The two biggest names are Kenya’s Julliah Tinega, last year’s female champion in 54:02, and Allan Kiprono, last year’s male runner-up in 45:41, who finished just five seconds behind Lelisa Desisa’s course record time.

“I won’t be at all surprised if Allan Kiprono wins the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run this year,” said Race Director Phil Stewart. “Both of last year’s champions were runners-up in 2010. And, given the number of repeat winners over the years – 12 – I feel pretty good about Julliah Tinega’s chances as well.”

Of course, Kiprono and Tinega will have to prove themselves against a field of worthy competitors. On the men’s side, Kenyan Samuel Ndereba has run Cherry Blossom six times, placing 2nd in 2006, and setting a personal best of 46:38 in 2008; Kenyan Lani Kiplagat placed 4th last year, running 46:30. Tinega’s challengers include Ethiopian Yunilesh Delelecha, who won last year’s George Washington Parkway Classic in Alexandria, Virginia; Claire Hallissey from Great Britain, who was fifth in the women’s race last year and set her ten-mile personal best of 54:47 while placing 8th in 2010; and Ukrainian Keteryna Stetsenko, who has not raced the 10-mile distance before, but recently placed 8th in the Tokyo Marathon, running 2:28:38.

April 1, 2012 – 7:30 am

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