Contact:

Sara Hunninghake

[email protected]

646.468.2243

Dutch Olympian Hilda Kibet Holds Off Madai Perez, Deena Kastor for Victory in New York Mini 10K

New York, June 7, 2008—Dutch Olympian Hilda Kibet led fellow Olympians Madai Perez of Mexico and Deena Kastor of the United States to a one-two-three finish in a hot and steamy 37th running of the New York Mini 10K in Central Park on Saturday.

Kibet pulled away in the last mile of the 6.2-mile race to claim the $10,000 first-place prize with a winning time of 32:43. Temperatures were in the 70s with 84 percent humidity at the start of the race.

Perez finished six seconds behind Kibet in 32:49, and Kastor took third in 33:14.

Kastor was surprised with her competitiveness and result, as the 2004 Olympic marathon bronze medalist is just now beginning her training for the Olympic marathon in Beijing on August 17. This was her final race before the Olympic Games.

“I ran today like I was in shape, but I am not,” said Kastor, the 2004 Mini champion. “I was just riding the line outside of my comfort level the whole time. I normally wouldn’t be racing at this point in my training, but this was a much greater effort than I would have gotten training back in Mammoth Lakes on my own without these women to push me.

“I was definitely very happy with my result today. I wanted to run an aggressive race and push the pace early in the race. It was a tough day out there with the heat.”

Kibet, who was coming off a personal best at 10,000 meters on the track last weekend, pushed the pace in the final 600 meters to extend her lead past Perez and cross the finish in first.

“It was a tough race for me,” Kibet said. “At the beginning of the race, my legs weren’t really moving. I felt kind of stiff. The pace was too fast for me in the beginning, so I stayed behind but kept pushing. When Deena dropped, I stuck with Madai.”

Kastor’s Olympic teammates Magdalena Lewy Boulet and Blake Russell finished fourth and sixth, respectively.

Top Finishers

1. Hilda Kibet, 27, NED, 32:43
2. Madai Perez, 28, MEX, 32:49
3. Deena Kastor, 35, USA, 33:14
4. Magdalena Lewy Boulet, 34, USA, 33:29
5. Everlyne Lagat, 27, KEN, 33:38
6. Blake Russell, 32, USA, 33:40
7. Aziza Aliyu, 22, ETH, 33:56
8. Alina Alekseyeva, 23, RUS, 34:05
9. Buzunesh Deba, 20, KEN, 35:23
10. Salome Kosgei, 17, KEN, 35:35


##