Embry-Riddle alum, Swedish woman claim OUC titles
Former Embry-Riddle standout Evans Kirwa is on the run again in Orlando — a city that has given him plenty of memories over the years.
The Kenya native returned from a lengthy break from racing by winning the men’s overall title at the 41st OUC Orlando Half Marathon in glorious style, clocking a 13.1-mile time of 1 hour, 4 minutes, 59 seconds Saturday morning. Sara Trane of Stockholm, Sweden, was the top overall female finisher in 1:22:55.
Kirwa’s time was three seconds off the course record, set last year by JJ Webber. In winning this race for the first time since 2012, Kirwa led from start to finish, easily beating Nick Hilton (1:06:46) of Oro Valley, Ariz.
“I was so excited to come back and run again,” said Kirwa, who is a U.S. citizen and lives in Colorado Springs, Colo. “I stopped running for quite a while. I started back in April.”
Kirwa, a multi-NAIA AllAmerican at Embry-Riddle, kept a sub-five-minute pace for the majority of the race, making his return a seamless one.
“I just wanted to keep it honest. I just wanted to push myself,” said Kirwa, 28.
Kissimmee’s Fredison Costa, 40, kept himself in the front pack with Kirwa and Hilton for the entire race. A former two-time champ (2014, 2015) in this race, he finished third (1:07:05).
“I felt good,” said Costa, who ran the OUC Orlando Half Marathon for the fourth time. “The weather was nice. For me, I needed more speed after the 15K [mark].”
Costa, whose personal-record time (1:03) came in a race in his native Brazil in 2012, said he ran this race as a training run for the Disney World Marathon on Jan. 7.
Costa has won six Disney World Marathon titles, including the past four in a row.
On the women’s side, Trane said she sometimes visits friends in Satellite Beach when running in the U.S. She also led from the start, outlasting Anja Drew (1:25:01) of Maitland by more than two minutes. Elizabeth Mihlebach (1:25:19) of Melbourne Beach finished third.
“The speed was way too fast,” said Trane, who has been running for 20 years. “The pace killed me. It was too fast at first.”
Trane, who ran the OUC Orlando Half Marathon for the third time, said the second half of the course was tough.
“It’s a little hilly, small hills, and then there were the cobblestones,’’ said Trane, 32. “You have to watch where you step.’’
Trane was one of many runners representing seven countries in the event, according to Natalie Casey, spokeswoman for the race’s organizer, Track Shack Events. She said 2,350 people finished the half marathon.