Kenyans hit both Rock Bottom and pay dirt at the Indianapolis Life 500 Festival Mini-Marathon

May 7, 2002

Indianapolis - Kenyans hit both Rock Bottom and pay dirt on Saturday at the 26th running of the Indianapolis Life 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.

The African runners stopped by Rock Bottom, a popular downtown brewpub and race sponsor, to drop off their gear before the race. Then they went out and quickly separated themselves from the rest of the 26,000 entrants.

Gabriel Muchiri surged and gradually pulled away from a pack of fellow countrymen at 8 miles, looking back only once on his way to a course record - by two seconds - of 1:01:54. Jackline Torori fought the wind and lack of competition, winning the women's overall title in 1:15:14 - well off her personal best of 1:11:23 and the course record of 1:11:34.

Both Muchiri and Toroti, who live and train in the West Chester, Penn., area, pocketed $3,000 for their wins on a windy, cool and partly sunny morning that greeted the record field of 26,000 entrants.

It was a testament to 22-year-old Muchiri's strength and speed that he was able to break the record, considering the pace started out much more slowly than recent Minis - and the fact that he had arrived late the night before after two days of flights from his homeland.

"The course is very nice," said Muchiri afterward, "but there was a lot of wind - and I am very tired."

Muchiri, winner of the 1999 Penn Relays 10,000, and who ran 28:43 earlier this year, was content to let his countrymen - John Kariuki, Ronald Mogaka and Titus Munji - flirt with the lead for the first half of the race. Any of those three had the credentials to win the Mini. Kariuki was runner-up in 1999. Mogaka set a personal best in winning the 2001 Philadelphia Half Marathon in 1:01:25. Munji finished second with a 1:00:27 in last year's Berlin Half Marathon.

Muchiri took the lead - appropriately - just as the pack of six Kenyans crossed the bricked start-finish line of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Looking like his four-wheeled counterpart, last year's Indianapolis "500" winner Helio Castroneves, Muchiri surged as the pack entered the race track's first turn. Over the next 5 miles, he gradually pulled away to win by 18 seconds over Mogaka. Munji finished third in 1:02:21, followed by John Kariuki in 1:02:49.

Kenyans have won the race for seven straight years.

Mogaka said he hasn't quite peaked and just plain didn't have enough strength to keep up with Muchiri after the surge. "I felt good and relaxed and was trying to catch him," he said, "but I just wasn't strong enough."

The women's race focused on two runners - Jackline Torori of Kenya and Irina Suvorova of Russia - who took the race out fairly quickly with a 5:20 first mile. The 23-year-old Torori had never seen the course, but knew it was flat and fast. She said beforehand that on a good day her personal record of 1:11:23 (11 seconds under the race record) would be within reach.

Torori, using the Mini to build toward the Los Angeles Marathon next year, never got the opportunity to set a record as she battled the wind and lack of challengers. Suvorova and Torori ran together for the first 5 kilometers, but the Russian gradually dropped back to where Torori built up a 30-second lead by the time they departed the Speedway at approximately 8 miles.

Torori was not pleased with her time afterward. "No one was pushing me, so it was difficult," she said. "But the course was nice and the cheering was nice."

Suvorova, winner of the Seville (Spain) and Richmond (Va.) marathons, also complained about the strong headwind out of the east. She was quick to add, however, that she was no match on Saturday for Torori. "She's a strong competitor," Suvorova said, pointing to the winner afterward. "She's much stronger than I am."

Lucie Mays of Fishers, Ind., improved on last year's fourth place finish by placing third - the top Indiana woman - in 1:19:10. Sabrina Martin of Zionsville, Ind. was fourth, finishing in 1:20:59.

Five-time overall winner Gary Romesser, Running Times top 50-54 age group runner in 2001, repeated as Masters champion. His time of 1:11:50 was slightly off his age 50 record of the previous year.

"It was fun to duke it out with some old Indiana friends," the 51-year-old Indianapolis resident said of his competition, which included Mike Smith of Brownsburg, Ind., the second place Masters finisher in 1:12:29, and Terry Brahm, the 1988 5,000-meter Olympian. The 39-year-old Brahm, who was running his first race in a decade, finished in 1:12:55 in the overall division.

Mark Diveley of Westfield, Ind. was the third Master, finishing in 1:14:01, followed by Kurt Floyd of Anderson, Ind. in 1:14:26. Doug Kurtis, owner of the record for most career sub-2:20 marathons (76), was the fifth Master across the line. The Livonia, Mich., resident finished in 1:14:42. He ran most of the race with Torori.

One of the closest races was between the women's Masters. Jeanne Olash, a mother of three from Louisville who started competitive running after college, won the women's Masters title and placed ninth overall in 1:23:21. She pulled away from Kathy Waldron of Green Bay, Wis., who finished 15 seconds back. Rita Uebelhor of Jasper, Ind., the women's overall runner-up in 1989, finished third in 1:25:06. Catherine Howe of Mason, Ohio was fourth in 1:28:42. The 1990 winner, Ruth Ozmun of Terre Haute, Ind., was fifth in 1:30:19.

Running in his first half-marathon, Julius Mwangi led Indiana runners, finishing ninth overall in 1:05:42. The Lebanon resident and Butler University All-American was followed by Andy Snyder of Fishers, who crossed in 1:07:40, and Jason Medler of Pendleton, who finished in 1:09:30. Scott Lidskin was fourth Hoosier runner with a 1:10:56. Mwangi broke Andy Herr's seven-year-old record for a Hoosier by five seconds.

Thirteen was a lucky number for Butch Martin.

Martin took the lead from his 13 challengers from the start and never was challenged in route to capturing the wheelchair title for a record 13th time. The 43-year-old home medical devices sales manager collected $1,000 from Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana after crossing the finish line in 47:37.

While he did not set the race record, Martin was elated with his win. "Boy, that was a lot of fun!" he exclaimed. He was also surprised that he did not have to dual with his friend, rival and former 1999 winner Tony Iniquez, of Aurora, Ill. Iniquez, who beat Martin in last weekend's Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon, finished in second in 51:29 - slowed by an arm that was not up to par.

Martin was a realist when replying to a reporter's question about how he planned to use his prize winnings: "I've got a mortgage payment to make," he stated.

Martin and his fellow wheelchair athletes were enthused about 10-year-old Joshua Swove's performance. The 10-year-old from Avon, Ind., placed ninth in their division with a time of 1:17:04.

The women's wheelchair race was captured by Holly Koester, who crossed the line in 1:09:27. The 42-year-old Cleveland resident took home $1,000.

There were several noteworthy age group performances in the Mini.

Former Indianapolis resident Dick Wilson, 70, turned in a solid 1:33:16. Wilson, who now lives in Lawrence, Kan., ran for the University of Kansas' NCAA Championship Cross Country team in the '50s. Amy Hamilton, 12, of Terre Haute, Ind., won her age group with a 1:26:27. Catherine Wides, 52, of Durham, No. Car., ran a 1:30:43.

The race had 21,940 official finishers, ranging in age from 4 to 83. Most of the runners and walkers are likely to agree that if a sequel to "Out of Africa" is filmed, it will be shot the first Saturday in May and be titled, "Out of Africa - And Into Indianapolis."

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