Rain and the Course Record Fall at Healthy Kidney 10K – Tadese Tola finishes in 27:48 and local runners shine in the top ten

New York, May 16—A morning fog cleared slightly for the 9:00 a.m. race start, but then rain began to fall. More than 7,500 finishers took on the Central Park 10K loop in intermittent showers. No one was better prepared for the challenge than Ethiopia’s Tadese Tola, who some predicted would break the course record.

Tola looked strong from the start and led the first half of the race, along with defending champion Patrick Makau of Kenya. Beside Tola’s confident stride, Makau’s fidgety behavior—he kept grabbing at his leg—hinted at the eventual outcome.

When Tola made his move in the fourth mile, no one was able to match it, and he began to build a lead. Makau and Boaz Cheboiywo of Kenya fell into second and third place, respectively, and kept those positions to the finish. Tola’s 27:48 smashed Dathan Ritzenhein’s 2007 course record by 20 seconds; the 21-year-old was awarded the Zayed Bonus of $20,000 for his historic achievement: the fastest 10K ever run in Central Park.

Post-race, Tola commented, “After mile four, we were moving at a fast pace, and I was confident I’d have the record.” He earned $7,500 for first place to Makau’s $5,000 for second. Prize money was awarded to the top eight in the open race. Makau mentioned his leg pain as a factor in his performance and said, “I’m just getting back to normal after the marathon.” He made his marathon debut—a fourth-place finish at the Fortis Rotterdam Marathon—on April 5.

Ireland’s Martin Fagan took eighth place, and American Olympians Abdi Abdirahman and Anthony Famiglietti were 11th and 12th. Five local stars finished in step with the visiting professionals, making the top ten. Wegayehu Tefera of Ethiopia (fourth) and Westchester Track Club (WTC) teammates Stephen Chemlany of Kenya (fifth) and Worku Beyi of Ethiopia (sixth) earned NYRR-member prizes.

In the women’s race, NYRR Runner of the Year Aziza Aliyu of WTC broke the tape in 33:38, missing the course record she set last year by six seconds. In second place was fellow Ethiopian Hirut Mandefro, followed by WTC’s Salome Kosgei in third. Fourth-place Alemtsehay Misganaw of Adidas Women (ADIW) earned the final NYRR-member prize.

Paul Thompson, 43, of the Warren Street Social & Athletic Club (WS)  was the top men’s masters competitor in 32:05, and Christine Glockenmeier, 41, also of WS,  took the top spot among 40+ women in 38:49. The West Side Runners men, led by Tesfaye Girma, and the New York Athletic Club women, led by Abbi Gleeson, won the open-division team titles.