Kipruto, Kandie Added to Fastest Field in Peachtree History

ATLANTA – June 30, 2022 – Rhonex Kipruto is returning to Atlanta for two reasons: Vindication and to protect his event record at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. The 10K world record-holder was announced Thursday by Atlanta Track Club, organizers of the Peachtree, as a late addition to the elite field at Monday’s 53rd Running of the race.

The 2019 Peachtree champion isn’t the only Kenyan superstar joining the field: Also making the trip to Running City USA will be Kibiwott Kandie, whose personal best of 26:50 gives him the second-fastest 10K in the world this year and fifth fastest all time. Kandie, the 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon champion and 2022 Kenyan 10,000m champion, will be making his Peachtree debut.

Kipruto’s winning time of 27:01 here in 2019 is not only the Peachtree record but also the fastest 10K ever run in the United States. To hold on to his event record – and perhaps be the first man to ever break 27 minutes on American soil – he’ll have to battle five other men with road personal bests under 27:15. In addition to Kandie who defeated Kipruto when they raced on the track earlier this month, that speedy group includes Bravin Kiptoo, who was the runner-up to Kipruto, his brother, in 2019.

Kipruto was not planning to race the Peachtree this year. As one of the top-ranked 10,000- meter runners in the world, he was expected to make the Kenyan team for the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, later in July. However, he finished a disappointing sixth in the Kenyan Championships and now hopes to redeem himself by making history on the Fourth of July.

“Chasing after the course record, weather permitting, is on my mind, especially as I failed to make Team Kenya this past weekend,” said Kipruto. “What comes after the defeat is always more important than the defeat itself.”

Kirpruto’s 2019 course record came with a $50,000 bonus for the 50th Running of the Peachtree. This year, the bonus is $53,000 to be split among any men or women in the footrace or Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division who set a record. With two other division record-holders returning – Brigid Kosgei in the women’s footrace and Daniel Romanchuk in the men’s wheelchair division – anyone who sets a record this year may find themselves sharing the purse. There will be plenty of competition. For Kosgei – whose 30:22 course record is also the fastest time ever run in the U.S. – the path to victory has become slightly easier, as Sheila Chepkirui withdrew after finishing second in the 10,000 meters at the Kenyan Championships. However, Irene Cheptai, the 2017 World Cross Country champion who finished 6th in the 10,000m in Tokyo last summer, has been added to the field.

There have been several other notable withdrawals from the elite field. Eight-time Peachtree winner Tatyana McFadden, 2017 Peachtree winner Leonard Korir and 2022 Publix Atlanta Half Marathon winner Nicholas Kosimbei are no longer racing on Monday.

Full elite fields can be found below

First Name	Last Name	Road 10K Personal Best	Country/U.S. Residence
Rhonex	Kipruto	26:24	KEN
Kibiwott	Kandie	26:50	KEN
Geoffrey	Koech	27:02	KEN
Mathew	Kimeli	27:07	KEN
Bravin	Kipkogei Kiptoo	27:12	KEN
Tsegay	Kidanu	27:14	ETH
Leonard	Barsoton	27:42	KEN
Benard	Ngeno	27:44	KEN
Jemal	Yimer	27:54	ETH
Hamid	Ben Daoud	28:07	ESP
David	Bett	28:08	KEN
Dominic	Korir	28:08	KEN
Sam	Chelanga	28:11	Colorado Springs, CO
Abdi	Abdirahman	28:11	Tucson, AZ
Biya	Simbassa	28:39	Flagstaff, AZ
Mark	Lomuket	28:46	KEN
Kirubel	Erassa	28:54	Colorado Springs, CO
Shadrack	Kimining	29:16	KEN
Jason	Weitzel	29:22	Greenville, SC
Robert	Stone	29:36	Short Hills, NJ
Matt	McDonald	29:38	Boston, MA
Matt	Baxter	30:22	NZL
Ian	Butler	30:33	Lakewood, CO
Patrick	Tiernan	DEBUT	AUS
Fabiano	Sulle	DEBUT	TAN
Conner	Mantz	DEBUT	Provo, UT
Stanley	Kebenei	DEBUT	Colorado Springs, CO
Chris	May	DEBUT	Atlanta, GA
Robert	Desisto	DEBUT	Atlanta, GA

Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division

First Name	Last Name	Road 10K Personal Best	Country/U.S. Residence
Daniel	Romanchuk	18:11	Champaign, IL
Marcel	Hug	18:32	SUI
Josh	Cassidy	18:53	CAN
Aaron	Pike	19:00	Champaign, IL
Alexandre	Dupont	20:04	CAN
Raphael	Botello Jiminez	20:10	ESP
James	Senbeta	21:01	Chicago, IL
Alphonso	Zagarosa	21:04	MEX
Luis	Sanclemente	21:10	COL
Hermin	Garic	21:39	Utica, NY
Valera “Jacob”	Allen	22:00	Kingwood, TX
Colby	Higgins	22:05	Atlanta, GA
Chad	Johnson	22:45	Corydon, IN
Dustin	Stallberg	22:49	Tucson, AZ
Jason	Robinson	23:08	Rome, NY
Brian	Seimann	23:00	Savoy, IL
Peyton	Gunnarson	23:45	Tucson, AZ
Adam	Smeenk	24:00	CAN
Isiah	Christophe	24:00	CAN
Evan	Correll	24:00	Waukee, IA
Phillip	Croft	24:00	Champaign, IL
Jose	Pulido	24:22	Clarksville, GA
Matthew	Potterfield	24:59	Knoxville, TN
Wes	Bergin	25:00	Palm Harbor, FL
Juan	Pablo	25:01	MEX
Brad	Smith	27:05	Atlanta, GA

 

Elite Women’s Race 

First Name	Last Name	Road 10K Personal Best	Country Represented/U.S. Residence
Rosemary	Wanjiru	29:50	KEN
Brigid	Kosgei	29:54	KEN
Fancy	Chemutai	30:06	KEN
Irene	Cheptai	30:35	KEN
Senbere	Teferi	30:38	ETH
Dorcas	Tuitoek	30:44	KEN
Viola	Cheptoo	30:55	KEN
Keira	D’Amato	31:03	Oakton, VA
Viola	Chepngeno	31:19	KEN
Mary	Munanu	31:20	KEN
Biruktayit	Eshetu	31:24	ETH
Emily	Durgin	31:49	Flagstaff, AZ
Annie	Frisbie	31:55	Minneapolis, MN
Hawi	Feysa	32:18	ETH
Maggie	Montoya	33:19	Boulder, CO
Edna	Kurgat	33:41	Colorado Springs, CO
Bridget	Lyons Belyeu	34:16	Newnan, GA
Natalia	Sulle	34:19	TAN
Joanna	Stephens	34:34	Atlanta, GA
Emma Grace	Hurley	DEBUT	Roswell, GA
Amber	Zimmerman	DEBUT	Philadelphia, PA

 

Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division 

 

First Name	Last Name	Road 10K Personal Best	Country Represented/U.S. Residence
Susannah	Scaroni	21:10	Urbana, IL
Patricia	Eachus	22:48	SUI
Jenna	Fesemyer	24:50	Champaign, IL
Yen	Hoang	24:53	Champaign, IL
Hannah	Babalo	25:07	Newark, NJ
Chelsea	Stein	27:15	Tucson, AZ
Emelia	Perry	33:51	Philadelphia, PA
Ivonne	Reyes	29:48	MEX

 

About Atlanta Track Club                                                

Atlanta Track Club is a nonprofit committed to creating an active and healthy Atlanta. Through running and walking, Atlanta Track Club motivates, inspires and engages the community to enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

With more than 30,000 members, Atlanta Track Club is the second largest running organization in the United States. In addition to the AJC Peachtree Road Race (peachtreeroadrace.org) – the largest 10K running event in the world, the Publix Atlanta Marathon, PNC Atlanta 10 Miler and Invesco QQQ Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, Atlanta Track Club directs more than 30 events per year.

Through the support of its members and volunteers, Atlanta Track Club also maintains a number of community initiatives including organizing and promoting the Kilometer Kids youth running program to metro Atlanta youth, honoring high school cross country and track and field athletes through Atlanta Track Club’s All-Metro Banquets and supporting the Grady Bicycle EMT program.

For more information on Atlanta Track Club, visit atlantatrackclub.org.

Source: RUNNING USA