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L-R: #4 Nicole Aish, Asmae Leghzaoui, Kim Smith, and #9 Katie McGregor were some of the faster starters. |
Nicole Aish (#4) of Gunnison, Colorado, leads the way up the hill. |
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#7 Kim Smith, who became known as a front-runner in the NCAA, runs right on Aish's shoulder in the early stages. |
Aish and Smith lead the way. |
The weather was warm -- probably too warm -- at race time, and the sun was shining brightly. |
Nicole Aish and Kim Smith continue to lead in the first mile. |
Asmae Leghzaoui moves up to take over the pace. |
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Right around the 1K mark, which the runners hit in 3:10, Leghzaoui charged ahead and never looked back. |
Leghzaoui leads (L-R) Aish, Smith, and #34 Merima Hashim of Ethiopia. |
Though she had competed in quite a few races since returning to competition after serving a two-year... |
...suspension after testing positive for EPO, this particular had, by far, stirred up the most controversy. |
Several runners who had been scheduled to compete here -- including Lornah Kiplagat and Benita Johnson -- pulled out in protest of Leghzaoui's presence in the race. |
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Kim Smith moves into second, as Legzaoui puts a small gap on the field. |
After she established a gap, Legzaoui was just racing against the clock. |
During her suspension for EPO -- which she freely admits to taking -- Leghzaoui had a baby. |
Kim Smith and Merima Hashim run in second and third. |
Speaking of having babies, three-time ('02-'04) champion Marla Runyan (not pictured) was unable to partipate in this year's race... |
