Kenyan comes as advertised to win women’s race
Women’s race winner turns on the jets late to hold off local hopefuls at Sun Run
Unfortunately for Rachel Cliff, her scouting report on Monicah Ngige proved perfect Sunday.
Cliff, the runner from Vancouver, pegs Kenyan competitor Ngige as “someone who closes well in the last kilometre” before adding that “if she’s with you in the last kilometre, you’re in trouble.”
Sure enough, Ngige pulled away from Cliff and others in the late stages of The Vancouver Sun Run and ended up completing the 10-kilometre race in 32 minutes 23 seconds.
American Emma Bates was second in 32:36 followed by Cliff in 32:41 and North Vancouver product Natasha Wodak in 33:04.
“You have to make your plan,” Ngige, 24, said. “Sometimes I break at eight (kilometres). Sometimes I can break a little bit after eight (kilometres). It’s whatever I think about the course. You have to make your plan every day. It’s not the same schedule every time.”
Cliff added: “She caught me at the (Cambie Street) bridge and went ahead.”
Ngige had won the Crescent City Classic 10K in New Orleans on March 31 with a 32:05, taking the lead with five kilometres to go this time and holding on to it. She had finished second the week before at the Azalea Trail in Mobile, Ala., in 32:18.
Sunday marked her first visit to The Sun Run. She sounds like she wants to come back.
“I liked the course. I enjoy it a lot,” said Ngige. “I’m happy with the people here who have supported me.”
It was a quick race by Sun Run standards. There were 15 women who finished in under 35 minutes. Last year there were just five as Karolina Jarzynska-Nadolska of Poland won in 32:39.
“It was a great day,” said Cliff, 30. “It was a fun race. The weather was perfect. There was a big group of us at the start. The top five were definitely quick. It makes it more fun. It’s a beautiful city to train in. You can always come to the park and do a workout. You come to a race to get some competition.
“Races never play out exactly the way you think going in, but I knew it was definitely a good field.”
You could have excused both Cliff and Wodak if they took a pass on The Sun Run, considering they were representing Canada at the Commonwealth Games in Australia just two weeks ago. Wodak came in fifth there in the 10,000 metres on April 9, while Cliff was ninth.
After the race Sunday, Wodak wrote this on her official website — natashawodak.com — underneath a picture of her embracing her mom: “I crossed the finish line and was so thankful that two seconds later my mom was there to hugme—to hold m eup—to stop the tears. I was fourth today at the @vancouversunrun in a time of 33:04 — not what I wanted but all I had. I left it all on the track in Australia two weeks ago and am just simply mentally and physically exhausted. But I came out here today and did my very best — which
It was a fun race. The weather was perfect ... The top five were definitely quick. It makes it more fun.
is all you can ask of yourself !”
“It was about what I expected,” Wodak, 36, a Sun Run staple for a decade said after the race Sunday. “I gave my 100 per cent two weeks ago at Commonwealths. I flew home. I got sick. I took the last two weeks off just easy running. I knew not to expect a lot today. I still ran a decently fast time.
“It’s The Vancouver Sun Run. It’s in my hometown. I love being here. I love being a part of this event. I look forward to it every year. My friends and family are here. I did my best today. Unfortunately it wasn’t good enough for the win, but I enjoyed it.
“Normally after an Olympics or world championships, I take time off. With Commonwealth Games falling in April, there’s so much I still want to do this season.”