RunMichigan.com - Sullivan places 2nd in the 1500 Meters at Casablanca 7/13/99

Sullivan places 2nd in the 1500 Meters at Casablanca

JULY 13TH, 1999

Casablanca, Morocco -- 2nd Casablanca Athletics Meeting which took place Tuesday evening in the Mohammed V stadium

Here is Kevin Sullivan's first hand account of the 1500 Meter race:

We'll this was quite an erratic race right from the gun. It was a decent field that was set up and the pace was supposed to be 56.5, 1:53.0, 2:52. The rabbits got out way to fast and ended up splitting 53.76 for the first 400m. I was out well but knowing that the pace was so fast I laid back in the middle of the field in a good position on the outside of lane one splitting 55-56.

The rabbits slowed considerably on the second lap and hit 800m in 1:54.06. I was moving up through the field and was 1:55 at 800m. As we headed down the backstretch the pace started to quicken and I started to move with the rest of the lead pack. Then, with 650m to go the Kenyan to my inside literally jumped right in front of me. I took a bad spike wound on my right shin and almost came to a complete stop so I wouldn't end up falling over. So starting from a standstill I was now off the increasing pace and having to work extremely hard to get back on the lead pack.

With 300m to go I was back around 8th place with the approximately 8 guys infront of me and Adil El Kouch (last years world junior champion) pulling away from the front of the pack. The Kenyans started fading and moving wide down the backstretch so I moved through on the inside and with 200m to go was sitting in 5th place. I moved again coming off the final bend and flew buy all but El Kouch since he had gotten away from the field early in the last lap.

I finished up with a 3:36.15 which I feel was probably a stronger effort that the 3:34 I ran in Lausanne just based on where I had to come from in the last lap. Also the race was a lot like how the racing conditions will be in Seville later this summer.

1500 METER RESULTS:

1. Adil El Kouch	MAR	3:35.24
2. Kevin Sullivan	CAN	3:36.15
3. Edwin Maranga	KEN	3:36.23
4. Youssef Baba	MAR	3:36.31
5. Julius Achon		UGA	3:36.61
6. Benson Koech	KEN	3:37.64
7. Martn Keino		KEN	3:38.21
8. Mohamed Kahldi	ALG	3:38.23
9. Brian Tracy		IRL	 	3:38.74
10. Karl Paranya	USA	3:41.00
11. Abraham Chirchir KEN	3:41.20
12. Matt Holthaus	USA	3:41.78
13. Sakavatore Vicenti ITL	3:42.33
14. Stephen Kipkorir KEN	3:42.71

Kevin Sullivan is back in Ann Arbor until August 22nd. He will then head back over to Europe for 3 or 4 more races before the World Championships later in August. Sullivan said "All in all I thought my first four races of the European season went very well."

-end-

Race Directors ...E-Mail us Your Press Releases & Results!!
Send to [email protected]