Charles Kibiwot of Kenya pulled ahead over the last 200 meters of the 22nd Sallie Mae 10K yesterday, edging John Henwood with a strong kick
Kibiwot, 30, finished in 29 minutes 36 seconds; Henwood, from New Zealand, finished in 29:38.
"I was building good speed throughout the race and ran to my limit," Kibiwot said. "I felt good."
Henwood, 33, said the race started slowly in the first mile before the first three finishers broke away and ran together. The race began on Ohio Drive in West Potomac Park and continued on a flat and fast course to Hains Point and back.
"I was ready to kick hard, and I thought he [Kibiwot] was hurting, but I got a real surprise when he pulled ahead," Henwood said.
Kibiwot finished 16th in the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run on April 3. Henwood was a member of the 2004 New Zealand Olympic team.
Joseah Matui, 27, from Kenya, finished third in 29:42.
Asmae Leghzaoui was the women's winner in a course record 31:27.
Leghzaoui, 28, from Morocco, finished almost a minute ahead of second-place Tatyana Petrova, a 22-year-old from Russia who ran 32:31. Leghzaoui said her objective was to start relaxed, then "push to the max" in the final stretch.
"I am very happy with my performance," she said through an interpreter. "I met my race objective and kept pushing myself at the end."
The previous record of 32:00 was set by Jill Hunter of Britain in 1991. Leghzaoui raced for the first time since giving birth to a daughter in February 2004. She set the then-10K road world best of 30:29 at the New York Mini Marathon in June 2002.
"The race was good, but I was a little bit disappointed," Petrova said through an interpreter. [Leghzaoui] "was too strong and ran better."
Jackline Okemwa, 26, from Kenya, was third in 33:01.
Approximately 1,750 runners registered for the race, which benefits the District of Columbia College Access Program. The prize purse was $13,600, with the men's and women's winners receiving $500, second place $450 and third place $400.
