Festus Langat wins opening XC of 2006 season in Nairobi (© Peter Njenga)
A bitingly cold, wet, drizzling morning only delayed action but not the spirit and enthusiasm of over 500 runners in attendance at the first Athletics Kenya weekend cross country meeting of the 2006/07 season, today.
Nursing an obvious ambition of running on home soil at the 35th IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa next year, each runner gave their best, and none was more committed than the winner of the men’s 12km, Festus Langat, who is an upcoming road racer on the Europe circuit with a 61:58 (2005) half marathon personal best to his credit.
Milicent Gathoni won the women's 8km, while the junior races were teeming with promising athletes.
Men 12km - Langat’s final sprint tells
Langat wore down Joseph Mwaniki in one of the most fiercely fought races in a weekend cross country competition in a long time in the history of this annual series.
With 356 athletes competing in the 12km, it was always going to be a classic battle of wits and in some instances raw power. They ran in a 200 metres long formation which never spread out for at least the first 2km lap.
By the second lap, there was no clear cut game plan although Boniface Mburi and Wilfred Cheserek led the pack for the next 5km when the leading nine athletes managed to breakaway.
Kipkemboi Lagat managed to join the leaders who were running side by side as the race reached the 7km mark. Langat and Mwaniki moved to 4th and 5th respectively.
The leading group managed to cut off the rest but at the 10km point Mwaniki finally moved to the lead with Langat in close tow. In his own admission, he broke away too early running the final lap alone with Langat 20 strides behind. But when he thought he was heading for an easy victory, Langat came sprinting past in the last 100m to post 39:20.
"I was sure of victory because I always start on a sluggish pace before warming up like today," said Langat. "This year I am targeting the Mombasa championships."
Mwaniki posted 39:23 followed by Police officer Kipkemboi Lagat in 39:25.
Gathoni builds winning lead by halfway
Unknown Milicent Gathoni won the women's 8km race in 29:58 after building on her lead half way through the race and she opened the gap ahead of Nzembi Musyoka (30:03) who in turn created a buffer zone ahead of third placed Veronica Wangare (30:35).
Samuel Ndung'u could not travel to the World Juniors in Beijing last August but today the Eastern region 10,000 metres champion could not be denied the junior race, winning unchallenged in 26:16. He managed to inject some pace in the final lap in a bid to tire second placed Abel Maina (25:29) and Ugandan Benjamin Kiplagat (25:29).
Kiplagat, 7th in the steeple at the Beijing World Junior Championships, will be using the Kenyan meetings to prepare for the World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa.
In the junior women's race, World Junior 5000 metres bronze medallist Mary Wacera, led team mates Veronica Njeri and Catherine Wanjiru to victory in the junior women's race after posting 21:52. The trio ran as a team until the last 200m when Wacera broke away. Njeri clocked 21:56 and Wanjiru 22:04.
Peter Njenga for the IAAF
Results
Senior men 12km
1: Festus Langat, Thika, 39:20
2: Joseph Mwaniki, Elite, 39:23
3. Kipkemboi Lagat, Police, 39:25
4. Boniface Mburi, Individual, 39:34
5. Wilfred Cheserek, Ngong, 39:35
6. Bernard Kiragu, Mfae, 39:40
Junior men 8km
1: Samuel Ndung'u, Mfae, 26:16
2. Abel Maina, Elite, 25:29
3. Benjamin Kiplagat, Uganda, 25:30
4. Nicholas Makau, Machakos, 29:32
5. James Cheptui, Individual, 25:48
6. Musyoki Musyoka, Machakos, 26:00
Senior women 8km
1: Milicent Gathoni, Elite, 29:58
2. Nzembi Musyoka, Machakos, 30:03
3. Veronica Wangare, Mfae, 30:35
4. Mary Ngendo, Elite, 30:51
5. Milka Wanja, Elite, 30:54
6. Jane Mwikali, Prison, 30:58
Junior women 6km
1: Mary Wacera, Mfae, 21:52
2: Veronica Njeri, Mfae, 21:56
3. Catherine Wanjiru, Mfae, 22:04
4. Pauline Mulwa, Machakos, 22:07
5. Emmy Jepkurui, Kiptendeni, 22:13
6. Mercy Cherono, Kiptenden, 22:16
