Report07 Apr 2007


Dashing through the snow, Ndiragu, Cheptanui take Dallas 8km titles

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Simon Ndiragu en route to his Dallas 8km win (© Victah Sailer)

Running in unkind, cold and snowy conditions (4 C.) Kenyans Simon Ndiragu and Caroline Cheptanui cruised to victory at the Borden uptown 8000 in Dallas today (7).

Ndirangu, fresh off of his U.S. road running debut and victory at last weekend's Carlsbad 5000, controlled much of the pace en route to his 22:32 victory, ahead of Mexican Juan Luis Barrios (22:46) and Kimbia teammate Richard Kipligat, who was third, 10 seconds behind Barrios.

"I began to feel warm and started to push the pace," said Ndirangu, who ran the final three kilometre loop in 8:14.

Ndiragu, 21, attended Nihon University in Japan on a scholarship, studying business from 2004 through January of last year. Deciding he wanted to run, he returned to Kenya and now trains professionally with coach Dieter Hogen. He won the 2005 World University Games 5000m title, and has PBs of 13:24.19 and 27:31.29, both run in Japan in 2005. His brother, Peter Ndirangu, finished third in the 1997 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in 2:08:46.

Next in Ndirangu's sights is an assault on his 10,000m PB at the Cardinal Invitational in Palo Alto later this month.

Barrios, who finished second to Ndirangu last weekend in Carlsbad, will race next at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., where he will defend his 5000m title.

Russian Tatyana Chulakh, second in this race last year, forced the pace this time around and led until the final 150 metres when she was overtaken by Cheptanui who got the narrow one-second victory in 26:46.

"I felt cold, my legs were freezing," said Chulakh, who trains part of the year near Washington D.C. The 22-year-old Cheptanui hails from Nyahururu, Kenya, and has been training with Robinson Scott since December of 2006 in Sante Fe, New Mexico.

Victah Sailer for the IAAF

Top Results:

MEN -
 1. Simon Ndiragu, KEN      22.32
 2. Juan Luis Barrios, MEX  22.46
 3. Richard Kipligat, KEN   22.56
 4. John Korir, KEN         23.03
 5. Haron Lagat, KEN        23.05

WOMEN -
 1. Caroline Cheptanui, KEN   26.46
 2. Tatyana Chulakh, RUS      26.47
 3. Rebecca Tallum, KEN       29.11

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