KIMbia Athletics

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.

Finally in Boston, Timothy and Stephen offer a crash-course in “Boston” to teammate Ben Maiyo.

360 Athletics LIVE is Marathon coverage like you have never seen before.  In the Live blog below, we will be providing up-to-the-second race updates and commentary, video features, live video commentary from our on-site analysts, and (best of all) audience participation.  Let us know what you want to see in this coverage and we will do our best to get that to you.  So, sit back or stand up, cheer on your favorite runners, and enjoy 360 degree coverage of the most famous foot race in the world! Read the full article

In which Timothy, Baba and James wrap up their preparations for Boston.  Watch the series finale tomorrow as part of our live coverage of the 2009 Boston Marathon! And, in the meantime, check out the guys’ page at Saucony.com…

In which the guys practice Boston’s socio-cultural norms… More here.

On Monday, defending champions Robert Cheruiyot and Dire Tune will try to hold off strong Boston Marathon fields that include the best American hopes for a Boston Champion, in Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher. Flying a little under the radar is a talented group of KIMbia athletes — Timothy Cherigat, Elva Dryer, Stephen “Baba” Kiogora, James Koskei and Ben Maiyo — looking to make their own mark on this year’s race, and we will be tracking their efforts LIVE, in real-time, right here, with a one-of-a-kind live blog featuring video features, interactive polls and audience commentary, and a contest giveaway.

So, Monday morning, come chat it up with your fellow running fans in our virtual sports-bar while you watch the Universal Sports video feed.  And, for you iPhone users who can’t get to a computer, you can follow our play-by-play right on your iPhone.  In the meantime: whether you have a question for our competitors, or about some aspect of Boston — the city or the event — leave a comment below and we’ll do our best to cover it on Monday!

Wanting to make a big splash in Boston this year, the guys hone their technical running in preparation for the unique quirks of the Boston roads.  [ Saucony has created a page for the guys -- and the videos -- on their website, here. ]

As we all know, diet is a crucial component in athletic achievement. Out in Boulder, members of the KIMbia crew take part in their final gastrointestinal preparations for Boston.

We are just days away from the most anticipated Boston Marathon in recent memory, and a handful of KIMbia athletes are set to toe the starting line in Hopkinton. Among them are Dieter Hogen’s crew out in Boulder, but when we endeavored to give you a firsthand look at their preparations, suffice it to say, we were a bit surprised by what we found…

Dieter Hogen’s crew of KIMbia athletes make their final preparations for the Boston Marathon…

Stephen Kiogora–better known as Baba to marathon fans–ran a fantastic personal best of 2:08:24 at this morning’s Frankfurt Marathon. Baba finished third, and was part of the three-man lead pack that splintered at about 35K once winner Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot broke away.

In his debut, Cheruiyot (no relation to the World Marathons Major champ) ran 2:07:21. Baba was close behind Wilson Kigen, who ran 2:08:16. (Kigen’s brother Wilfred had won in Frankfurt the previous three years.) Unfortunately, Baba took a nasty fall as he was entering the arena where the indoor finish at Frankfurt occurs.

Ben Maiyo was seventh in a solid 2:09:58. Julius Koskei (James’ brother) was one place back with a nice debut of 2:10:14.

1. Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:07:21
2. Wilson Kigen (KEN) 2:08:16
3. Stephen Kiogora (KEN) 2:08:24
4. Philemon Kirwa Tarbei (KEN) 2:08:47
5. Benson Barus (KEN) 2:08:57
6. Japhet Kosgei (KEN) 2:09:24
7. Benjamin Maiyo (KEN) 2:09:58
8. Julius Kibet Koskei (KEN) 2:10:14
9. Vincent Kipsos (KEN) 2:10:23
10. William Kiplagat (KEN) 2:10:53