RENO, Nev., June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Russia's Leonid Shvetsov and Kenya's
Salina Chirchir wasted no time while taming a talented field of runners in
today's Reno Air 15K Showdown. The moderately hilly course at 4,900 feet near
Boomtown Hotel and Casino just outside Reno simply served as an advantage for
the two talented marathon runners. Each of them represented their country in
the marathon event at the Atlanta Olympic Games.
Shvetsov, 29, easily won the men's race in a time of 47 minutes, 24
seconds. Eddy Hellebuyck, 37, of Belgium, also an Olympian, placed a distant
second in 48:18. Peter Koech, 42, of Kenya -- a former world record holder in
the steeplechase and an Olympic silver medalist in 1988 -- was third in 48:33.
Chirchir's women's winning time of 54:12 topped Donna Levy of Canada (2nd,
54:32), and Maria Trujillo de Rios (3rd, 56:38) of the U.S.
Shvetsov took the lead from the starting gun and simply expanded it
throughout the race.
"I wasn't planning to break away from the start, but then I realized that
no one was going with me," said Shvetsov. "So I said 'what the heck; I'll do
this myself.' By four miles on an uphill I gave up running for the race
record bonus -- it wasn't going to happen today -- but just kept running hard.
The guys behind me are good runners, and I knew they were probably together,
helping each other. All in all, it was a good race for me."
While Shvetsov, a non-practicing medical doctor, wrapped up a successful
tour of racing in the U.S., Chirchir, 29, is reaching the peak of her season.
"I was using this race as a tune-up for (San Diego's) Rock 'n' Roll
Marathon in two weeks," said the talented Kenyan. "I felt good, but the
(50-degree) temperature was a little bit cold. I've been training in the
warmer temperatures of Albuquerque. It wasn't a hard effort for me. I kept
looking behind and kept my distance."
Shvetsov and Chirchir took home $1,000 each of the a $10,600 total prize
purse; however neither could collect additional $500 bonuses offered for
beating the formidable race records of 45:47 (men) and 52:20 (women) set by
Rich McCandless and Terry Adams-Schmidt (nee Puckett) on a different course in
1988.
The race, which served as the 15 Kilometer Championship for USA Track &
Field's Pacific Association, plus the companion 5K, relay, and kid's events,
drew about 1,000 runners combined.
(Top results attached)
RENO AIR 15K SHOWDOWN
Reno, Nevada
June 7, 1998
PLACE NAME AGE RESIDENCE TIME PRIZE MONEY
Men
1 Leonid Shvetsov, 29, Russia 47:24 $1,000
2 Eddy Hellebuyck, 37, Belgium 48:18 $800
3 Peter Koech, 42, Kenya 48:33 $500
4 Neji Mahklouf, 35, Tunisia 48:48 $300
5 Fernando Rojas, 35, Alameda, CA 48:56 $400*
6 Bobbee Palmer, 26, Portola Valley, CA 49:01 $200*
7 Greg Wenneborg, 30, Tucson, AZ 49:24 N/A
8 Mike McManus, 32, CA 49:37 $100*
9 Brian Buscay, 25, NV 49:53
10 Nick Bingham, 27, Reno, NV 50:11
11 Alan Dehlinger, 37, Reno, NV 50:37
12 Scott Kennedy, 28, Castro Valley, CA 51:06
13 Todd Rose, 26, Alameda, CA 51:12
14 Jose Aispuro, 36, Watsonville, CA 51:20
15 Matt Yeo, 43, Roseville, CA 51:45
16 Tim Minor, 40, Reno, NV 52:01
17 Daniel Shore, 29, San Francisco, CA 52:17
18 Michael Regan, 34, San Francisco, CA 52:26
19 Hans Gouwens, 37, San Francisco, CA 52:40
20 John Trevithick, 32, San Francisco, CA 52:59
Women
1 Salina Chirchir, 29*, Kenya 54:12 $1,000
2 Donna Levy, 30*, Canada 54:32 $800
3 Maria Trujillo de Rios, 38*, Los Gatos, CA 56:38 $800*
4 Kay Gooch, 26*, New Zealand 56:51 $500*
5 Diana Fitzpatrick, 40*, Larkspur, CA 57:36 $550*
6 Tenaya Soderman, 24*, CA 58:25 $100*
7 Terry Adams-Schmidt, 42*, Stateline, NV 58:25 $350*
8 Mary Coordt, 28*, Elkgrove, CA 59:01
9 Sissel Berntsen-Heber, 34*, San Fran, CA 59:24
10 Rossy Tibaduiza-Cardena, 36*, Reno, NV 59:33
11 Ramona Young, 32*, Watsonville, CA 59:36
12 Michelle Hannaford, 27*, Berkeley, CA 1:00:42
13 Lynice Benton-Anderson, 30*, Reno, NV 1:00:55
14 Louise Kobin, 29*, San Jose, CA 1:01:01
15 Laura Sanchez, 36*, Salinas, CA 1:02:01
16 Alexandra Newman, 25*, Berkeley, CA 1:02:07
17 Amanda Gerhardt, 29*, Woodside, CA 1:02:16
18 Kathy Donofrio-Wood, 33*, Truckee, CA 1:02:20
19 Karen Steele, 40*, Merced, CA 1:02:39
20 Janet Gahagen-Thomas, 34*, Sunnyvale, CA 1:02:41
* Includes Pacific Association USA Track & Field Championship Money
Note: 4,900 feet elevation
SOURCE Reno Air, Inc.
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.renoair.com
Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com or
fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 740075
CONTACT:
Mark Winitz, Race Media Coordinator, Local
Reno: 702-742-0115, 650-948-0618 or Fax: 650-949-2172; or Connie
Huff of Reno Air Corporate Communications, 702-954-5097,
evening/weekend: 888-396-0817
|
