Posted: July 27, 2005

Athletics: Kastor & Kiplagat To Headline Falmouth Road Race

From David Monti

© 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

Organizers of the SBLI Falmouth Road Race announced yesterday that Olympic bronze medalist, Deena Kastor, and multiple world record-holder, Lornah Kiplagat, will headline their women's field when the race steps off from Woods Hole, Mass., USA on Sunday, August 14.

Kastor, 32, the fastest U.S. women ever over the marathon distance, will be making her Falmouth debut over the winding and scenic 7-mile point-to-point course. She is reportedly in full training now having recovered from a foot injury she sustained stepping on a pine cone in her yard earlier this year. The race in Falmouth will be part of her ramp-up for the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in October where she hopes to break her own U.S. marathon record (2:21:16) and possibly break 2:20.

The American will face a formidable challenge in Kiplagat, the 31 year-old Dutch woman who has won at Falmouth three times and is the course record holder (35:02, 2000).

In the last ten editions of the women's race, only one American, Jen Rhines, has mounted the top step of the podium. That was in 2003. However, Colleen De Reuck, now running for the United States, was twice victorious as a South African (1993 and 1997) and she too will be running Falmouth this year.

On the men's side, the organizers also announced that American Abdi Abdirahman will take part. He will also be running the IAAF World Championships in Athletics at the 10,000m distance six days before. The last American man to win the race was Mark Curp in 1988.