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Participants in the boys 9-and-over heat of the annual Turkey Trot jockey for position at the start of yesterday's race in Fredericksburg.
Timon Biwott of Chapel Hill, N.C., leaves the field of runners far behind to win yesterday's 5-k Potter Homes Turkey Trot
King George resident Debi Bernardes (64) focuses on her pace. |
Visiting Kenyan overwhelms local race field
Rich Saunders considers himself a pretty good distance runner. The Caroline High School junior placed second at the Battlefield District cross country meet last month and was fifth in Region I.
But at yesterday's 5-kilometer Potter Homes Turkey Trot race, Saunders was left in amazement by the speed of Kenya native Timon Biwott.
Biwott, a resident of Chapel Hill, N.C., blew by the field of 1,350 runners with a time of 14:49.
Saunders finished sixth overall, but was more than two minutes behind Biwott.
"He was so far ahead, all I could see was a speck," said Saunders, who finished first in the 14- to 19-year-old age group with a time of 17:29.80. "He obviously knows how to win. He jumped out fast and never slowed down."
The 3.1-mile Turkey Trot began in front of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library on Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg yesterday morning and ended on Sophia Street.
Biwott, who said the competition was "fair," started ahead of the pack and never looked back.
Even after his impressive performance, the 24-year-old said he could've done much better.
"The climate wasn't conducive to running," he said. "But I was able to pull through."
Biwott and his training partner, Jacob Kirwa, who finished second overall, moved to North Carolina four months ago to train under the same coach.
Biwott has had immediate success winning races across the country. He captured first in the 20-24 age group at the Ntelos 8-k in Richmond earlier this month. He was fifth in the Baltimore Half-Marathon on Oct. 16.
Biwott said he and Kirwa used the Turkey Trot to prepare for the upcoming Memphis Half-Marathon before tackling a full marathon next year.
It's no secret that Kenyans are known as prolific long distance runners. Biwott said their willingness to work almost nonstop is the main reason for their success.
"We train longer than anybody," he said. "We train in the morning, evening and night."
King George County resident Debi Bernardes won the women's overall title.
Bernardes, who was still hobbled after competing in the Florida Ironman on Nov. 6, finished in 19:41.85.
"I felt great for the first two miles, but for the last mile, I was holding on for dear life," Bernardes said. "But it was OK, I still had fun."
Not all the runners at the Turkey Trot were out to win or train for bigger races. Some were there just for the thrill of finishing.
Julie Kim, who ran cross country for James Monroe High School this past season, participated in the Turkey Trot, but her goal wasn't to finish high.
Kim was there to support her father, 51-year-old Paul Kim.
Paul Kim has run the Turkey Trot for the past three years. He begins training months ahead of time with hopes of eclipsing the 30-minute mark.
While Julie Kim, could've kept pace with the pack, she preferred to stay with her father and offer encouragement.
The duo exchanged high-fives and shared hearty laughs after the race was completed.
"I made it," said an exasperated Paul Kim. "[Julie] was right there with me. She kept telling me to pump my arms when I was going uphill."
Paul Kim fell short of his goal, but Julie said she was proud of her father for never stopping to walk.
"It's a father-daughter thing," she said. "I love to motivate him to run faster and tell him he's doing a good job."
For the first time in the Fredericksburg area, computer chips were placed on runners' shoes for a more accurate reading of time. The chips have been used in the New York Marathon and other big races around the country.
Runners didn't think the chips were in the way at all. They were simply tied in with their shoestrings, and removed at the end of the race.
Runners' were clocked at the start of the race and when they crossed a rubber mat at the end. The mat aids in setting off the device.
"In a race with this many people, you need to have those," Saunders said. "It's a good thing to have."
To reach TAFT COGHILL JR.: 540/374-5526 tcoghill@freelancestar.com
