by Brett Larner
With temperatures suddenly jumping ten degrees to the mid-20s former Tokyo Kokusai University star Leul Gebresilase (Ethiopia) proved the toughest in hot and sunny conditions as he won Saturday's Ottawa 10K with a long kick from a kilometer and a half out.
Back from a nearly two-year layoff due to illness, 2015 Ottawa winner Nicholas Bor (Kenya) did the early heavy lifting, shaking the lead pack down to himself, Gebresilase, Japan's Kenta Murayama (Team Asahi Kasei), Martin Hehir (U.S.A.) and Taher Belkorchi (Morocco) by 3 km. Shortly after that Murayama, running with support from JRN, started to feel dizzy and began to drift back from the pack. Belkorchi was the next to fade, leaving Gebresilase, Hehir and Bor up front by halfway.
Little changed for the next few kilometers, but between 7 and 8 km Bor abruptly faltered and dropped back. Newcomer Hehir gave it what he had, but on a sharp left turn across a bridge before 9 km Gebresilase surged and had the race i…
With temperatures suddenly jumping ten degrees to the mid-20s former Tokyo Kokusai University star Leul Gebresilase (Ethiopia) proved the toughest in hot and sunny conditions as he won Saturday's Ottawa 10K with a long kick from a kilometer and a half out.
Back from a nearly two-year layoff due to illness, 2015 Ottawa winner Nicholas Bor (Kenya) did the early heavy lifting, shaking the lead pack down to himself, Gebresilase, Japan's Kenta Murayama (Team Asahi Kasei), Martin Hehir (U.S.A.) and Taher Belkorchi (Morocco) by 3 km. Shortly after that Murayama, running with support from JRN, started to feel dizzy and began to drift back from the pack. Belkorchi was the next to fade, leaving Gebresilase, Hehir and Bor up front by halfway.
Little changed for the next few kilometers, but between 7 and 8 km Bor abruptly faltered and dropped back. Newcomer Hehir gave it what he had, but on a sharp left turn across a bridge before 9 km Gebresilase surged and had the race i…