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Mutai, Gebremeskel Set to Compete in Sunday's BAA 10kPublished by
The 2014 B.A.A. 10K on Sunday, June 22, will bring together some of the fastest and most experienced runners in the world, led by Olympic and World Championship medalists, as well as two of the most decorated marathoners in history. Run on a blistering fast course through Boston's Back Bay and Beacon Hill neighborhoods, the B.A.A. 10K will showcase several of the world's top athletes as they return to familiar territory. Geoffrey Mutai (KEN), the world's fastest marathoner, 2011 Boston Marathon champion, and two-time B.A.A. 10K victor, returns to square off against defending champion Stephen Sambu (KEN) and Olympic silver medalist Dejen Gebremeskel (ETH). On the women’s side, defending B.A.A. 10K champion Mamitu Daska (ETH); 2011 Boston Marathon and B.A.A. 10K champion Caroline Kilel (KEN); and 2014 Boston Marathon runner-up Buzunesh Deba (ETH), will vie for top honors. MEN’S RACE "For me it was like a dream, because I can win the Boston Marathon and then I come to win the B.A.A. 10K. I feel like I am special now in Boston. I feel like I am at home, I enjoy myself in Boston," Mutai told reporters in 2011. At last year’s B.A.A. 10K, Kenya's Stephen Sambu raced down the final straight on Charles Street out front, finishing ahead of 2013 Boston Marathon champion Lelisa Desisa. This Spring, Sambu posted a time of 26:54.61 for 10,000 meters on the track in Oregon. Similar to Mutai and Sambu, Ethiopia's Dejen Gebremeskel is also a B.A.A. champion. Although he is only 24-years-old, Gebremeskel already can count an Olympic silver medal at 5000 meters and a pair of B.A.A. 5K titles among his achieivements. On April 19, Gebremeskel narrowly edged American Ben True at the B.A.A. 5K, which was a race so close that both were given the same finishing time of 13:26. Both Gebre Gebremariam, ETH, runner-up at the 2011 B.A.A. 10K, and Sam Chelanga, KEN, fourth in 2011, are familiar with Boston and the stretch run between Boston Common and the Public Garden. WOMEN’S RACE "I’m glad I did it the way I did, and that’s what I wanted," she said following her win. "This is exactly what I was expecting to do {today]." At this year's B.A.A. 5K on April 19, Daska ran strong through two miles, but was narrowly defeated in the final meters by American Molly Huddle. Determined to return to the top of the podium, Daska brings an aggressive, race-from-the-front style in every race she starts. Expected to challenge Daska are a number of top athletes from Ethiopia and Kenya, all of whom have formidable credentials on the track and roads. Ethiopian Werknesh Kidane and Kenyan Lineth Chepkurui - winners of the 2012 and 2011 B.A.A. 5K, respectively - return to the Bay State seeking another victory on the streets of Boston. Caroline Kilel, the 2011 Boston Marathon champion and inaugural B.A.A. 10K winner, has a wealth of experience on Boston’s roads. Among the top Americans entered are Boston Athletic Association team members Jen Rhines and Heather Cappello. Rhines, 39, has represented Team USA at three Olympic Games (2000, 2004, and 2008), while Cappello, 34, was a standout at Providence College. $10,000 (USD) is the first place award for the men’s and women’s champions, and a total prize purse of $48,500 (USD) will be distributed to the top ten women overall, the top three in the masters division, and the top three in the push rim wheelchair division. $7500 will be awarded for a men’s or women’s course record in the open division. The B.A.A. 10K begins on Sunday, June 22, at 8:00 a.m. EDT on Charles Street between Boston Common and the Public Garden. The 6.2-mile course is a scenic tour through Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. Following its start on Charles Street, the race winds down picturesque Commonwealth Avenue and Bay State Road as far west as Babcock Street near Boston University, before heading back on Commonwealth Avenue, around the Public Garden, and finishing on Charles Street. Registration for the B.A.A. 10K is closed. For more information about the B.A.A. 10K, please visitwww.baa.org.
( ) Indicates 10,000 meters on the track PRIZE MONEY
NEW BONUS STRUCTURE FOR 2014 BONUS INCENTIVES FOR TOP OVERALL FINISHES IN 2014 B.A.A. EVENTS*
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