Running: Ongeri, Stevenson win Nissan Toronto Ten-Miler ahead of record crowd

Monday, July 14, 2008 - 05:40 PM

TORONTO. July 13, 2008. Kenya's Josephat Ongeri and Toronto's Nicole Stevenson emerged victorious in this morning's Nissan Toronto Ten Miler at The Distillery Historic District.

Overcast skies, a temperature of only 19°Celcius, and light showers provided good conditions for a July distance event in Toronto—though high humidity mitigated against fast times for the record field of 1733 runners. Another 508 participated in the accompanying 5K. The Ten Miler, event #6 in this year's Canada Running Series and "the" Official Tune Up for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon & Half on September 28th, was up more than 22% from last year.

From the start, Ongeri was content to sit in a large pack of some 20 runners who ambled through the first kilometre in 3:10. From The Distillery, the completely flat course heads out onto Lakeshore Boulevard, then along Commissioners Road to Tommy Thompson Park, following major parts of the second half of the record-breaking Scotia Waterfront course.

The pack was still mostly together as they headed into the park at 4km, but by the time they emerged again at 12km, Toronto's Danny Kassap and Ongeri had taken charge. Fellow-Kenyan Moses Macharia, the winner of Harry's Spring Run Off Toronto 8K and the Sporting Life 10K in the Spring, was 20m back, running on tired legs after a hectic sojourn in Canada and a Half Marathon at altitude in Calgary last weekend. What remained of the chasing pack was another 70m in arrears.

Kassap did most of the work over the next 3km, and for a short while around 14k it looked like he might get away. But Ongeri closed the gap, running just a step behind, until they approached 15km, when he moved alongside. The two then ran shoulder to shoulder for the final kilometre until Ongeri moved into 5th gear and sprinted away over the last 200m to break the tape in 48:48, with Kassap seven seconds back. Moses Macharia trotted home in 49:59, just holding off Michael Njoroge [50:05], Paul Njoroge [50:11], and Toronto's Giitah Macharia [50:26].

Nicole Stevenson, who is rumoured to have been selected for Team Canada at this year's contest against Mexico, England and the US in the International Team Challenge at the Scotiank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, had an easier time of things, defeating Josiane Aboungono by more than a minute, 58:35 to 59:41, in a two-woman race. Becky Patten was a distant third in 62:29.

The 5K, also a ChampionChip-timed event, was won by Hamilton's Ahmed Khauf in 16:09 and Toronto's Orlagh O'Kelley in 19:25.

Behind the champions, the record number of recreational runners at the Nissan Ten & 5K "tuned-up" for their big day on September 28th, also—getting a feel for race pace, practicing their water station technique, experimenting with Cytomax gels and Gatorade, and hopefully remembering their exhilaration as they crossed the line on the bricks at The Distillery, got a handsome medal, then sat back and celebrated to the "live" sounds of Loco Zydeco. Eleven weeks to go....