- HOME
- NEWS
- SPORTS
- BUSINESS
- FYI/LIVING
- ENTERTAINMENT
- OPINION
- JOBS
- CARS
- REAL ESTATE
- RENTALS
- CLASSIFIEDS
- SHOPPING
- EXTRAS
Posted on Sun, Apr. 27, 2008 10:15 PM
Comments (0)
Kenyan Ondara repeats as Trolley Run winner
More News
Just like last year, Scott and Vanessa Robinson brought three runners from their Santa Fe, N.M.-based AmeriKenyan Running Club to compete in the Sabates Eye Centers Trolley Run.
And just like last year, those runners swept the top spots in the 4-mile race.
Macdonard Ondara, a 23-year-old from Kenya, repeated as the overall race winner, recording a gun time of 18 minutes, 12 seconds. Haron Lagat, 24 and also part of the AmeriKenyan group, placed second in 18:28.
Rose Kosgei, a 26-year-old Kenyan, made the most of her first Trolley Run experience, finishing as the top female runner in 20:11.
“They enjoy Kansas City,” Scott Robinson said of his group. “ … They love the course. It’s a great course. There’s good energy around this event. And the flights are inexpensive coming from Albuquerque.”
The Robinsons formed the AmeriKenyan Running Club a couple of years ago to help some of Kenya’s elite runners come to the United States to earn money they can take back home to their families.
Ondara and Kosgei both arrived in the United States for their latest stay about a month ago and will run a total of seven races through June before returning home, Scott Robinson said.
“It’s satisfying to see them succeed and have their hard work pay off,” he said.
Lagat, who also placed second last year, was in the lead for a while until back pain slowed him down. Ondara passed him with about a mile to go on his way to another win.
“We had fun last year, so that’s why we came back this year,” Lagat said. “We’ll have to come back next year, too.”
While Kosgei was nearly 2 minutes ahead of any other female runner, Melissa Todd led the rest of the women’s pack with a time of 22:04.
Todd, 33, from Kansas City, is a past winner of the Trolley Run. But she didn’t decide to enter this year until Saturday because of a slow recovery from racing last weekend.
“I was just relieved to run fairly well,” Todd said. “… For the conditions today and how I was feeling, I’m happy with how it went.”
Connie Abbott of Lawrence finished third in the women’s race, while Lindsay Brogan of Olathe and Amy Broadhurst of Peculiar rounded out the top five.
The men’s top five included two more Kenyans as Mathew Chesang, who used to run for Kansas State, and Benson Chesang, a former Kansas Jayhawk, finished third and fourth respectively. Derek Tate, formerly of Shawnee and now living in Los Angeles, placed fifth.
To reach Ryan Young, sports reporter for The Star, call 816-234-7747 or send e-mail to ryoung@kcstar.com
@Nyx.CommentBody@