Kenya’s Wesley Kiptoo ties Falmouth Road Race course record
Reigning Boston Marathon champion Hellen Obiri matched the second-fastest time in the Massachusetts race's 51-year-history
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Kaite Morgan/DMSE Sports, Inc.
Kenya’s Wesley Kiptoo and Hellen Obiri dominated the Asics Falmouth Road Race on Sunday, topping the men’s and women’s podiums respectively by matching some of the fastest times in the 51-year history of Massachusetts’ famed seven-mile course.
Kiptoo crossed the finish line in 31:08 to match the record set by fellow Kenyan Gilbert Okari in 2004. Leading a pack that included John Korir, Edwin Kurgat and David Bett, Kiptoo ran a blistering 4:17 opening mile. By the time he hit the 5-km mark, he had a 12-second lead. By 10 km that lead had doubled.
“I stayed consistent,” said Kiptoo, who finished fifth in last year’s race. “The course is kind of up and down and I love that it challenges me.”
Kiptoo, an NCAA champion at Iowa State University who trains in Flagstaff, Ariz., will make his marathon debut at the Chicago Marathon in October. Korir finished second in 31:34 while Kurgat, another Iowa State grad, took third to complete the Kenyan sweep. Utah-based Clayton Young was the top American, finishing fifth in 32:02.
The women’s race
The women’s race ended with another successful New England visit for Obiri. The reigning Boston Marathon champion and winner of this month’s Beach to Beacon 10K in Maine, Obiri took a more conservative opening approach than Kiptoo, covering the first 5K in 15:59 with Cynthia Limo, Buze Diriba and Vicoty Chepngeno on her heels. Just before the halfway point, Obiri made her move, covering the next 5 km in 15:15 and cruising to a 19-second victory in 35:13. Obiri tied for the second-fastest time in race history and the fastest since 2002.
“I was thinking maybe I should make my move at four miles,” said Obiri, a two-time world champion and two-time Olympic silver medallist who will be running the New York City Marathon on Nov. 5. “The uphill was terrible for me, but I knew after that it was all downhill, and it was an incredible finish.”
American marathon record-holder Emily Sisson of Providence, R.I., moved into second place just past the 10-km mark to finish as runner-up in 35:32. That’s the fastest time ever by an American woman in Falmouth. Limo of Kenya was third.
“I am always a little bit more nervous racing in the marathon build,” said Sisson who is also running Chicago this fall. “I feel tired, but it gives me confidence that I can race well. My goal was to get as close to Hellen as I could.”
The wheelchair race
The wheelchair division featured dominant performances by the sport’s two biggest names. The men’s race was won for the fifth time by Maryland’s Daniel Romanchuk, who took 25 seconds off his own course record to finish in 21:23. Americans Miguel Jimenez-Vergara and Hermin Garic were second and third, respectively.
Women’s winner Susannah Scaroni was the third wheelchair finisher across the line, coming in 30 seconds before Garic. Her winning time of 24:38 broke the course record she set last year by 52 seconds. She was nearly five minutes ahead of second place. 2021 Falmouth Champion Emelia Perry was second and Hannah Babalola took third.
Nearly 10,000 runners took part in Sunday’s race.
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