Kenyans win Peace Race
— 41st peace race —
By Brian Dzenis
Youngstown
Another week, another city race to take over.
A week after winning the Columbus Marathon, Kenyan Julius Koskei cruised to victory as the overall winner of Sunday’s 41st Peace Race, crossing the finish line at Federal and Market Streets with a time of 28:56.74.
The 33-year-old bested a fellow Kenyan 11 years his junior, Nicholas Too, by about 25 seconds.
“I’m very thankful and I hope I can come to this race next year. It was very good,” Koskei said.
On the women’s side, 21-year-old Kenyan Monicah Ngige was the overall winner, clocking in at 33:09.97.
She won her seventh road race in the U.S. and set a new career-best 10k time, shaving 31 seconds off a record she set in Nairobi earlier this year.
Koskei made his Youngstown debut and gave a mostly positive review of the course. He enjoyed that it was mostly downhill and the rural portion of the course.
But with the weather in the high 40s to low 50s and it being somewhat windy, the race became more difficult as he approached downtown Youngstown.
“I loved the race in the park, not in the town. It was really cool in the park,” Koskei said. “Sometimes in the town you can get the wind at your side and in your face.”
Koskei was friendly with Too and some of the other Kenyan racers when he crossed the finish line. He said they often compete in the same races together and they keep a friendly rivalry.
It took Koskei about two miles to separate himself from the pack and he spent the rest of the 10k race alone.
“At around two miles, I felt like my body was responding and I was running pretty well,” Koskei said. “From the start I didn’t know how these people might be, but I know when I push really hard from the start, I was going to make it.”
Among the American competitors, Stow resident Scott Mate, 30, finished in third place overall to win the U.S. Elite title.
Youngstown State runner Eric Rupe was the best from the Buckeye State. He raced alongside older brother Craig Rupe, a former Akron Zips track athlete and his mother, Michelle Rupe.
Richard Kessio won the Masters (40-years-old and up) title with an almost four-minute lead over Indiana native John Mirth. Girard resident Tony Swain was able to best Dan Campbell by about 12 seconds to win the Grand Masters (50+).
“I really liked it, it was a little cold for me,” Campbell said. “I like to run in the warmer weather, but I thought I ran a really good race.
“I knew [Swain] passed me in about two miles and I tried to catch up with him but I couldn’t do it,” Campbell said. “He actually pulled out pretty far ahead and then I noticed with about a mile to go, he started coming back towards me, but I didn’t have time to catch him.”
The Senior Grandmaster (60+) was 63-year-old Bellevue native Dave Wallingford.
In other women’s categories, Stockdale, Pa., resident Tina Seech won the Master’s title, Vicky Palumbo finished as Grand Master and Cincinnati native Laurie Herman won the Senior Grand Master Honors.
East Liverpool’s Ian Smith, 17, won the two-mile race with a time of 11:24.13.