Men’s 10K Champion Defends his Title

Abdi Abdirahman of Tucson, Ariz. successfully defended his national championship title in the USA 10K Men’s Championships at the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K on April 5. 

He finished in 28 minutes, 32 seconds. The 30-year-old won $7,500 for his second consecutive national title in the men’s 10K road race.  

Dan Browne, 32, of Beaverton, Ore. came in second with a time of 28:36. Last month, Browne placed second in the 15K National Championships in Jacksonville, Fla. That makes two national championships second-place finished in less than a month for him. “Second is good,” said Browne, pointing to his belly. “It keeps the fire burning.”

Both Abdirahman and Browne are serious contenders for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team in the 10K event.

Leah Kiprono, a 32-year-old Kenyan runner, won Ukrop’s $2,000 women’s first prize with a time of 32:24.

Billy Weldon of Glen Allen, Va. captured a $2,500 purse as winner of the AT&T Dash for the Cash. Weldon, a runner who was selected at random from Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K registrants, was given a 2.8-mile head start and the opportunity to claim the cash if he bested the field.  He crossed the finish line almost two minutes ahead of Abdirahman. It was the second time in four attempts that the Dash for the Cash runner has claimed the prize.  

A record 24,055 runners and walkers finished this year’s event out of registrations totaling 31,158.

(Top left, Winner Abdi Abdirahman crosses the finish line at the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K on April 5.)