast conditions.
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The best field of professional runners in UAE Healthy Kidney 10K history lined up at 8:00 a.m. in overcast 60-degree weather.
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The field included more than a dozen world-class athletes. The winner averaged 4:26 per mile for 6.2 hilly miles!
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The finishing order was established early: This Kenyan triumvirate led at one minute and would take the top three spots.
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Leonard Patrick Komon, who set world records at 10K and 15K last year, made his first visit to New York City a memorable one.
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Komon broke the tape in a course-record 27:35 to win by 20 seconds and become the new King of Central Park.
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Komon's countryman Micah Kogo, the former 10K world record holder, finished second in 27:55, the fifth-fastest time ever run in Central Park.
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2010 IAAF World Cross Country champion Joseph Ebuya completed a Kenyan podium sweep by taking third in 27:56.
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Simon Ndirangu of Kenya, who had won major U.S. road races in each of the last two weekends, was fifth in 28:19…
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…but lost by half a step to Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, who edged him to take fourth place. Desisa was also timed in 28:19.
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Tesfaye Girma of Ethiopia, who lives in NYC and is a member of the West Side Runners team, took sixth in 28:24.
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Ezkyas Sisay, another West Side Runner from Ethiopia, took seventh in 28:47…
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…and a third teammate, 2010 NYRR Fred Lebow Runner of the Year Bado Worku Merdessa, finished eighth in 29:06.
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Bobby Curtis of Ardmore, PA, cracked the top 10 as the first United States finisher; he was ninth in 29:09…
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…half a step ahead of Deresse Deniboba of Ethiopia, who runs for the local Westchester Track Club. He was also timed in 29:09.
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Eleventh place went to Shawn Forrest, an Australian based in North Carolina, who ran 29:10.
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Ben St. Lawrence, who recently set the Australian national record for 10,000 meters on the track, took 12th place here in 29:14.
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Harbert Okuti of Uganda, who runs for the Westchester Track Club, ran 29:42 to take 13th.
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The second American finisher was three-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, 14th in 29:15.
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Girma Tolla, a 2000 Olympian for Ethiopia, ran 29:07 to take 15th place.
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The three podium finishers—and the check for the Zayed Bonus, presented to Komon for his new course record.
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