2024 NCAA Basketball Tournament Brackets
MANCHESTER — There was a bit of confusion initially about the women’s winner of the Manchester Road Race Thursday.
Alice Kamunya, who came to the U.S. from Kenya three months ago, was the female winner of the 4.748-mile race in 25 minutes, 7 seconds. But she was not entered as an elite athlete so there was some uncertainty as to who she was for a while.
Road race organizers allow two people from countries other than the U.S. to enter as elite athletes, up to 30 total elite athletes. Dave Prindiville, the race’s elite athlete coordinator, already had two runners from Kenya — Sam Chelanga (who won) and 2009 champion and two-time runner-up Haron Lagat. When Kamunya wanted an elite entry, Prindiville had to say no. But she could enter online.
So wearing bib No. 12402, Kamunya, 22, won in her Manchester debut.
“It was very nice but it was very cold,” she said.
At the race, Kamunya, who won an 8K in Virginia Nov. 16 in 24:53, wanted to line up with the elite runners. Initially, organizers said no because she didn’t have an elite number but road race president Tris Carta allowed her to move up front.
“You see what happened, she won the race,” her coach, Paul Mbugua, said.
Kamunya, who trains in Schenectady, N.Y., went out fast.
“They went out pretty quick,” said Olympic marathoner Desiree Davila, who finished fifth (25:56) in her Manchester debut. “I was five minutes [at the first mile] and I was behind a bunch of people. I can’t go any faster than that. I need like 20 more miles. It was a good effort for me.”
Davila liked the race, although the distance was a little short for her and she joked about doing another lap.
“It was awesome,” she said. “Great crowds. The course is really fun. Challenging. Shakes things up. I would definitely come back. Get a less windy day and run a little quicker.”
Blake Finishes In Top 25
Three-time Mount Washington Road Race winner Eric Blake of West Hartford was 24th in 23:46. Blake, 34, won the 7.6-mile race up Mount Washington (which has an average grade of 12 percent) this June in 59:57, breaking an hour for the first time. “It’s not my fastest but it’s up there,” Blake said of Thursday’s race. “I felt pretty good.” Blake, who coaches cross country and track at Central Connecticut, and his wife, Anne, were hosting Aaron Braun, last year’s winner and this year’s runner-up for Thanksgiving. … Lagat had a tough race Thursday, finishing seventh in 22:17. Lagat said he wants to come back and win the race one more time. … Kamunya’s coach, Paul Mbugua, ran what was the fastest 5K time in Connecticut in 1995 at what was called the U.S. Healthcare Corporate Classic in Hartford. Mbugua finished in 13:48. Catherine Ndereba, who had just arrived in the U.S. from Kenya, was the women’s winner of the 5K that day. She would go on to win the Boston Marathon four times and break the world record in Chicago.