There was a distinctly international flair to Sunday morning's Valley of Gold Half-Marathon during the third annual Arizona Distance Classic in Oro Valley.
Kenyans Joseah Matui and Daniel Cheruiyot came in first and second in the men's field.
Matui, who said he runs best on hilly terrain, paced the field with a mile average of just under five minutes, finishing in 1 hour 5 minutes 29 seconds.
"It was very close until the 10th mile, and then I pulled away a little from there," said Matui, who trains in Tucson. "It was a friendly race for me."
Cheruiyot won the Valley of Gold Half-Marathon two years ago but could not catch his friend Matui on Sunday.
"He saw that I was right there, and I think that's what pushed him on," Cheruiyot said with a grin. Cheruiyot traveled from Albuquerque for the race, which was sponsored by the Arizona Daily Star.
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Jemima Jelagaf, another Kenyan, cruised to the top spot among the women with a time of 1:16.43.
"This is to get me ready for some races that I have coming up," said Jelagaf, with Cheruiyot interpreting. "This was very good for that, good warm-up."
Jelagaf — who moved to Tucson within the last 16 months because of the area's climate — is preparing for major events in Mobile, Ala., and Columbus, Ohio. The New York City Marathon also is a possibility, she said.
The second-place finisher in the women's bracket was Maryland native Kerri Robbins. Robbins crossed the finish line more than 16 minutes behind Jelagaf.
The second-fastest finisher among male locals in the half-marathon was 39-year-old Greg Wenneborg, a track coach at Pima College who finished in 1:15.40, eighth overall.
Bryce Livingston — formerly an elite-level track star at Salpointe Catholic High School as a specialist in the mile — won the 5K with a time of 18:06.
Livingston, who spent the past four years at Salpointe concentrating on the 1,600, is now a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York. He returned to the desert for Sunday morning's 5K at the Arizona Distance Classic in preparation for his debut in the 5,000 next weekend.
"I came back out here mainly to have a good time and get some sun, and get ready for what I have coming up," Livingston said. "But I ended up getting fried. I'm just not used to the sun anymore after being back East."
Livingston owns the school record in the mile at Salpointe, clocking in at 4 minutes 16.28 seconds at the 5A Division-I state tournament last spring. He won state gold in the 1,600 and finished second in the 800 and the 3,200.
Nineteen-year-old Tucsonan Steven Klorer took home the title in the wheelchair half-marathon, turning in a time of 52:39, nearly six minutes ahead of runner-up and fellow Tucsonan Grant Berthiaume.
In the women's portion of the wheelchair half-marathon, it was Shirley Reilly taking first in 1:08:26. That was the fourth-fastest time among all wheelchair participants.
More results
● For more race results, go online to johnbinghamracing.com
