Thursday, December 14, 2006
Bizuneh Wins 1/2, Woman Misses Finish
Running in her first half marathon, Kosgei won the 13.1-mile race with a time of 1 hour, 14 minutes, 19 seconds. She finished four seconds ahead of Jepkosgei. Kosgei won $5,000 – the first time she has won money in a race. The results are unofficial.
Fasil Bizuneh, a 26-year-old from Bristol, Tenn., won the men's half marathon division after passing Valentine Orare just before the finish line. Both runners were clocked in 1:02:59, with Bizuneh setting a personal best by three minutes.
Last month, Orare placed second in an eight-kilometer race in Richmond, Va., finishing 10 seconds ahead of Bizuneh. A fifth-place finish there earned Bizuneh $100. Sunday, the former Arizona State All-American won $5,000.
That's a big help when you're a professional runner, as Bizuneh is. He has a degree in chemical engineering, but for the last seven months he has focused on his running.
"I'm sponsored by New Balance, and they pay me a stipend, but this is my career. I don't do anything else," Bizuneh said. "To make $5,000 here, it's good for my bank account."
Bizuneh made his marathon debut Oct. 1, running 2:18:14 and placing fifth at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon – which doubled as the USA Marathon Championships. But it's Sunday's performance that really gives him confidence for next month's USA Half Marathon Championships in Houston.
"Now I've got a faster PR," Bizuneh said. "It will help me mentally to compete with some of the fastest guys in the country and compete for a national championship."
By GREG RIDDLE / The Dallas Morning News
Dallas Half Marathon
FasilBlog
“(This) will help me mentally to compete with some of the fastest guys in the country and compete for a national championship."” - Fasil Bizuneh
