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Santa Monica police officer
steals 10K from Zola Budd
Scintillating women's race highlights
record-setting day when entries surge at KLAR
Results
Santa Monica police officer Erika Aklufi (inset photo) runs to a KLAR 10K women's record of 34:50 in a high-powered race that included former British Olympian
Zola Budd (#1) running her fastest 10K in years (36:41) to hold third place Anne Marie Byrne of San Diego (green in main photo). More photos to come. (Photos: Tom Coat)
Champions at the 2010 KLAR included (from top): Men's 10K winner Tonny Akello, men's 5K winner Michael Chavez, and women's 10K winner Erick Aklufi (right in bottom photo) with 10K runner Zola Budd. (Photos: Tom Coat) |
PLAYA DEL REY, Ca., July 11, 2010 - Former British Olympian Zola Budd returned to national class running on a record-setting day at the 17th annual Keep LA Running 10K.
The 1984 Olympian and two-time World Cross Country champion was part of a scintillating race at the front of the women's 10K that saw the race record shattered by Santa Monica police officer Erika Aklufi and three of the four fastest times recorded by women at this long-running event.
Aklufi won in 34:50, bettering the race record of 35:43 by almost a minute. Budd, 44 and returning to master's running (40 and over) while living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, finished second in 36:41. Budd finished strong to hold off third-place finisher Anne Marie Byrne of San Diego, who was two second back in third.
The trio's efforts came on a cloudy, ideal day for running that helped entries surge 42 percent to 1,553 participants.
In the men's 10K, Ugandan native and current Culver City resident Tonny Okello won in 30:50, well ahead of early leader Brian Livingston. In the earlier 5K races, Michael Chavez of Fullerton, Ca., a four flat miler while at UC Santa Barbara, won in 15:16 and Brenda Martinez of Los Angeles was the first woman finisher in 17:21.
"I got a chance to not only meet Zola Budd, but to line up next to her on the starting line and talk with her," said Aklufi, 34. "She was very gracious."
Aklufi, who had run a 5K on the track in San Francisco the previous day, bolted to an early lead after meeting Budd on the starting line and led wire-to-wire. Her run was so dominating that it not only shattered the race record, but was good enough to bring her to the finish line in sixth place overall.
"I started running late, when I was 23 and moved to Los Angeles after graduating from college (at Yale, where she was a national class swimmer)," she said. "I had been running my best in 2005-2006, then stopped to become a police officer. Then, I was injured. I'm now starting to get back to running good times, like before my injuries. I'm proud of this effort today."
Spice Girl Mel B (right) reacts happily as she and her husband and daughter finish the KLAR 10K. (Photo: Kirby Lee) |
In back of her, however, Budd and Byrne were authoring their own memorable performances.
Budd, a South African native who was the World Cross Country champion in 1985 and 1986 and is perhaps best remembered for her celebrated collision with Mary Decker Slaney in the 3000 meters at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, had returned to Southern California in hopes of keeping her comeback in master's racing going. Now a mother of three, she said she was hoping to run somewhere in the 37 minute range.
"I'm very happy about my effort today," Budd said. "This is my best time in the last two years. The weather today was perfect and the course was very good."
Byrne realized she was chasing a legend in the final stages of the 10K. She tried to catch Budd just before the last turn in the race, but the former Olympian dug down to show her former track speed and stayed ahead.
"I couldn't catch her," said Byrne, "but it was a memorable experience."
Also finishing the race was Spice Girl Mel B (Scary Spice).
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