BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -- Tilahun Regassa of Ethiopia won the men's division of the Bolder Boulder on Monday in the fastest time since 1995. Regassa, 19, finished in 28 minutes, 17 seconds. Teammate Mamito Daska, 25, won the women's division in 32:48."They weren't expected to win," Ethiopia team manager Hussen MacKay said. "They are very young in terms of running careers." Tadese Tola of Ethiopia, who just recently won NYC's Healthy Kidney 10k in Central Park record time, was second in 28:36. James Carney was the top U.S. finisher, coming in fourth at 29.53. Regassa's time was third-best in race history and the best since 1995, when Kenya's Josphat Machuka won in a course record 27:52.
Regassa, Tola and teammates Gebo Berko broke from the pack at the start.
"That was the plan," Regassa said through an interpreter. "Get a jump on the rest of the field and keep on moving."
Less than 2 miles into the race, Regassa had put several hundred meters between himself and his countrymen. He looked back frequently, but the rest of the field was too far back to be in view. "I didn't expect it," Regassa said. "I didn't expect to be that far ahead." He turned his head one final time before entering Folsom Field on the University of Colorado campus, where the race ended before a roaring crowd of 50,000.
"I was looking back to find my team members," Regassa said. "I had to see how they were doing." They still weren't in sight. It was Regassa's second victory of the season. He won Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K race in Richmond, Va., in late February.
Last year's winner, Ridouane Harroufi of Morocco, did not run this year.
Ethiopia won the team title, beating out Team USA 19-24.
Daska's time was the fourth-best women's finish in race history and the fastest since Romania's Lidia Simon's 32:30 in 1999. Teyba Erkesso was second in 33:02, less than 100 meters behind Daska. Defending champion Millicent Gathoni of Kenya finished fifth. Tera Moody was the top American, placing 14th.
Ethiopia won the women's team competition. Japan was second and the U.S. was fifth.
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