This weekend, the world’s best distance runners will gather in Punta Umbia, Spain to contest the 39th IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Did you know that KIMbia athletes have collected NINETEEN Top 5 finishes at World Cross? Paul Koech leads the way with an impressive four, including a silver medal in 1998 that might have been gold, had the unbeatable Paul Tergat not been in the field.  (Koech also finished sixth on two occasions.)

Individual medalists include Sammy Kipketer (silver, 2000 4k), Luke Kipkosgei (silver, 2002 4k), Daniel Komen (silver, 1998 4k), and John Yuda (silver, 2002 12k). Additionally, Top-10 finishes have come from Elana Meyer (6th in 1994 and 1995) and Elva Dryer (8th in 2002 4k).

A list of Top-10 finishes by KIMbia athletes is below. Read the full article

Colorado residents James Carney and Elva Dryer will represent America at the 11th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, to be contested in Birmingham, UK on October 11th, 2009.  Carney was the national champion at the half-marathon distance in 2008, with Dryer winning her own title in 2007.  In fact, Dryer has shown a real aptitude for the distance, bringing a three-race winning streak — including a win in Austin this year — into the Championships.  Her PB is 1:11:40 and, in winning the national title in 2008, Carney set his lifetime best of 1:02:21.

Battling a very competitive field in Atlanta on Saturday, Lineth Chepkurui, was able to score a huge win, a fast time, and a hefty paycheck at the Atlanta Journal Constitution Peachtree Road Race.  The 21 year old Chepkurui kept a phenomenal 2009 going by edging out Ethiopia’s Meseret Mengsitu by just one second while also running a PB time of 31:31. She also collected $32,500 in race earnings after sharing a $35,000 bonus prize purse from the Professional Road Racing Organization with the men’s winner, Sammy Kitwara. Lineth became eligible for the purse by winning other PRRO road races earlier in the year. Lineth’s KIMbia mate, Elva Dryer, placed 18th overall and was 6th American in the women’s race.

With the win, Lineth has added one more reason for her to be considered the most feared young Kenyan on the road. Just this year she has won Peachtree, Cherry Blossom, Crescent City, and Bloomsday, a veritable “who’s who” of non-marathon American road races.

In the men’s race, Boaz Cheboiywo was an impressive 5th* 4th place in 28:05. James Carney ran 28:19 finishing 10th* 9th overall and was 3rd American in the Peachtree race, which served as the USATF 10k National Championship. Abdi Abdirahman won the US Championship in 28:11 and Anthony Famiglietti was 2nd in 28:15.

*Updated results after 4th place finisher, Tadese Tola was DQ’d for unsportsmanlike conduct after elbowing Boaz in the final 30 meters of the race.
Full Results for Peachtree here.

Elva Dryer made herself a fixture up front in Boston on Monday, much the same way she has been a fixture at the forefront of the US Track, Cross Country and Road Racing scenes from the very first stages of her professional career. Now that she has fully transitioned to the marathon — with Boston becoming her 4th — she shared her thoughts on moving up in distance and what she was looking for on Patriots Day 2009.

Elva confided that she had hoped for a PB in Boston, and though the slow early pace doomed that goal, there’s no questioning that, if nothing else, she put herself in the best possible position to race well.

The KIMbia team got plenty of face-time in the 2009 Boston Marathon broadcast. Elva Dryer spearheaded the women’s pack for several miles, while the trio of James Koskei, Timothy Cherigat and Stephen Kiogora were quite visible, tucked into the lead men’s pack early, and in the case of Stephen and Timothy, surging into the lead a little past half-way.

After reckoning was completed at the finish line, Top Performance honors have to go to James Koskei, for winning his first Masters Marathon title, and double-dipping in the Open money, too, thanks to his 11th-place finish.  And, his time of 2:14:52 was within a minute of his PB (2:14:02 – Dubai, 2007) — quite credible on the Boston course.

After running as a phalanx early, the KIMbia trio also finished in sequence — preceding James to the line was Stephen, whose 2:13:00 was good for 9th, with Timothy just behind: 10th place in 2:13:04. After battling a leg injury during the final weeks before Race Day, Ben Maiyo was forced to drop out in the first quarter of the race.

On the women’s side, Elva hung with the leaders for about 14 miles and came home 12th, finishing in 2:38:50.