BOSTON, Nov 08 (Race Results Weekly) — On a crisp fall morning at Franklin Park, Habtom Samuel of Eritrea and Fantaye Belayneh of Ethiopia enjoyed successful outings at the 24th edition of the Boston Half, America’s most competitive fall half-marathon.  Samuel, who only last month signed a pro contract with Hoka Northern Arizona Elite, scooted away from the field in the race’s final six kilometers and ran a race record 59:49.  Belayneh ran a more tactical race, and came away with her third consecutive win in 1:09:14.  Both athletes won $15,000 in prize money, and Samuel earned an extra $10,000 for taking down Lelisa Desisa’s 2013 event record of 60:34.

FANTAYE BELAYNEH STAYS PATIENT

The women’s race had a surprise leader right from the gun.  Kassie Parker, fourth at the USATF Half-Marathon Championships in Atlanta last March, immediately stepped to the lead as the elite women headed out from the start area adjacent to White Stadium.  Showing a strong ability to run down hill, she split the first mile in 5:21, then 5:23 for the second.  She quickly built up an eight-second lead.

“I was trying to run a PR,” said Parker, who came into today’s race with a 1:10:17 personal best.  “Eventually they caught me.”

But not for quite a while.  Parker grew her lead to 15 seconds by the 5-mile mark (26:28), and every time the chase pack –which included Belayneh– tried to catch up, she pushed ahead again.  Through 10-K (32:50), Parker still had an 11-second gap.  It wasn’t until the seventh mile (37:12) that Parker was reeled in.  

“That’s kind of when my legs started feeling fatigued,” Parker lamented.

Belayneh, Ethiopian compatriot Sentayehu Lewetegn, Germany’s Melat Kejeta, and Kenya’s Winfred Mbithe ran behind Parker at first, but the American eventually drifted back.  She would fade in the final miles to finish ninth in 1:11:10.

Another American, Sydney Vaught, running in her first half-marathon, instead gained strength in the second half.  She was well behind the leaders through halfway, but chipped away to join the lead pack by the 10-mile mark (52:55).  An excellent cross country runner, she was comfortable with the course’s many hills.

“I think going in I was like, this race is longer than I’ve ever raced,” Vaught said of her strategy today.  “Being conservative on the first few miles was definitely what I wanted to do.  I just felt really good, and I figured the lead group is right up there and I might as well use the downhill if I can.  I know I can do really well on the hills on the way back.”

Belayneh had the advantage of knowing the course better than any of her competitors.  She still had four rivals at the 11-mile mark, and saved her best running for the race’s final 800 meters which are all uphill.  In a one-on-one sprint against Mbithe, she showed the track speed that allowed her to take third place in the World Athletics Ultimate Championships 5000m in Budapest last September.  She easily pulled away from the Kenyan who finished second in 1:09:16.  Lewetegn got third in 1:09:26, and Kejeta took fourth in 1:09:29.

“I come here because I know the event is great,” Belayneh said through her manager, Matt Turnbull, who was pressed into service as an interpreter.  “The atmosphere is great and I’ve won twice (before).  I’m happy to win three times.”

Vaught took fifth in 1:09:44 and, considering the difficulty of the course, was very happy with her debut at the distance.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” said a smiling Vaught, who was wrapped in a Mylar blanket to ward off the morning chill.  “It was a great learning experience.  I’ll be ready to practice for those kind of surges (in the future).”  She added: “I love hills.”

HABTOM SAMUEL RUNS AWAY

Habtom Samuel, who won the NCAA titles at 5000m and 10,000m for the University of New Mexico last June, was part of a four-man group which got away early.  Samuel, Andrea Kiptoo and Abel Kipchumba of Kenya, and Mohammed El Youssfi of Morocco passed the 5-K mark in 14:19.  El Youssfi fell back a few seconds by the 10-K point (28:32), and Kipchumba –who won this race in 2023– had lost contact with Samuel and Kiptoo by the 10-mile mark (45:42).  From that point Samuel quickly increased his lead.  By the time he reached the finish in the park he was over a minute clear of Kiptoo.

“I ran the last 6-K by myself,” Samuel told Race Results Weekly.  “We were three of us and Abel got dropped first.  From 15-K I just went by myself.”

Kiptoo finished second in 1:01:03, Kipchumba took third in 1:01:16, and El Youssfi got fourth in 1:01:29.  Amon Kemboi, who recently obtained American citizenship, was fifth in 1:01:46.

Samuel has had an excellent road racing season.  He won the TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10-K on August 1, in 27:40, then the Asics Falmouth Road Race two weeks later in a course record 30:53 (for 7 miles).  He resumed racing last weekend in New York City, winning the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5-K in 13:31.  He wasn’t sure when his next race would be, but said he felt tired.

“It’s been a long year,” he said.

ONE CLOSE WHEELCHAIR FINISH

In the professional women’s wheelchair race, Yen Hoang beat Jenna Ayers by just a fraction of a second in the women’s division.  Both athletes were timed in 1:02:54.  Daniel Romanchuk dominated the men’s pro wheelchair division, clocking 45:53 and beating runner-up Evan Correll by more than five minutes

BIG FIELD OF FINISHERS

Behind the pros 7363 citizen runners crossed the finish line, up 4% from last year.  Boston Athletic Association officials narrowly avoided a washout after yesterday’s heavy rains tapered off at the end of the day.  Nonetheless, the grass staging area in the park’s interior was very muddy.