Syracuse.com reportsAt the 33 minute mark of the 32nd edition of the 15K Utica Boilermaker road race, the public address announcer proclaimed a favorite. Ridouane Harroufi, of Morocco, was called, "the hottest athlete on the road race circuit," by the man behind the mic. In the final 100 meters of the race, Harroufi displayed his trademark closing kick to edge 18-year-old Bazu Worku Hayla of Ethiopia to win the Boilermaker by clocking a time of 43:56.
Before he edged out Hayla, Harroufi was down but was not fazed. "I think I was going to win," Harroufi said. "I have a good kick, I have good speed," he said. Harroufi and Hayla were neck and neck throughout the race but Harroufi believes that Hayla's aggressive style was part of his undoing. "He pushed, he pushed a lot," Harroufi said of the young runner. "He pushed from the start and at the end he was tired, the pace was very high," he said. Harroufi's total pace came in at an astounding 4:43 per mile.
This is only the beginning for what could be a promising running career for Hayla, who also finished second in the Paris Marathon. Harroufi has also had a successful spring and summer. He finished second in the 10K Peachtree Road in Atlanta and he also defended his title at the Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run in Washington, DC.
The women's race was also a two-person affair, with Kenya's Alice Timbilili coming in at 49:32 and just ahead of countrywomen Irene Limka, who clocked in at 49:33. "I was hoping to be in the top three because the top ten ladies in the race are strong at finishing," Timbilili said. "That's why I lead on the way, trying to make them come to me," she said. Harroufi and Timbilili each pocketed $6,000 for their victories.
Harroufi is only the second Moroccan to win the race after Khalid Kannouchi in 1998. This year also marks the first time in more than a decade that the past two champions did not hail from Kenya. The last time that happened was in 1990 and 1991 when Delmir Dos Santos from Brazil won and was followed a year later by Ed Eyestone from Utah.
Lucas Meyer was the first finisher from the United States, coming in ninth and posting a time of 45:27. Meyer will receive $1,000 and the knowledge that he is the first American to finish in the top ten since 1995. The top finisher from Central New York was Chris Mason from Auburn, who finished 24th with a gun time of 48:31. Not far behind was former Fayetteville-Manlius high school star Thomas Gruenewald, who finished 27th.
This race is just the beginning for Harroufi, who will be running in the Bogota International Half Marathon in early August. As for Timbilili, her plans are unsettled at the moment but one thing she knows for sure is that she will be back to defend her Boilermaker title in 2010. "I'm going to come back next year," Timbilili said. "I like the people here and it's a good organization," she said.
Timbilili is the first women from Kenya to win since Sally Barsosio in 2005. Her time of 49:32 bested the time of 2008 champion Ashu Rabo Kasim by more than a minute.
RESULTS
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